28 Anne Of Avonlea Read By Stephanie Poppins

Hello.

Welcome to Sleep Stories with Steph,

Your go-to romantic podcast that guarantees you a calm and entertaining transition into a great night's sleep.

Come with me as we immerse ourselves in a romantic journey to a time long since forgotten.

But before we begin,

Let's take a moment to focus on where we are now.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and let it out with a long sigh.

Now close your eyes and feel yourself sink deeper into the support beneath you.

It is time to relax and fully let go.

There is nothing you need to be doing now and nowhere you need to go.

Happy listening.

Anne of Avonlea This is the second book in the Anne of Green Gables series.

I am delighted to present to you Anne as she has now grown up into an elegant teenager.

Come with me as we hear all the trials and tribulations as she continues on her journey to womanhood.

Chapter 28 The prince comes back to the enchanted palace.

The last day of school came and went.

A triumphant semi-annual examination was held and Anne's pupils acquitted themselves splendidly.

At the close they gave her an address and a writing desk.

All the girls and ladies present cried and some of the boys had it cast up to them later on that they cried too.

Although they always denied it.

Mrs Harmon Andrews,

Mrs Peter Sloan and Mrs William Bell walked home together and talked things over.

I do think it's such a pity Anne's leaving when the children seem so much attached to her.

Sighed Mrs Peter Sloan who had a habit of sighing over everything and even finished off her jokes that way.

To be sure,

She added hastily,

We all know we'll have a good teacher next year too.

Jane will do her duty I've no doubt said Mrs Andrews rather stiffly.

I don't suppose she'll tell the children quite so many fairy tales or spend so much time roaming about the woods with them but she has her name on the inspector's roll of honour and the Newbridge people are in a terrible state of her leaving.

I'm real glad Anne's going to college said Mrs Bell she's always wanted it and it'll be a splendid thing for her.

Well I don't know Mrs Andrews was determined not to agree fully with anybody that day.

I don't see Anne needs any more education she'll probably be marrying Gilbert Blythe if his infatuation for her lasts till he gets through college and what good will Latin and Greek do her then?

If they taught you at college how to manage a man there might be some sense in her going.

Mrs Harmon Andrews so avidly gossip whispered had never learned how to manage her man and as a result the Andrews household was not exactly a model of domestic happiness.

I can see the Charlottetown call to Mr Allen is up before the presbytery said Mrs Bell that means we'll be losing him soon I suppose.

They're not going before September said Mrs Sloan it'll be a great loss to the community though I always did think Mrs Allen dressed far too gay for a minister's wife but we're none of us perfect.

Did you notice how neat and snug Mr Harrison looked today?

I never saw such a changed man he goes to church every Sunday and has subscribed to the salary.

Hasn't that Paul Irving grown to be such a big boy said Mrs Andrews he was such a mite for his age when he came here I declare I hardly knew him today he's getting to look a lot like his father.

He's a smart boy said Mrs Bell he's smart enough but Mrs Andrews lowered her voice I believe he tells queer stories.

Gracie came home from school one day last week with the greatest rigmarole he'd told her about people who live down at the shore stories there couldn't be a word of truth in you know.

I told Gracie not to believe them and she said Paul didn't intend her to but if he didn't intend her to what did he tell them to her for?

Anne says Paul is a genius said Mrs Sloan he may be you never know what to expect of them Americans said Mrs Andrews.

Mrs Andrews only acquaintance with the word genius was derived from the colloquial fashion of calling any eccentric individual a queer genius.

She probably thought with Mary Jo that it meant a person with something wrong in his upper story.

Back in the schoolroom Anne was sitting alone at her desk as she had sat on the first day of school two years before her face leaning on her hand her dewy eyes looking wistfully out of the window to the lake of shining waters her heart was so wrung over the parting with her pupils that for a moment college had lost all its charm she still felt the clasp of Annette's Bell's arms about her neck and heard the childish wail I'll never love any teacher as much as I love you Miss Shirley never never.

For two years she'd worked earnestly and faithfully making many mistakes and learning from them she had had her reward she had taught her scholars something but she felt that they had taught her much more lessons of tenderness self-control innocent wisdom law of childish hearts perhaps she had not succeeded in inspiring any wonderful ambitions but she had taught them more by her own sweet personality than by all her clever precepts that it was good and necessary in the years that were before them to live their lives finely and graciously holding fast to truth and courtesy and kindness keeping aloof from all that savoured of falsehood and meanness and vulgarity they were perhaps all unconscious of having learned such lessons but they would remember and practice them long after they had forgotten the capital of Afghanistan and the dates of the wars of the roses another chapter in my life is closed said Anne aloud as she locked her desk she really felt very sad over it but the romance in the idea of that closed chapter did comfort her a little Anne spent a fortnight at Echo Lodge early in her vacation and everybody concerned had a good time she took Miss Lavender on a shopping expedition to town while the happy Charlotte of the Forth basted and swept up clippings Miss Lavender had complained she could not feel much interest in anything but the sparkle came back to her eyes over her pretty dress what a foolish frivolous person I must be she sighed I'm wholesomely ashamed to think a new dress even if it is a forget-me-not organdy should exhilarate me so when a good conscience and an extra contribution to foreign missions couldn't do it midway in her visit Anne went home to Green Gables for a day to mend the twin stockings and settle up Dave's accumulated store of questions in the evening she went down to the shore road to see Paul Irving as she passed by the low square window of the Irving sitting room she caught a glimpse of Paul on somebody's lap the next moment he came flying through the hall oh Miss Shirley he cried excitedly you can't think what's happened something so splendid father is here just think of that father is here come right in father this is my beautiful teacher you know father Stephen Irving came forward to meet Anne with a smile he was a tall handsome man of middle age with iron gray hair deep set dark blue eyes and a strong sad face splendidly modeled about chin and brow just the face for a hero of romance and thought with a thrill of intense satisfaction it was so disappointing to meet someone who ought to be a hero and find him bored or stooped or otherwise lacking in manly beauty Anne would have thought it dreadful if the object of Miss Lavender's romance had not blocked the path so this is my little son's beautiful teacher of whom I've heard so much said Mr Irving with a hearty handshake Paul's letters have been so full of you Miss Shirley I feel as if I were pretty well acquainted with you already I want to thank you for what you've done for Paul and I think your influence has been just what he needed mother is one of the best and dearest of women but her robust matter-of-fact scotch common sense could not always understand a temperament like my laddies what was lacking in her you have supplied between you I think Paul's training in these two past years has been nearly ideal as a motherless boys could be everybody likes to be appreciated under Mr Irving's praise Anne's face burst flower-like into rosy bloom and the busy weary man of the world looking at her thought he had never seen a fairer sweeter slip of girlhood than this little down east school teacher with her red hair and wonderful eyes Paul sat between them blissfully happy I never dreamed father was coming he said radiantly even grandma didn't know it it was a great surprise as a general thing Paul shook his brown curls gravely I don't like to be surprised you lose all the fun of expecting things when you're surprised but in a case like this it's all right father came last night after I'd gone to bed and after grandma and Mary Jo had stopped being surprised he and grandma came upstairs to look at me not meaning to wake me up until the morning but I woke up right and saw father I tell you I just sprang at him with a hug like a bear's said Mr Irving putting his arms around Paul's shoulder smilingly I hardly knew my boy he'd grown so big and brown and sturdy grandma's been in the kitchen all day making the things father likes to eat she wouldn't trust him to Mary Jo said Paul that's her way of showing gladness I like best just to sit and talk to father but I'm going to leave you for a while now if you'll excuse me I must get the cows from Mary Jo that's one of my daily duties when Paul had scampered away to do his daily duty Mr Irving talked to Anne of various matters but Anne felt that he was thinking of something else underneath it all and presently it came to the surface in Paul's last letter he spoke of going with you to visit an old friend of mine he said Miss Lewis at the Stone House and Grafton do you know her well yes indeed was Anne's demure reply which gave no hint of the sudden thrill that tingled over her from head to foot she felt instinctively that romance was peeping at her around a corner Mr Irving rose and went to the window looking out on a great golden billowing sea where a wild wind was harping for a few moments there was silence in the little dark walled room then he turned and looked down into Anne's sympathetic face with a smile half whimsical half tender I wonder how much you know he said I know all about it replied Anne promptly you see Miss Lavender and I are very intimate we are kindred spirits yes I believe you are well I'm going to ask a favour of you I would like to go and see Miss Lavender if she'll let me will you ask if I may come Anne smiled this was romance the real thing with all the charm of rhyme and story and dream it was a little belated perhaps like a rose blooming in October which should have bloomed in June but nonetheless arose all sweetness and fragrance with a gleam of gold in its heart