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Chapter 4 – A Walk To The Lighthouse

It was a beautiful, warm August evening in the Glen, with the last catches of the sunbeams slowly sinking into the horizon. The sky was like a great canvas for the old artist Mother Nature, painted over the top with satin blue and tinges of grey before interspersing dabs of orange until the bottom was filled with dull flaming sunset fires. Little wispy breezes carrying the scent of flowers blew merrily through the manse where the Meredith girls were dressing themselves for the dance. Faith stuck her head out of her window to receive the evening with an upturned face and delighted eyes. The air was filled with delicious fragrances and sounds – the chiming of the old bells in Rainbow Valley, the ring of girlish laughter from the houses, the world lying in a vibrant kaleidoscope of colours and beauties.

"Isn't it all rapturous?" she cried to Una, who was coming into her room to show off her dress. "I just love dance days – the atmosphere seems to be overfilling with anticipation."

"You're not disappointed anymore about not being able to dance?" Una asked as Faith came up to her and slid a butterfly hairpin into her smooth dark hair.

"No, I can't feel disappointment today," said Faith gaily. "There, that looks lovely…do wear my sapphire necklace, Una, it goes so well with your dress. I can't feel anything but happy before a dance." She turned her sister round to face the mirror and looked appraisingly into it.

Una couldn't help a smile as she saw Faith's radiant countenance. "I'm so happy for you, dearest. It's only what you deserve. I know that Jem loves you with all his heart – you're so good together."

Faith laughed as she went to her wardrobe and pulled out a pale green satin dress. "Jem loves me? Why, I love him…his eyes and his nose and his mouth and his unruly curls and the air above his head and the ground he walks on…and every word and every smile and every expression, and absolutely all of him! I never imagined I could have so much love to give to another person."

"But you are full of love for everybody," said Una loyally, watching as Faith got into the green dress and did a little twirl around the room. "It looks perfect," she said admiringly.

Faith stood before the mirror and took in her beauty with a sort of impersonal pleasure. "Yes, it does look pretty," she said, smiling at the glorious creature reflected. "Plain dresses are sometimes prettier than elaborate ones, aren't they?"

"Especially on you," said Una, who had no thought of envying her sister's looks. "Faith, I heard you and Jerry talking about the news this morning – about a war – is it anything serious?"

Faith sat down at her dresser and sifted through her necklaces. "Germany is at war with France and Russia."

"Then," said Una, a little relieved, "it doesn't matter to us, does it?"

"Well," said Faith, fixing a pair of faintly pink pearl earrings in her ears, "Europe is all grouped up in alliances. France and Britain are in an alliance. Germany invaded Belgium, and Sir Edward Gray, Britain's foreign secretary, has issued an ultimatum to Germany to withdraw its troops from Belgium."

"Have they?" asked Una anxiously.

"We don't know yet." Faith decided not to wear any necklaces – the scoop of the dress did display her curve of chin and neck so well.

"If Britain goes to war, will it mean anything to us?" Una persisted.

"To us, I don't know, but to Canada, yes, most possibly." Faith caught sight of Una's worried face and turned, smiling. "Don't worry so much about it. It mayn't mean anything at all. Germany might accede to Britain's ultimatum yet. Just think about the dance tonight. Here are the Blythes!" as both of them heard the doorbell ring. "Take that worried look off your face, there's a dear, and enjoy the night."

Jem drew in his breath sharply as Faith came out of her room, lighting up the gloom of the hallway with her beauty. Not for the first time, he wondered whether she knew how much he loved her; loved every part of her to distraction. "What is it about you, Faith, that makes you shine so in plain things?" he asked. "Maggie Tulliver could not have carried off that dress any better."

"Save your compliments for Una," said Faith, nodding towards her sister. "Doesn't she look pretty?"

"Yes," said Jem, smiling at the blushing Una. "Both of you look lovely." He held out his arm to Faith. "Any fellow who dares to come near you tonight will never dare to again," he said in an undertone.

"I won't have you alienating me," Faith reproved. "A simple warning will be sufficient."

Jem laughed out loud as they went down the stairs. "We're agreed, then – a simple warning."

"Where is Dog Monday?" asked Faith as they set off down the old harbour road.

"He's locked up in the barn," said Jem casually. "We decided that we didn't want him appearing all of a sudden at the dance like he did the last time. I'll never forget having to go all the way back to Ingleside simply to lock him up in my room…and then he chewed up my slippers! Drastic measures are called for this time."

The night was frosted over with moonlight by the time they proceeded from the manse in a loose group. Nan looked resplendent in a pretty yellow dress and a hair style which Faith knew was doing its rounds in the big cities. Nobody in the Glen had a better grasp of the latest fashions than Nan, not even Faith, who spent most of her time in college.

"You look like a princess, Nan," Carl remarked. "The boys will be out of their minds about you tonight."

"Thank you," said Nan with a smile, but the girls knew Carl's compliments were not what she was waiting for. So far Jerry hadn't said anything to her remotely tender, and Nan was feeling rather wounded in the soul. To be sure, there was admiration in his eyes whenever he looked at her, but looking just wasn't enough!

The group soon fell into pairs as they went along, an arrangement inevitable for a party with so many couples. Faith found herself walking arm-in-arm with Jem, listening more to the sound of his voice than to what he was saying. She had a vague notion that his talk had diverted to war, and she wasn't about to let battles and killings and bloodshed spoil the enchantment of the night for her.

She glanced around at the others when Jem wasn't looking. How pretty Rilla was in her green dress with its little pink daisy garlands! She would certainly have no end of partners. She was walking with Gertrude Oliver and Mary Vance, and both the former looked a little irritated with the latter. Faith had to suppress a smile; Mary was rather trying sometimes, and there had never been any love lost between she and Rilla ever since Mary chased the latter down the Glen with a dried codfish. Well, Mary wouldn't bother Rilla once Miller Douglas showed up.

Carl was walking with Miranda Pryor, fully aware that Joe Milgrave was idling about somewhere behind them. So this was Carl's revenge at Joe for beating him in chess the previous day! If Miranda had been any other girl she would have openly left Carl and walked up to Joe, but Miranda was not any other girl and the only thing she would do was to suffer in silence by Carl's side.

Shirley and Una were walking together as they usually did whenever they went out in a group…Una looking as sweet as ever in the moonlight, Shirley looking the solid, dependable, no-nonsense boy that he was. Faith had always liked Shirley – he was matter-of-fact and clever, and though he was a boy of few words, what he said was normally worth listening to.

Faith would have continued her musings if something Jem was saying did not catch her attention at that point. "…he was left on the field to die. And he crawled about from man to man, to all the wounded men round him, as long as he could, and did everything possible to relieve their sufferings – never thinking of himself – he was tying a bit of bandage round another man's leg when he went under. They found them there, the doctor's dead hands still held the bandage tight, the bleeding was stopped and the other man's life was saved. Some hero, wasn't he, Faith? I tell you when I read that I mentally cursed all those who ever said man's nature is evil. How can man's nature possibly be evil when an act like that is performed? A man, dying and in tremendous pain, yet thinking and working for others. If that isn't beauty, I don't know what is."

"It is certainly beautiful," Faith agreed, struck by the story. "It seems," she added thoughtfully, "that war brings out both the best and the worst in human nature. Courage, self-sacrifice, endurance – yet desperation and greed can drive an ordinary man to crime. War seems such a thing of the past – of the Napoleons and Alexander the Greats and Agamemnons – it seems so strange that there's war going on in Europe now."

"Yes, and if the war continues on we can all expect Britain to take her hand in it," said Jem gaily. "When that happens, well, I suppose we'll have to pitch in and help her out."

Faith smiled tightly, finding it difficult to share his enthusiasm. War was the only subject she and Jem disagreed on; he seemed to see it as an adventure, a wild and glorified thing, whereas she always thought of suffering and anguish. No pleasure could ever be derived from men fighting and killing each other!

Jem looked down at her and saw that her face, which had been so sunny before, was now downcast. He reached out and took hold of her hand, squeezing it slightly. "I've been a fool to go on in this manner, knowing how much you…there, forgive me and we'll talk about something else, won't we?"

This time her smile was far more genuine. "Let's not be philosophical or educated tonight, let's talk about the most frivolous things. I can't think of Milton, Shakespeare or world politics when I'm walking to a dance. How beautiful everything is tonight – as though Nature specially spread herself out to be lovely! It's difficult thinking that there's anything else on earth besides us, isn't it?"

"Yes," Jem agreed. "It does seem as though we're the only people in existence."

"Or that all the millions of people on this planet are walking to a dance too," said Faith. "But there – someone must be crying now…someone must be dying…someone must have given birth. All those lives co-existing with ours – it does make one feel a little overawed."

"Whenever someone is in seven heavens of delight, someone else is in the depths of despair," Jem mused. "And every second a story ends and another one begins. But there, there's almost philosophical, and didn't you want to talk about the most frivolous things?"

"Blame it on your war talk," said Faith severely.

Jem laughed, but before he could answer, his name was called and both of them turned their heads to see Joe Milgrave coming up. "Jem," he said, "If you haven't noticed, we're at the harbour already and I'll put five on you losing to me in a boat race."

Jem's hazel eyes twinkled with fun. "Mother taught me never to bet, but I'll take that race," he answered.

Faith nudged him. "How virtuous we are tonight," she teased.

Jem leaned in and whispered, "I'm not about to squander my money."

"Have some faith in yourself, Jem Blythe," Faith admonished.

"No, no," Jem shook his head. "I can beat Joe Milgrave in everything but boats. I have a sneaking suspicion that he deliberately knows so much about them just to humiliate me."

Faith laughed merrily. "In that case, I should join Joe's boat, shouldn't I? After all, what's the use in supporting a man who's given up hope in himself?"

"You're not going anywhere," Jem ordered. "All heroes are meant to have fair ladies and you're mine." He winked at her and disengaged his hand from hers. "All right, everyone," he announced in a stentorian voice. "Anyone in favour of Jem Blythe please come this way, and all those who support this…man here, may go to his boat."

The night rang with laughter as the group chose either Joe's boat or Jem's. The Blythes, Merediths, Mary Vance and a few others settled down quite happily in Jem's boat while the skipper himself stood at the helm and looked across at Joe. "I'm going to give you a hard fight, Joe Milgrave," he called.

"Yes, for example wallowing five minutes in my backwash instead of ten?" Joe inquired.

"Don't exaggerate, it was always fifteen minutes!" Jem shouted back.

The signal was given and both boats sped down the harbour, Jem managing to keep in line with Joe's boat until the final minute when Joe inched forward and swung in below the lighthouse a few seconds earlier. Jem laughed and saluted his competitor with a good grace while the two boats rapidly emptied themselves. The music from Ned Burr's violin could already be heard and the girls went tripping up the rock-cut steps, chatting and giggling among themselves.

Faith got off the boat, but remained standing, looking up wistfully at the bright pavilion. There was nothing she'd like better than to be up there with the rest of the people, but it would be torture to stand against the wall watching others have fun. Boats from over harbour were arriving and many cheerful greetings called out to her as crowds of people alighted.

"You look positively radiant, darling," said Irene Howard sweetly. "It's such a shame that you won't be able to dance, isn't it?"

Faith smiled back just as sweetly. "I think it will be a bigger shame to be stuck up against the wall for want of partners," she said clearly and meaningfully. Irene flushed and went away, mentally resolving never to speak another word to Faith Meredith again. Minister's daughter, indeed!

"Faith, queen of my heart!" she heard another person saying, and turned to hold out her hands to Kenneth Ford, who came towards her with a smile. "You look even better than the last time I saw you," he said, taking hold of her hands and looking her up and down. They were the best of friends and had plenty of pow wows together, including gentle, friendly flirtations which never amounted to anything. She teased him about his conquests as gamely as he teased her about her suitors, and both got on famously.

"You definitely look better," Faith returned. "The last time I saw you, you were in bed grousing about missing out on football."

"I wasn't grousing," Kenneth said haughtily. "Expressing my feelings vocally, but not grousing."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, of course not," Faith said in a tone of mock repentance.

Ken winked at her. "Will I be able to dance with my favourite girl tonight?" he asked. "Or is she not allowed to dance?"

"Unfortunately it's the latter," Faith sighed. "But knowing you, you'll have more than enough partners vying for your attention."

"You can let go of her now, Ken."

Ken raised his eyebrows at Jem, who had finished greeting his crowds of friends and had come looking for his 'fair lady'. "Do I sense something?" Ken asked as he released Faith.

"Some things have changed over the past few months," Jem replied.

Ken laughed roguishly. "Glad to hear it. In that case, I'd better leave before you get inanely jealous. Count yourself lucky that a belle like Faith allows a chap like you within ten feet of her!"

"Surely you mean twenty feet," said Jerry's laughing voice behind them, and he came up with Nan. "Good to see you again, Ken."

"Now I'm feeling suspiciously like the odd one out," Ken complained after exchanging friendly punches with Jerry. "I shall betake my lonely soul to the ballroom – see you later at supper, fellows."

Of course, the two couples left behind had no thought of spending the night as a foursome, and so by an unspoken understanding they left to enjoy the night as only happy young people in love can.