Classic Chapter Book: Anne Of Green Gables (Ch. 16)

Welcome, and I’m glad you’re here.

Tonight’s session continues our calm chapter-book reading of the classic Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. I’ll be narrating Chapters 16, spending more time with Anne Shirley as her story unfolds in the gentle, familiar setting of Prince Edward Island.

This soothing bedtime audiobook narration is created to help you unwind, quiet the mind, and ease into rest, whether you’re listening as part of your nighttime routine or simply seeking a moment of calm.

Settle in, allow your body to relax, and let the steady rhythm of the story carry you along, with no need to stay awake or follow every detail.

Sweet dreams, Joanne

Music in this episode is by Golden Peas, via Epidemic Sound.

Transcript

Welcome to Drift Off Bedtime Stories. I'm your host Joanne and I'm so glad you've joined me. Tonight we begin a new journey together as we dive into the timeless classic Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Each Sunday, I'll be narrating a few chapters, Offering a gentle escape into the charming world of Anne Shirley and the beautiful landscapes of Prince Edward Island. Before we begin. Let's take a moment to relax and settle in. Find a comfortable position Gently close your eyes. And take a deep breath in. And slowly exhale. Feel your body beginning to unwind as you let go of any tension. Imagine yourself in a peaceful cozy space ready to drift off into a world of imagination and rest. And some my friend. Let's step into the enchanting world now of Anne of Green Gables. Chapter 16 Diana is Invited to Tea with Tragic Results October was a beautiful month at Green Gables. The birches in the hollow turned as golden as sunshine, The maples behind the orchard were royal crimson, And the wild cherry trees along the lane were dark red and bronzy green. The fields basked in the sunlight. Anne reveled in the world of color around her. Oh, Marilla, She exclaimed one Saturday morning, Dancing with her arms full of colorful branches. I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, Wouldn't it? Look at these maple branches. Don't they give you a thrill? Several thrills? I'm going to decorate my room with them. Messy things, " said Mirella, Whose sense of aesthetics was not very developed. You clutter up your room too much with outdoor stuff, Anne. Bedrooms are made to sleep in. Oh, And dreamin' too, Marilla. And you know one can dream better in a room with pretty things. I'm going to put these boughs in the old blue jug and set them on my table. Mind you don't drop leaves all over the stairs. I am going to a meeting of the Aid Society at Karmady this afternoon. And I won't likely be home before dark. You'll have to get Matthew and Jerry their supper. So don't forget to put the tea to draw until you sit down at the table like you did last time. It was dreadful of me to forget, Said Anne apologetically. But that was the afternoon I was trying to think of a name for Violet Vale. And it crowded other things out. Matthew was so good. He never scolded. He put the tea down himself and said we could wait. And I told him a lovely fairy story while we waited. So he didn't mind the time. It was a beautiful fairy story, Marilla. I forget the end of it, So I made one up. And Matthew said he couldn't tell where the join was. Matthew would think it all right, Anne, If you decided to have dinner in the middle of the night. But keep your wits about you this time. And I don't know if I'm doing right. It may make you more scatterbrained than ever, But you can ask Diana to come over and spend the afternoon with you and have tea here. Oh, Marilla! " Anne clasped her hands. How perfectly lovely! You can imagine things after all, Or else you'd never have understood how I've longed for that. It will seem so nice and grown up. No fear of my forgetting to put the tea to draw when I have company. Oh, Marilla, Can I use the rosebud spray tea set? No, Indeed, The Rosebud tea set. What next? I never use that except for the minister or the aides. You'll use the old brown tea set. That you can open the little yellow crock of cherry preserves. It's time it was used anyhow. I believe it's starting to go bad. And you can cut some fruitcake and have some cookies and snaps. I can just imagine myself sitting at the head of the table and pouring out the tea, " said Anne, Closing her eyes ecstatically. And asking Diana if she takes sugar. I know she doesn't. But of course I'll ask her as if I didn't know. And then urging her to take another piece of fruitcake and more preserves. Oh, Marilla, It's just wonderful to think of it. Can I take her into the spare room to lay off her hat when she comes? And then into the parlor to sit? No, The sitting room will do for you and your company. But there's half a bottle of raspberry cordial left over from the church social. It's on the second shelf of the sitting room closet. You and Diana can have it if you like, And I'll cook you to eat with it in the afternoon. Since Matthew will be likely late for tea as he's hauling potatoes to the vessel. And flew down to the hollow. Past the Dryad's Bubble and up the Spruce Pass to Orchard Slope to ask Diana to tea. Just after Marilla had driven off to Carmody, Diana came over, Dressed in her second best dress and looking exactly as one should when invited to tea. Usually, She would run into the kitchen without knocking, But now she knocked primly at the front door. When Anne, Also dressed in her second vest, Primly opened it, Both little girls shook hands as if they had never met before. This unnatural formality lasted until Diana had been taken to the East Gable to lay off her hat. And then has sat for 10 minutes in the sitting room, Toes in position. How's your mother? " inquired Anne politely, As if she hadn't seen Mrs. Barry picking apples that morning in excellent health and spirits. She's very well, Thank you. I suppose Mr. Cuthbert is hauling potatoes to the lily sands this afternoon, Is he? " said Diana. Who had ridden down to Mr. Harmon Andrews that morning in Matthew's cart. Yes, Our potato crop is very good this year. I hope your father's crop is good too. It is fairly good, Thank you. Have you picked many of your apples yet? Oh, Ever so many, " said Anne, Forgetting to be dignified, And jumping up quickly. Let's go out to the orchard and get some of the red sweetings, Diana. Marilla says we can have all that there are left on the tree. Marilla is a very generous woman. She said we could have fruitcake and cherry preserves for tea. But it isn't good manners to tell your company what you're going to give them to eat. So i won't tell you what she said we could drink only it begins with an R and a C, And it's bright red. I love bright red drinks, Don't you? They taste twice as good as any other color. The orchard, With its great sweeping boughs heavy with fruit, Proved so delightful that the little girl spent most of the afternoon there, Sitting in a grassy corner where the frost had spared the green and the warm autumn sunshine lingered. They ate apples and talked as much as they could. Diana had a lot to tell Anne about school. She had to sit with Gertie Pie and she hated it because Gertie Pie squeaked her pencil all the time, Which made Diana's blood run cold. Ruby Gillis had charmed all her warts away with a magic pebble from old Mary Jo at the creek. You had to rub the warts with the pebble, Then throw it over your left shoulder at the new moon, And the warts would disappear. Charlie Sloane's name was written up with M. White's on the porch wall, And M. White was furious about it. Sam Bolter had talked back to Mr. Phillips in class, Got whipped, And then Sam's father came to school and dared Mr. Phillips to touch any of his children again. Maddie Andrews had a new red hood and a blue crossover with tassels and she was showing off terribly. Lizzy White wasn't speaking to Mamie Wilson because Mamie's grown-up sister had stolen Lizzy's sister's boyfriend. Everyone missed Anne and wish she could come back to school. And Gilbert Blythe. But Anne didn't want to hear about Gilbert Wythe. She quickly jumped up and suggested they go inside and have some raspberry cordial. And looked on the second shelf of the sitting room pantry, But didn't find the bottle there. After some searching, She found it on the top shelf. She put it on a tray and set it on the table with a tumbler. Now, Please help yourself, Diana, " she said politely. I don't think I'll have any right now. I don't feel like I want any after all those apples. Diana poured herself a tumbler full, Admired its bright red color, And then sipped it daintily. That's awfully nice raspberry cordial, Anne, " she said. I didn't know raspberry cordial was so nice. I'm really glad you like it. Take as much as you want. I'm going to run out and stir the fire. There are so many responsibilities when you're keeping house, Aren't there? When Anne came back from the kitchen. Diana was drinking her second glass of cordial. Encouraged by Anne, She didn't object to drinking a third. The tumblerfuls were generous, And the raspberry cordial was indeed very nice. "'The nicest I ever drank, ' said Diana. "'It's so much nicer than Mrs. Lynde's, Even though she brags about her so much. '" It doesn't taste a bit like hers. I should think Marilla's raspberry cordial would be much nicer than Mrs. Lynn's, " said Anne loyally. Marilla is a famous cook. She's trying to teach me to cook, But it's uphill work, Diana. There's so little scope for imagination in cookery. You have to follow rules. The last time I made a cake, I forgot to put the flour in. I was thinking of the loveliest story about you and me, Diana. I imagined you were desperately ill with smallpox, And everyone deserted you, But I nursed you back to life. Then I caught smallpox and died, And you planted a rosebush by my grave and watered it with your tears. You never forgot the friend who sacrificed her life for you. It was such a sad tale, Diana. The tears just ran down my cheeks while I mixed the cake. But I forgot the flour and the cake was a failure. Flour is so essential to cakes. Marilla was very cross and I don't blame her. I'm a great trial to her. She was very upset about the pudding sauce last week. We had plum pudding for dinner, And there was half the pudding and a pitcher of sauce left. Marilla said there was enough for another dinner and told me to set it on the pantry shelf and cover it. I meant to cover it, Diana. But I was imagining I was a nun, Though I'm Protestant. Burying a broken heart in seclusion, And I forgot all about covering the sauce. The next morning, I found a mouse drowned in the pudding sauce. I lifted it out with a spoon, Threw it out, And washed the spoon. I planned to ask Marilla if we should give the sauce to the pigs, But when she came in, I was imagining I was a frost fairy turning the trees red and yellow, So I forgot about the sauce. Marilla sent me to pick apples. Later, Mr. And Mrs. Chester Ross from Spencervale came by. They are very stylish, Especially Mrs. Ross. When Marilla called me in for dinner, Everything was fine until I saw Marilla with the pudding and the sauce. Diana, I remembered everything and shouted, Marilla, You mustn't use that sauce. There was a mouse in it. I'll never forget that awful moment. Mrs. Ross looked at me, And I wanted to sink through the floor. Marilla turned red, But didn't say a word. She took the sauce away and brought in strawberry preserves. She even offered me some, But I couldn't eat a bite. After Mrs. Ross left, Marilla scolded me terribly. Why Diana? What's the matter? Diana stood up unsteadily. Then sat down holding her head. I'm awfully sick, " she said thickly. I, I must go home. Oh, You can't go without your tea, Cried Anne in distress. I'll get it right away. I'll put the tea down this very minute. I must go home, " repeated Diana stubbornly, But determinedly. Let me get you a lunch anyhow, " implored Anne. Let me give you a bit of fruitcake and some of the cherry preserves. Lie down on the sofa for a little while and you'll feel better. Where do you feel bad? I must go home, " said Diana, And that was all she would say. In vain and pleaded. I never heard of company going home without tea, " she mourned. Oh Diana, Do you think it's possible you're really getting smallpox? If you are, I'll go and nurse you. I'll never forsake you. But I do wish you'd stay till after tea. Where do you feel bad? I'm awful dizzy, Said Diana. And indeed, She walked very dizzily. Anne, With tears of disappointment in her eyes, Got Diana's hat and walked with her as far as the Berry Yard fence. Then she wept all the way back to Green Gables, Where she sorefully put the remainder of the raspberry cordial back into the pantry and got tea ready for Matthew and Jerry with all the zest gone from the task. The next day was Sunday, And as the rain poured down in torrents from dawn till dusk, Anne did not leave Green Gables. On Monday afternoon, Marilla sent her down to Mrs. Lynn's on an errand. In a very short time, Anne came flying back up the lane with tears streaming down her cheeks. She dashed into the kitchen and flung herself face down on the sofa in agony. Whatever's gone wrong now, Anne? " queried Marilla in doubt and dismay. No answer from Ann, Except more tears and stormier sobs. And Shirley, When I ask you a question, I want to be answered. Sit up this minute and tell me what you're crying about. And set up looking tragic. Mrs. Lynde was up to see Mrs. Barry today, And Mrs. Barry was in an awful state, She wailed. She says that I got Diana drunk on Saturday and sent her home in a disgraceful condition. She says I must be a thoroughly bad, Wicked girl. And she's never, Never gonna let Diana play with me again. Oh Marilla, I'm just overcome with woe. Marilla stared in blank amazement. Got Diana drunk, She said when she found her voice. And are you or Mrs. Berry going crazy? What on earth did you give her? Nothing but raspberry cordial, " sobbed Anne. I never thought Raspberry Cordial would make people drunk, Marilla. Not even if they drank three big tumblerfuls like Diana did. Oh, It sounds so. . . So like Mrs. Thomas's husband. But I didn't mean to get her drunk. Drunk fiddlesticks, Said Marilla, Marching to the sitting room pantry. There on the shelf was a bottle she recognized as one containing her three-year-old homemade currant wine, For which she was famous in Avonlea, Though certain strict people, Mrs. Barry among them, Disapproved of it. At the same time, Marilla remembered that she had put the bottle of raspberry cordial in the cellar instead of in the pantry as she had told Anne. She went back to the kitchen with the wine bottle in her hand, Her face twitching in spite of herself. Anne, You certainly have a genius for getting into trouble. You gave Diana currant wine instead of raspberry cordial. Didn't you know the difference yourself? I never tasted it, Sudan. I thought it was the cordial. I meant to be hospitable. Diana got awfully sick and had to go home. Mrs. Berry told Mrs. Lynn she was dead drunk. Diana just laughed silly like when her mother asked what was the matter and went to sleep for hours. Her mother smelled her breath and knew she was drunk. She had a terrible headache all day yesterday. Mrs. Barry is so angry. She'll never believe I didn't do it on purpose. I should think she should better punish Diana for being so greedy as to drink three glassfuls of anything, " said Marilla shortly. Why, Three of those big glasses would have made her sick even if it had only been cordial. Well, This story will be a nice handle for those folks who are so down on me for making current wine, Although I haven't made any for three years ever since I found out that the minister didn't approve. I just kept that bottle for sickness. There, There, Child, Don't cry. I can't see as you were to blame, Although I'm sorry it happened so. I must cry, Said Anne. My heart is broken. The stars in their courses fight against me, Marilla. Diana and I are parted forever. Oh, Marilla, I little dreamed of this when we first swore our vows of friendship. Don't be foolish, Anne. Mrs. Barry will think better of it when she finds you're not to blame. I suppose she thinks you did it for a silly joke or something like that. You'd best go up this evening and tell her how it was. My courage fails me at the thought of facing Diana's injured mother, Sighed Anne. I'd wish you'd go, Marilla. You're so much more dignified than I am. Likely she'd listen to you quicker to me Well, I will, " said Marilla, Reflecting that it would probably be the wiser course. Don't cry anymore, Anne. It'll be alright. Marilla had changed her mind about it being alright by the time she got back from Orchard Slope. Anne was watching for her and flew to the porch door to meet her. Oh, Marilla, I know by your face that it's been no use, " she said sorrowfully. Mrs. Barry indeed, Snapped Marilla. Of all the unreasonable women I ever saw, She's the worst. I told her it was all a mistake and you weren't to blame, But she didn't believe me. And she rubbed it in well about my current wine, And how I'd always said it couldn't have the least effect on anybody. I just told her plainly that current wine wasn't meant to be drunk three tumblerfuls at a time. And that if a child I had to do with was so greedy, I'd sober her up with a good spanking. Marilla whisked into the kitchen, Grievously disturbed, Leaving a very distracted little soul in the porch behind her. Presently, Anne stepped out, Bareheaded, Into the chill autumn dusk. Determinedly and steadily. She made her way down through the clover field, Over the log bridge, And up through the spruce grove, Lit by a pale little moon hanging low over the western woods. Mrs. Barry, Coming to the door in answer to a timid knock, Found a white-lipped, Eager-eyed Anne on the doorstep. Her face hardened. Mrs. Berry was a woman of strong prejudices and dislikes, And her anger was the cold, Sullen kind, Which is always hardest to overcome. To be fair. She genuinely believed and had made Diana drunk out of sheer malice, And she was honestly anxious to protect her daughter from further contact with such a child. What do you want? She said stiffly. Anne clasped her hands. Oh, Mrs. Barry, Please forgive me. I didn't mean to intoxicate Diana. How could I? Just imagine if you were a poor little orphan girl that kind people had adopted and you had just one best friend in all the world. Do you think you would make her drunk on purpose? I thought it was only raspberry cordial. I was convinced it was raspberry cordial. Oh, Please don't say you won't let Diana play with me anymore. If you do, You will cover my life with a dark cloud of woe. This speech, Which would have softened good Mrs. Lynn's heart in a twinkling, Had no effect on Mrs. Barry except to irritate her more. She was suspicious of Anne's big words and dramatic gestures and thought the child was mocking her. So she said coldly and cruelly, I don't think you're a fit little girl for Diana to associate with. You'd better go home and behave yourself. Anne's lips quivered. Won't you let me see Diana just once to say goodbye? She implored. Diana has gone over to Carmody with her father, Said Mrs. Barry, Going in and shutting the door. And went back to Green Gables calm with despair. My last hope is gone, " she told Marilla. I went up and saw Mrs. Barry myself. And she treated me very insultingly, Marilla. I do not think she's a well-bred woman. There is nothing more to do except pray. And I haven't much hope that will help. Because marilla I don't believe that God himself can do much with such an obstinate person as Mrs. Barry. Anne, You shouldn't say such things, " rebuked Marilla, Striving to overcome the urge to laugh, Which she was dismayed to find growing upon her. And indeed. When she told the whole story to Matthew that night. She laughed heartily over Anne's tribulations. But when she slipped into the east gable before going to bed, And found that Anne had cried herself to sleep. An unaccustomed softness crept into her face. Poor little soul, " she murmured, Lifting a loose curl of hair from the child's tear-stained face. Then she bent down and kissed the flushed cheek on the pillow. Sweet dreams my friends sleep well.