A soft ray of mellow sunshine heralded morning at Ingleside. Anne lay in bed and listened to the distant chiming of the clock downstairs.

"I never used to hear that clock in the morning," she said to herself. "I never used to hear that clock because this house used to be filled with the constant hum of activity." she sighed.

As she dressed, Anne thought of the noises that had woke her in years past. The incessant giggling from Nan and Di's room and the strange thuds from the attic that would wake her with a start and leave her wondering what exactly Jem was doing up there. There were the soft mutterings of Walter pacing the hall, reciting poetry to himself and Shirley and Rilla racing each other down the stairs, Rilla shrieking madly if she lost. "What wonderfully lively children I had." She laughed, "How lucky I was." Just then her thoughts were interrupted by Gilbert's abrupt appearance in the door.

"Oh, Gil, you frightened me!" she exclaimed. Gilbert shook his head while trying to control his laughter.

"Anne, oh Anne, I've been standing here for the last five minutes, and you were so wrapped up in your own thoughts." He couldn't contain it any longer, he just had to laugh. "You should have seen yourself, carrying on to yourself and the expression on your face-"

Anne's face flushed as red as her hair had once been.

"Gilbert Blythe, you always have been able to find humor in the most insensitive ways. And it has never failed to exasperate me. Now if you would kindly leave me alone so I can finish dressing." Anne said with a flourish before slamming the door in his face. Unfortunately, this only made Gilbert laugh harder. Her temper had always been endearing to him and the reason that they had ever met in the first place.

"Oh, come on now, Anne," he pleaded, stifling his laughter, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I only wanted to ask you when you were planning on coming down for breakfast." From inside their room, Anne furiously brushed her hair and replied,

"Never, as long as it means sitting at the same table as you." Then, in spite of herself, she laughed a little. It had been a while since she had lost her temper, and she knew best of all how a silly thing like being caught in a daydream could set her off. She opened the door to a sheepish looking Gilbert.

"I'm sorry I lost my temper." Anne apologized, "I'll be down shortly. I don't know what's gotten into me."

" Anne- girl, have I ever told you how happy I am that you married me?" Gilbert said smiling.

After the morning passed in relative peace, Anne settled down on the veranda to red what mail had been delivered that afternoon.

"Dear Mother, the first quarter has passed here at Easton. I've seventy girls in my charge now and each one never fails to send me nearer my grave. I'm sure you understand as you were once a teacher. I only hope that I can influence these girls half as much as you influenced yours. I try to stay positive and sane, but patience is a virtue I do not possess. I guess that's the Shirley in me. The Blythe's, especially dad, are supremely patient.

There is a girl, Adela Fortescue, who is a fifteen year old second year student of mine. She is very much as Faith Meredith (now Blythe) was in her youth. She is beautiful, jovial and bright, but a holy terror for mischief. I have had several conferences with Adela's father concerning her behavior. He, like John Meredith was, is a widower. These conferences begin with me explaining Adela's outbursts and end with William Fortescue inquiring as to my plans for the weekend.

Mother, I am not sure as to how to treat this situation. He does really do his best to control Adela's behavior. It is clear that he cares a great deal for her well- being and academic upbringing. But, his interest towards me is not professional and while I do find him attractive, I am afraid that if I am to entertain any fancy of him, then I might as well just give up teaching altogether. Oh, mother, why must it be like this?

I do like him a great deal, but I am passionate about my teaching career. Why, in this world, can I not have both? Why as a woman, must I choose?

I remember Nan's wedding, sitting with her in our room at Ingleside the morning of her nuptials. Faith and I were assisting her with her make up and veil when she began to cry. Faith and I tried desperately to console her but she insisted on sobbing. When I inquired why, she sobbed at the injustice of our prejudiced society. She said that it was unfair that all her acquired knowledge and cleverness would for the rest of her life be overshadowed by Jerry's successes in his career. That he would always be considered as brilliant before her. "I truly love him and delight in all his victories. And he loves me ten fold for my cleverness and sees it in me. The rest of the world will never see it. They will only see him. And I will be viewed as his pretty, capable wife." Faith empathized and soothed Nan a bit by reminding her that everyone in the Glen would always think of Nan as the smart, acerbic girl she was.

"I," Faith reminded her, "Am still regarded as the biggest hellion they've ever seen, minister's daughter or not."

She laughed, "It's an ingratiating thing about people, their memories. And a blessing too. Here in the Glen I have retained an identity. When Jem and I go anywhere, people shake his hand and steer clear of me for fear I'll convince them to ride a pig down Main Street." Faith always has a way of understanding others and an accepting nature that soothes people. I admire her for it. Perhaps it is because she spent her youth as such an outsider looking into a cruel world she was ten times too good for. Anyway, Nan agreed and laughed with Faith. I was glad that Nan could feel better but still upset that she had to give up something she had worked so hard for and loved so much. I suppose she just loved Jerry more. I wish I could know that kind of love.

Rilla wrote me that she is once again expecting. I am delighted for her. Despite her adolescent aversion to children, she seems to be faring well as a mother. Of course she also worships the ground that Ken walks on and he likewise. I don't want to ruin the other surprising piece of news Rilla told me, so I'll let you find out at Christmas when the young Ford family returns to Ingleside to tell you themselves.

Well, mother, I suppose I've gone on long enough. Give Dad all my love and tell Susan I promise not to wear pants, unless I'm out bicycling. Haha.

Love, Di

Anne closed the letter with pride. Di certainly had a head on her shoulders. If she didn't have the Blythe's patience, at least she had their fortitude. Still, Anne worried for her red- haired daughter. Would she be the victim of this man's whims? Or would her strength hold out? Anne thought for awhile and decided on the latter.

Across the Glen, in a newly built house, Una Meredith prepared dinner for her sister, Faith, her brother- in- law, Jem and their daughter, Kit. Faith, still trying to organize her household, rummaged through an old box at the kitchen table.

"Una, I will never get this done. You know me, you know my inconsistency. Oh, look at this picture Jem took of Walter and Di and I years ago. Weren't we the bloomiest kids ever?" she sighed.

Una leaned over Faith's shoulder to view the photograph of the three beautiful youths. Faith stood to one side, a mischievous hint of a smile playing on her mouth, wayward waves of glistening hair took the focus from her shabby dress. "A siren in sackcloth," Una thought. Faith's skinny arm extended around Walter's shoulder and Di on the other side of Walter, beamed, aware that her loathed red hair would not be apparent in the monochrome photo. And Walter, in profile, looking adoringly at Faith. A hint of smile touched his lips also. His ebon curls romantic even at the age of thirteen crowned his perfect, moody head. His nose, straight, seemed to lean close to Faith's rosy cheek. And his large eyes seemed wistful and sad.

"Look at Walter," Faith said softly, "I recall that he was reciting 'She Walks in Beauty' at that moment. And I had shivers. I threw my arm around his shoulder for stability."

Una sighed and choked back a sob returning to her preparations for supper. Faith lovingly set the old photo aside and continued to rummage through the box.

"I only wish there were more of Jem, but it was his camera and he was behind it so much of the time," Faith said.

"I believe there is one that I took. It should be in there," Una mentioned wistfully. Faith searched a bit more before pulling out a dog - eared photo of Jem, Jerry, Walter, Shirley and Carl.

"I found it. Oh, Una. Look at them." Faith held her heart and trembled as she set the frail portrait on the table. Once again Una came over to look. There they were, side by side, all with arms on each others shoulders. Jem on the far left looked out with a half scowl; Jerry smirked beside him, eyes flashing. Walter in the middle looked dreamily in three quarter view towards someone not present in the picture. Shirley, shorter than the others clung to Walter and looked downward. Carl, with the hand not resting on Shirley's shoulder, held out a large mouse and smiled brightly and mischievously. Faith giggled. Una sighed.

"Who or what was Walter looking at?" She asked.

"Nan, Di, Mary and I were teasing the boys, you remember? I told Walter to put on his best Lancelot look and turned to me just then and stared for a moment as you took the picture. Afterwards, he came over to me and asked me if I really thought of him as a knight. I giggled, as I was prone to do in those days and didn't give much of an answer," Faith replied.

"Oh, I see. They all look so young and happy," Una said returning to her work with a twinge of jealousy.

Faith heard a soft wail floating down from the nursery upstairs. "I suppose Jem's not the only one looking forward to supper tonight," she said getting up from the table and heading towards the small person who presently needed her. Una nodded and continued with her preparations. After she heard Faith and Kit reunited in the nursery, Una stepped away from the stove and decided to go through the box herself. Faith had her in a nostalgic mood, slightly melancholy, slightly delighted. Una plucked through Faith and Jem's ticket stubs and receipts, a stray photo or two from the wedding. Faith hated those photos. She hated them so much that she burned most of them. "It's an injustice to Jem and I, those mediocre portraits," Faith had said angrily. Jem had managed to save a few, only slightly disturbed by his peculiar wife's behavior. "So impulsive, always," he said laughing. Then Una came across a thin envelope, extremely worn, clinging between the pages of a used booklet of train timetables. It looked as if it was meant to be hidden. Una carefully plucked the letter from the envelope and began to read. " Dearest Faith, I've just written Rilla, and yet I can not sleep. Not before I tell you everything. Faith, just know that people do not end and there is a holding on beyond letting go. You are stronger than any person I know. I have often thought that you were made of steel and roses-" "Una, what are you reading?" Faith stood in the doorway holding Kit in her arms. Faith's gold and cobalt eyes flashed with a fury Una had not seen in years. Una let the letter drop and stammered, "Faith, I'm sorry, I was, I was, I was,"Una began hesitantly. "What? You were what?"Faith hissed. "Looking.." Una gasped, meekly.