1 Chapter Nine

Sara bit her lip. Her ears were pressed to the door, listening with all her might trying to hear the conversation that was going on, on the other side. She didn't dare breathe for fear it would break the silence. Then all of a sudden, she heard a chuckle and she gasped with relief. She heard Anne's footsteps coming to the door and she quickly stepped back.

"I did it, Sara, you have your music lessons back. You know, you wouldn't think of it to look at her, but your aunt Josephine is definitely a kindred spirit. In exchange for the music lessons, we're both going to visit her when we take the entrance exam for Queens in Charlottetown next month."

"Oh, how do you always do it? Anne, you are wonderful, you really are."

"I don't think I'm all that, but I do have a knack for apologizing, it seems."

Sara gave her a hug and went in to see Miss Josephine Holbrook. Now in the light, you could see her much better. Aunt Josephine was tall, thin, prim, and rigid, but she had a merry expression on her face, which looked as if it hadn't been used often enough.

"Thank you, Aunt Jo," Sara curtsied.

"Oh, no harm done here, girl, your Anne-girl friend has completely changed my mind about children your age. You're very lucky to have a girl like her."

Sara couldn't help but smile and throw her arms around the old lady.



The entrance exams were coming up, no doubt of that, for Miss Stacey drilled them with difficult practice tests every afternoon spent at school. Sara still struggled with her French verbs and phrases and Anne suffered cruelly with geometry. She watched scornfully in class at Gilbert, who must had been a mathematician in another life. Sara felt pity for both her friend and Gilbert. Anne had not given up her rivalry against him. Sara noticed that Gilbert seemed to take the challenge of competition jovially. He seemed to think that Anne would get off her high airs sometime. Sara knew that Anne was nowhere near forgiveness. It probably didn't even cross her mind.

Christmas passed and the long stretch of winter was ahead. It was difficult walking to school through the thickly covered, snowy Birch Path. The trees were like reaching spiders against the cold, grey sky and the grounds were barren of any greenery save the stray twigs across the path. The beginning of February was their entrance exam.

Sara's birthday passed in January with lovely flying colors. She was fourteen and felt very grown up. Anne seemed to be crumbling under the strain of work, but still trudged through the snow to give Sara a beautiful satin hair ribbon.

"Well, dearest, it's the week before exams and I feel terrible worn out," Anne sighed and closed her math book, "I feel if I did another geometry problem, my head would be liable to explode."

Sara agreed. She, herself, felt quite overwhelmed with all those stupid "nous's" and "Je ne sais pas's."

February came too quickly, for Sara's liking. Miss Stacey told them all to be on time for the exam, which was to be at Queens itself. Mr. Holbrook had offered to bring Sara and Anne over the day before in order to stay with Aunt Josephine.

"Here, Anne, I'll help you with that," Sara jumped down from the buggy to grab Anne's little carpet bag and put it safely behind the seats.

"Thanks, but if I don't hold it the right way, the handle pulls out. I mastered it coming here from Nova Scotia and the asylum to Green Gables. It's a very old carpet bag."

Anne put her bag behind the seat and was hoisted up to next to Sara by Mr. Holbrook. They bundled up in blankets while the cold wind stung their faces. It was a thirty mile drive, but they'd keep themselves warm by chatting with all their might and main.

When the Charlottetown sign finally came into view, the wind had died down and snow had started to fall. The stars glistened in the velvety black night sky. Little puffs of air blew from underneath the heap of blankets in the back seat.

"Jane Andrews said she's coming tomorrow to stay at a hotel for a couple of days and Ruby Gillis is coming with Moody Spurgeon and his father. Gilbert-

Anne coughed loudly in the middle of Sara's speech and Sara kept all subjects that involved Gilbert in her head instead of on her tongue.

"Here it is, girls," Mr. Holbrook pointed to a huge building on the left as they turned in at the gate. Sara gasped. Even though Josephine Holbrook was her great-aunt, she had never been to her house. She knew that Aunt Jo was rather wealthy, but she didn't know that she was this wealthy.

"Oh my word," Anne looked up at the tall towers, well, not really towers, but in her poverty-stricken eyes they were.

"This mansion looks so lonesome and uncomfortable. It's no wonder your aunt Josephine doesn't have any imagination. That's one consolation about being poor, you have to dream all this up."

"Aunt Jo told you she didn't have any imagination?" Sara asked bewildered by the high stone walls.

"Yes, she said at her age imagination is a threat to life, but I'm not sure I understood what she meant."

Sara giggled and took her father's hand as he helped her down from the carriage.

They walked up the stone steps, passing great statues of stone lions. Mr. Holbrook rang the bell. A young girl answered the door, who was undoubtedly a maid.

"Ah, yes, Miss Holbrook is expecting you," the girl gave a shy smile. Miss Josephine Holbrook came down the grand staircase on the left and hugged them all.

"Why, you're all so much better looking than when I last saw you," she laughed.

"Well, I don't think I have as many freckles, but my hair is still red," Anne gave a sigh and grinned. Sara smiled with a shine in her eyes as she watched Anne pull on her ruddy braids.

"I've decided to put you in my sparest of spare rooms, how's that Anne- girl?"

"That would be splendid, Aunt Jo," Anne laughed, handing her bag to the maid.

"You must be real tired. Are you going to cram for your exam tonight?"

"No, Miss Stacey made us promise not to open a book, so we don't get the jitters. We're very nervous," Sara replied.

"Well, then, we can have a nice leisurely supper after all. And after your examinations tomorrow, I have wonderful surprise planned," Miss Holbrook smiled, "Here, Maggie will show you to your room to freshen up."

The girl who answered the door gestured for Sara and Anne to follow her up the grand shiny staircase. Mr. Holbrook said goodbye and good luck and left. Sara and Anne kept turning their heads, not wanting to miss anything.

When supper was over and the girls were in their nightgowns, they climbed into the soft feather bed and talked for a bit.

"I'm so nervous, Anne."

"I'm just afraid that I won't do well. I'd rather not pass at all than come out somewhere in the middle. And it would be horrible if."

"-Gilbert came first?" Sara asked. Anne was silent, staring at the ceiling.



Queens college was an old-fashioned building with stone walls and large grounds. Several groups of students were scattered about the front lawn as Anne and Sara entered through the gate, which read "Queens College of Charlottetown" across the wrought-iron bars.

Sara gulped and stepped up the front stairs with Anne grasping her hand. She saw Charlie Sloane and Gilbert Blythe down the long hallway and heard Anne exhale through her nose and saw her hold her head up high.

"Good luck!" Gilbert waved jovially as they passed through the door to a large classroom, where Miss Stacey and other teachers were waiting in a line of chairs in the front near the board. Sara and Anne picked seats near Jane and Ruby and waited with bated breath.

A tall, young teacher passed out the exam papers. Another older teacher spoke to the students from the front desk. Sara took up her pencil and began to write furiously. Anne did as well. The old teacher was speaking again.

"Please do not write on the exams until you are bidden to do so. If you start before, you will be disqualified from the test completely."

Sara slowly put down her pencil guiltily, looking around. Anne did too. A bell rang softly from somewhere and the teacher said, "Begin."

Sara didn't know time could rush by so quickly, for soon she was handing in the paper and walking out of the school with Anne by her side. They met Miss Stacey out on the front steps.

"Oh, I'm so glad that's over. I felt just like I did last year when I asked Marilla if I was to stay at Green Gables," Anne gave a sigh that seemed to come from her toes.

"Well, the worst part is over. I was worried in the beginning, I could see you two turning green," Miss Stacey laughed and hugged the two of them, "Well, you've gotten through the first, most difficult part. And you enjoy your week off from school."

"Thank you Miss Stacey," the girls replied and walked with a lighter step and happier spirits to Aunt Josephine's awaiting carriage.

"Here is your table, madam and girls," the waiter pulled three chairs out from under a table covered in a silk white tablecloth. Anne and Sara sat across from each other and Aunt Jo sat in the middle. They ordered their meals and sat talking about the day.

"Well, what do you think of your surprise?" Aunt Jo asked the girls who kept looking around the big, glorious room of the restaurant.

"It's wonderful," Sara leaned over and kissed the old lady's cheek.

"Unforgettably," Anne squeezed Aunt Jo's hand.

"And what do you think of this stylish lifestyle?"

"I don't know," Sara replied, "I think I'd like it for a while, but give me old Avonlea anyday."

"I agree," Anne said, "I think I like the sound of the wind through the fir trees, more than the tinkling of crystal."

Miss Holbrook laughed.

"Well, you'll be home tomorrow, but you must come and visit often when you come to Queens, it will be wonderful."

"Are you lonely, Aunt Jo?" Sara asked.

"Oh, sometimes. An old maid usually is. I never married because men didn't want me badly, they just wanted my money badly and I didn't agree to their opinions. Money is not really what it seems, my dears, don't let it get to your innocent heads. It will indeed ruin it."