Anne of the Island 6 - An UnwelcomeSurprise
After leaving Patty's Place, Anne and Priscilla went straight to Phil's boardinghouse to tell her the good news.
"Well, what has happened to you two? Why, you're actually shining! What's up?" Phil said when she answered the door.
"Priscilla and I are going to live in Patty's Place next winter," said Anne triumphantly.
"We've rented it," Priscilla continued, "and our friend Stella Maynard is coming, and she's moving in with us!"
Suddenly Phil got down on her knees before Anne and Priscilla. "Oh, please let me come too! I'll be so good. If there's no room for me, I'll sleep in the little doghouse in the backyard! Please let me be your roommate!"
"Get up, silly!" said Anne. She then said slowly, "Phil, we'd love that, but I'll be honest. I'm poor, Priscilla is poor, Stella Maynard is poor. The house and food will be simple and plain. You come from a wealthy family, and you live in an expensive boardinghouse, with fancy meals. Are you sure that you want a simple life, living with poor students?"
"Oh, what do I care?" said Phil dramatically. "I'd live on bread and water—with just a little jam—if you'll let me move in."
"Well, Phil, there would also be many chores to do," Anne continued. "At the moment you have a maid, but at Patty's Place, you would have to—"
"I'll learn how to cook and clean!" Phil interrupted.
"There's just one more thing," said Priscilla. "As all Redmond students know, Phil, you entertain visitors almost every evening. You have a very busy social life. Now at Patty's Place, we can't do that. We have decided we'll have visitors on Friday evenings only. How does that sound?"
"Oh, that's fine," said Phil. "I knew I should have had a rule like that, but I couldn't decide on what day! You know how indecisive I am!"
"Well," said Anne, "of course, we must check with Stella, but I'm sure she'll agree."
"And if you get tired of our simple life, you can move out of Patty's Place, and no questions asked," added Priscilla.
Phil hugged them both jubilantly, and Anne and Priscilla went home to the boardinghouse.
"I hope things will be all right," said Priscilla soberly. "Phil's a great friend, but how will she be to live with?"
"Who knows how any of us will get along?" Anne pointed out. "It's not as if Phil is selfish; she's just a little thoughtless. I think it will be fun!"
At the end of the term, Anne won the English scholarship. She was overjoyed since she could now support herself and not rely on Marilla. Anne went back to Avonlea for the vacation. People told Anne she hadn't changed much, in a tone that hinted they were surprised and a little disappointed that she hadn't. Avonlea had not changed either. At least, so it seemed.
But then Anne learned that Billy Andrews had married Nettie Blewett. She saw them together in church on Sunday. Anne's real surprise, though, was Ruby Gillis. What had happened to her? She was as beautiful as ever, but her blue eyes were too bright, her cheeks were too flushed, and she was very thin.
"Is Ruby Gillis sick? She looks so different," Anne said to Mrs. Lynde as they walked home from church. Marilla frowned and looked sad.
Mrs. Lynde said bluntly, "Ruby Gillis is dying of tuberculosis. Everybody knows it except Ruby and her family. They won't admit it. If you ask them about Ruby, they say she's perfectly healthy."
Anne listened in shocked silence. Ruby Gillis, her old school friend, dying? Could it be possible? In recent years they had grown apart, and Ruby and Anne had not talked as much as they used to. But the old schoolgirl friendship was still there—fun, beautiful, silly Ruby! It was impossible to think of her and something as tragic as death in the same thought.
Ruby had greeted Anne after church and urged her to come visit the next day. Anne had agreed, and so the next evening, Diana and Anne walked to the Gillis' house.
"It's so awful to hear Ruby chatting and pretending nothing is wrong," Diana told Anne. "Sometimes she can hardly speak because she's coughing so much."
Diana and Anne arrived at the Gillis' home, where many young male visitors had already arrived. Everyone was in the parlor, and two young men from Avonlea, Leonard Kimball and Alan Bell, were competing for Ruby's attention. Ruby was dressed in white, and her eyes and cheeks were bright. She giggled and chatted with her male admirers for most of the evening.
At one point Ruby took Anne upstairs to her bedroom to show Anne some of her new summer clothes. "How do you like my new white hat? It's the latest fashion. I liked the hat you wore to church yesterday." She turned, holding the hat to her head with one hand. "Anne, did you see those two Avonlea boys downstairs? They're nice, but Tony Spencer is the one I really like. He couldn't come tonight."
Ruby gave a shallow little laugh. Anne looked at the ground; she didn't know what to say. Just for a moment her eyes met Ruby's, and Anne saw something that made her heart ache.
"Come and see me while you're home, please, Anne?" whispered Ruby. "I want to see you. I've missed having an old friend like you around . . ."
"Are you feeling all right, Ruby?" Anne asked.
"Me?" Ruby replied. "Why, I'm perfectly healthy, Anne. Of course, last winter I had the flu, and I had a slow recovery, but now I am all right. I don't look sick, surely?" Ruby's voice was almost bitter, as if Anne had accused her of something.
Then Ruby went quickly downstairs and talked just to the young men, as if Anne and Diana were not there.
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