10 Anne Of The Island - Read By Stephanie Poppins

New adventures lie ahead as Anne Shirley packs her bags, waves goodbye to childhood, and heads for Redmond College. With her old friend Prissy Grant waiting in the bustling city of Kingsport and her frivolous new friend Philippa Gordon at her side, Anne tucks her memories of rural Avonlea away and discovers life on her terms, filled with surprises.

Handsome Gilbert Blythe is waiting in the wings, too. And Anne must decide whether or not she's ready for love.

In this episode, Anne and Priscilla go to Patty's Place.

Transcript

Anne of the Island by L.

M.

Montgomery Read by Stephanie Poppins Chapter 10 Patty's Place The next evening found them treading resolutely the herringbone walk through the tiny garden.

The April wind was filling the pine trees with its roundelay and the grove was alive with robins,

Great plump saucy fellows strutting along the paths.

The girls rang rather timidly and were admitted by a grim and ancient handmaiden.

The door opened directly into a large living room whereby a cheery little fire sat two other ladies,

Both of whom were also grim and ancient.

Except that one looked to be about 70 and the other 50,

There seemed little difference between them.

Each had amazingly big light blue eyes behind still rimmed spectacles and each wore a cap and a grey shawl,

Each was knitting without haste and without rest,

Each rocked placidly and looked at the girls without speaking and just behind each sat a large white china dog with round green spots all over it,

A green nose and green ears.

Those dogs captured Anne's fancy on the spot,

They seemed like the twin guardian deities of Patty's Place.

For a few minutes nobody spoke,

The girls were too nervous to find words and neither the ancient ladies nor the china dogs seemed conversationally inclined.

Anne glanced about the room,

What a pretty place it was,

Then another door opened and out of it directly into the pine grove and the robins came boldly up on the very step.

The floor was spotted with round braided mats such as Marilla made at Green Gables but which were considered out of date everywhere else,

Even in Avonlea.

And yet here they were on Spofford Avenue,

A big polished grandfather's clock ticked loudly and solemnly in the corner and there were delightful little cupboards over the mantelpiece,

Behind whose glass doors gleamed quaint bits of china.

The walls were hung with old prints and silhouettes.

In one corner the stairs went up and at the first low turn was a long window with an inviting seat.

It was all just as Anne had known it must be.

By this time the silence had grown too dreadful and Priscilla nudged Anne to intimate that she must speak.

We saw by your sign that this house is to let,

Said Anne faintly,

Addressing the older lady who was evidently Miss Patty Spofford.

Oh yes,

Said Miss Patty,

I intended to take that sign down today.

Then we're too late,

Said Anne sorrowfully.

You've let it out to someone else?

No,

But we decided not to let it out at all.

Oh,

I'm so sorry,

Exclaimed Anne impulsively.

I love this place so,

I did hope we could have got it.

Then Miss Patty lay down her knitting,

Took off her specks,

Rubbed them,

Put them on again and for the first time she looked at Anne as at a human being.

The other lady followed her example so perfectly that she might as well have been a reflection in the mirror.

Love it?

Said Miss Patty with emphasis.

Does that mean you really love it or you merely like the looks of it?

The girls nowadays indulge in such exaggerated statements no one can ever really tell what they do mean.

It wasn't so in my young days.

Then a girl did not say she loved turnips,

Just the same tone as she might have said she loved her mother or her saviour.

Anne's conscience bore her up.

I really do love it,

She said gently.

I've loved it ever since I saw it last fall.

My two college chums and I want to keep house next year instead of boarding,

So we're looking for a little place to rent.

And when I saw that this house was to let I was so happy.

If you love it you can have it,

Said Miss Patty.

Maria and I decided today we would not let it after all because we did not like any of the people who wanted it.

We don't have to let it.

We can afford to go to Europe even if we don't let it.

It would help us out.

But not for gold will I let my home pass into the possession of such people as have come here and looked at it.

You,

However,

Are different.

I believe you do love it and will be good to it,

So you can have it.

If we can afford to pay what you ask for it,

Hesitated Anne.

Miss Patty named the amount required.

Anne and Priscilla looked at each other.

Priscilla shook her head.

I'm afraid we can't afford quite so much,

Said Anne,

Choking back her disappointment.

You see,

We're only college girls and we're poor.

What were you thinking you could afford,

Demanded Miss Patty,

Ceasing not to knit.

Anne named her amount and Miss Patty nodded gravely.

That will do.

As I told you,

It's not strictly necessary we should let it at all.

We're not rich,

But we have enough to go to Europe on.

I never have been in Europe my life and I never expected or wanted to go.

But my niece there,

Maria,

Has taken a fancy to it.

Now,

You know,

A young person like Maria can't go globetrotting alone.

No,

No,

I suppose not,

Murmured Anne,

Seeing that Miss Patty was quite solemnly in earnest.

Of course not.

So I'll just have to go along to look after her.

I expect to enjoy it too.

I'm 70 years old,

But I'm not tired of living yet.

I dare say I'd have gone to Europe before if the idea had occurred to me.

We shall be away for two years,

Perhaps three.

We sail in June and we shall send you the key and leave all in order for you to take possession when you choose.

We shall pack a few things we prize especially,

But all the rest will be left behind.

Will you leave the China dogs?

Asked Anne timidly.

Would you like me to?

Oh,

Yes,

Indeed.

They're delightful.

A pleased expression came into Miss Patty's face.

I think a great deal of those dogs,

She said proudly.

They're over 100 years old and they've sat either side of this fireplace ever since my brother Aaron bought them from London 50 years ago.

Spofford Avenue was called after my brother Aaron.

A fine man he was,

Said Miss Maria,

Speaking for the first time.

You don't see the likes of him nowadays.

He was a good uncle to you,

Maria,

Said Miss Patty with evident emotion.

You do well to remember him.

I shall always remember him,

Said Miss Maria solemnly.

I can see him this minute standing there before the fire with his hands under his coattails beaming upon us.

Miss Maria then took out her handkerchief and wiped her eyes.

But Miss Patty came resolutely back from the regions of sentiment to those of business.

I shall leave the dogs when they're here if you promise to be careful of them,

She said.

Their names are Gog and Magog.

Gog looks to the right and Magog to the left.

And there's just one thing more.

You don't object,

I hope,

To this house being called Patty's Place?

No,

Indeed,

We think it's one of the nicest things about it.

You have sense,

I see,

Said Miss Patty in a tone of great satisfaction.

Would you believe it,

All the people who came here to rent the house wanted to know if they couldn't take the name off the gate during their occupation.

I told them roundly the name went with this house.

This has been Patty's Place ever since my brother Aaron left it to me in his will.

And Patty's Place it shall remain until I die and Maria dies.

After that happens,

The next possessor can call it any full name he likes.

And now,

Wouldn't you like to go over the house and see it all before we consider the bargain made?

Further exploration still further delighted the girls.

Besides the big living room,

There was a kitchen and a small bedroom downstairs.

Upstairs were three rooms,

One large and two small.

Ann took a special fancy to one of the small ones,

Looking out into the big pines and hoped it would be hers.

It was papered in pale blue and had a little old timely toilet table with sconces for candles.

There was a diamond-paned window with a seat under the blue muslin frills that would be a satisfying spot for studying or dreaming.

It's so delicious,

I know we're going to wake up and find it a fleeting vision of the night,

Said Priscilla as they went away.

Miss Patty and Miss Maria are hardly such stuff as dreams are made of,

Laughed Ann.

Can you fancy them globetrotting,

Especially in those shawls and caps?

I suppose they'll take them off when they really begin to trot,

Said Priscilla.

But I know they'll take their knitting with them everywhere.

They simply couldn't be parted from it.

They'll walk about Westminster Abbey in knit,

I feel sure.

Meanwhile,

Ann,

We shall be living in Patty's place and on Spofford Avenue.

I feel like a billionaireess even now.

I feel like one of the morning stars that sang for joy,

Said Ann.

Phil Gordon crept into 38 St John's that night and flung herself on Ann's bed.

Girls,

Dear,

I'm tired to death.

I feel like the man without a country.

Or was it without a shadow?

I forget which.

Anyway,

I've been packing up.

And I suppose you're worn out because you couldn't decide which things to pack first or where to put them,

Laughed Priscilla.

Exactly.

Then I got everything jammed in somehow and my landlady and her maid had it both sat on while I locked it.

I discovered I'd packed a whole lot of things I wanted for convocation at the very bottom.

I had to unlock the whole thing and poke out and dive into it for an hour before I fished out what I wanted.

I would get hold of something that felt like what I was looking for and I'd yank it up and it would be something else.

No,

Ann,

I did not swear.

I didn't say you did.

Well,

You looked it.

But I admit my thoughts verged on the profane and I've such a cold in the head I can't do nothing but sniffle,

Sigh and sneeze.

Isn't that alliterative agony for you,

Ann?

Reviews

Sounds so lovely! And a two or three year trip to Europe, wow. The days of deep travel! Thank you❤️🙏🏼