The pale pink clouds were moving hazily in the lavender sky, and reddish shore road was full of fragrant flowers, soft waves hit the red rocks. There stood a lighthouse. It rose on the rocky headland, and stood guard, still. There were soft sandbars on the shores, gluf glittered, deep, vivid blue-green shade and there were a few rocks on the beach at the waterfront. A seagulls, and other seabirds fluttered in the sky, in silent wings, in the clear morning air.
The shining sun shone on the windows of Ingelside, and in his room, Walter glanced out the window, and he smiled at the beautiful view that opened up, for he had always thought that morning-dewed Ingelside´s Garden was like Eden's first morning. Quietly, he wrote down a few verses, they were just a pale attempt to portray the radiant view ahead, but perhaps they might turn into something. Ken and he, used to throw quotes at each other, and pieces of prose, and poetry in the air, during their mutual conversations, like surprising gifts, maybe in the evening he could try to surprise, Ken with these verses if he arrived at the Lighthouse. Smiling softly Walter swept his fingers on Tadzio's scarf. In the lightest steps, he left his room, for downstairs, which already smelled of Susan's soft, oven-fresh rolls, and coffee, as well as tea.
At the breakfast table the spread was marvelous, as usual. Walter overheard his sisters in a middle of quiet conversation "Di what were you thinking of putting on tonight? Do you think Jerry Meredith is talking to me about anything important today, the world situation is extremely worrying, it feels wrong to go to dance tonight like this is just an ordinary annual dance." Nan, subtly poured tea, for herself, and mixed a drop of honey into it. In the morning light, Nan looked like a painting by some romantic master depicting pastoral beauty. Her complexion was soft, and her dark, twinkling hazel eyes and dainty graceful posture, and gleaming nut-brown hair. Nan was in Glen known widely for her cleverness, as well as her beauty. For it was well known fact, that Nan was able to talk about anything, with everyone, and she loved literature, with an all-consuming passion. Only last night Nan and he had discussed the production of Brontë's siblings with extreme fervor, and Nan's arguments had been so incisive and witty that Walter would have been almost at a loss if Di had not joined the discussion, highlighting the Gondal poetry of the siblings, from which Walter gained renewed energy.
Di´s red hair, was loose on her shoulders, like a red-gold, thick and curly curtain, and on her beautiful nose had a few freckles. Di´s slender, pianist's hand grabbed a teapot with a light grip, as she anointed, marmalade on a roll, and her large greenish gray eyes were pensive as she glanced at Nan, and slowly she replied,"The Lewisons have reportedly not skimped on the cost, and a lot of people are coming from all over the area, perhaps even from Charlottetown. Nanlet, I thought I'd put it on my light green dress. Don't worry, Jerry is sure to talk to you, you'll probably be arguing all night about ancient Greek law or literature, as always."
"Spider has been totally impossible, as mother told her that she could come with us to the Lighthouse, tonight. She has tried all the dresses in the house, even the ones that don't match her colors. I found her yesterday looking at my pink organza, the one with the silk belt, but luckily I'm the only one in this house who can wear pink."
Nan's voice had a slightly proud tone," I was thinking of putting a few delicate pink roses in my hair."
Walter smiled at his sisters and said mischievously, "You're both going to look like fairies, from Shakespeare or the Lang´s colored Fairy Books, you know, especially if Faith and Una will join you. Then it's the actual Court."
Di laughed lightly, and Nan grimaced, and said, " Shakespeare is divine, but that comparison to Lang is a poor form, dear brother for Lang's works are a fragmented collection of fairy tales and folk tales, from all over the world, but I have to admit that especially the blue book of poetry is beautiful, and you Walt probably like red one because it has Jacobite Romances, and adventures? Or maybe not because you're not Jem? " Walter smiled, and gathered his thoughts and said calmly, slightly melancholy tone in his voice, "In recent months, I've come to the conclusion that I like gray the most." Di´ glanced sharply at her brother and said, "If I remember correctly the stories in the gray are on about French, and the Italian, and the German tradition? I would have thought that you say, The Book of Romance, which is full of Arthuriana, and romances, of all sorts, isn't the mystical quests and dragons no longer enchanting?"
Walter, whispered, "Dear, Di, I'm not ten anymore, we can't stay in childhood forever, even though sometimes I really wish it was possible. Then everything was so simple and there were no shadows, or if they were, they were my own fears."
Di glanced after his brother´s departing slender form. There was a small wrinkle between her eyebrows, and she said in a pondering tone, "All summer Walter has been absent, more absent than usual I mean. Have you noticed, Nan?" Nan said thoughtfully, " He has always been a little fey, and absentminded, but, typhoid was an extremely tough experience, and he survived that ordeal extremely narrowly, if I understood correctly, and maybe he's worried about Redmond, I mean, if he can take the courses, but he's so ambitious, I heard he might publish some of his poems in the Redmond literary magazine if he sends them to the editors. And why they wouldn't be accepted. Walter's verses are like a golden rain. I forgot to tell you, when I came from my evening walk, few weeks ago, I noticed that Ken, Walter, and Alice were drinking tea on the porch, from Good China, which is Susan's way of making hints."
Di was silent, twisting her hair thoughtfully and then she replied in absentminded tone to Nan "You're definitely right, it's definitely something like that." But deep in Di's heart there was a moth light shadow, of a doubt, an instinct that told her that Walter was hiding something extremely important from her.
That hot, bright day was spent at homely activities, colorful dresses were aired, different ties, were searched and found, and slippers put into dainty feet. Flowers were collected the fields, and from the garden.
A light breeze blew as Walter leaned thoughtfully on the wicker chair, on the porch, he was looking at the glowing early evening landscape in front of him. Whistling Jem came to him and said, "We can't leave the gray old mother, Britain, to fight, alone, we're Canadians, and the idea of a German colony is downright awful. Admittedly, nothing has been declared yet, the situation is bleak, we are alive on a razor edge. Well, we need to start preparing for the evenings spree, soon. The girls must have conquered every room? With a light smile, and the most flexible steps, Jem walked away, a confident and innate leader that he was, slight wind ruffled his red curls.
Walter sighed.
The threat of war had suddenly come, like a thunder front rising from the sea, in the middle of Glen's peaceful idyll. Until a couple of weeks ago, no one could have even dreamed of such a thing. Glen was beautiful and skyline glowed like milky opal, and the air was full of secrets.
Walter took Tadzio scarf from his pocket, wrapped it lightly around his neck, the red color was accentuating the fine molded features of his face, and the dreamy sparkle of his gray eyes, a fact of which he was utterly ignorant. In his black suit, and in his shimmering white shirt, Walter was a revelation, with the fastest movements, he put in place Ken's cufflinks, their weight on his wrists, was somehow comforting, to him, and he took one, red rose, and put it on his buttonhole.
Sophia Crawford sat in the kitchen like a gray suspicious crow, shaking her head at the hustle and bustle around the house, she thought that cousin Susan was too soft for these Doctor's children. That youngest was just a child, and what kind of hair, such abundance was a sign of consumption. She made a few gloomy predictions, when Rilla, glowing with the radiance and freshness of youth, crashed into the kitchen, her light silver shoes just tapping the floor and she left feeling piqued, or as Betty Meade was fond of saying "in a high dungeon," but soon her mood improved. The evening was so beautiful, and the new hairstyle that dear Gertrude had put on her was incredibly stylish. In no time at all it was time to leave, for the dance at Harbor Light.
Anne looked out the window at the laughing, singing, crowd, and felt an almost overflowing happiness mixed with a little pain Joy, her firstborn, how she would have enjoyed this. For one small moment Anne was almost seeing her, a slender, sweet, gray-eyed, figure, hazily tranclucent walking near Walter, then she blinked and the vision disappeared, it was just a refracting ray of late sunlight. Her children deserved all the happiness in the world. May this evening be the most memorable for them all!
The colorful crowd walked from Ingelside, towards the House of Dreams, with the Merediths and Mary Vance all in silk and lace. Soon two boats raced in the waves, like dreams. Walter faced Una's gaze, as they happened, by chance share the same boat. Una was dressed in the deep blue silk, as once before, her hair was tied back simply, there was no flowers at all. So Walter smiled at Una, and recited the whole sonnet he had written to her, in a flowing melting tone, as waves lapped and the wind whistled. A light sea breeze lifted a small red tint on Una´s features as she closed her eyes, her eyelashes were dark and fluttering, maybe she had motion sickness, Walter wondered.
Then Mary Vance said, with her brazen, confidently light style, "Walter can't you not even recite your poems one night, they are pretty I grant you that, but not everyone loves poetry or literature as much as you, and you never seem to remember it." Hearing Mary´s words, Una glanced at Mary a little sharply and to Walter's surprise, Mary was silent until the boat came ashore, and then she said lightly, "Well, now I have to look for Miller, he's here somewhere. Una, darling try to have a little fun, if you get too tired come pick me up, even if I sit with Miller on the nets, I always have time for you, as you know."
Dark blue and light blue eyes smiled at each other, and soon the blond form of Mary Vance vanished, from view as she ascended the rocky hill.
It was quiet.
There were colorful paper lanterns, hung on the lighthouse stairs, they flickered. There was a bright laugh somewhere that seemed to swell. And then there was light violin music in the wind, not reels, but a glamorous, longingly romantic waltz. The beach was empty, and with a smile Walter held out his hand to Una and said, "I know that you should not dance here, today, but we are on the beach, and there is no one here, just shadows, you would make my evening if you danced with me now. In memory of the previous one we danced to? "
Lightly Una stepped forward, and Walter took her, lacemittened hand to his own, and they lightly, danced a few turns, on the soft sand. Eventually the floating strands of a violin, ran out, and he bowed lightly to her. Una seemed to be breathing very fast, it was strange. The light red had risen to Una's cheeks, and in her large almond-shaped eyes had slightly dreamy look, and noticing it, Walter smiled, for the music, which was faintly carried in the wind, was the most glamorous, and truly enchanting.
Suddenly, Hazel Lewison's voice came from nearby, "Oh! Welcome, Ingelside people, absolutely lovely shoes, and what a dress Rilla! And Merediths as well, including Faith, you are as beautiful as always, where is Una? I should warn you that Irene Howard is on a war path, for some nonsensical reason, Nan and Di too, how nice to see both of you, and where is that utterly divine poet brother of yours?"Una, smiled her usual wistful, way at Walter as she slid into the night like a graceful blue-black shadow. More and more new boats landed, and people got up from them, laughing and playing.
Hours passed, people were dancing. Rilla seemed to be dancing all the time, her dress, that green with little pink flowers just flickered, Faith and Jem had disappeared somewhere, they were propably sitting in the shore cove, as had Nan and Jerry, too, Di was dancing, with style and wim, as was her usual way, she looked like a forest nympf, that was frolicking with mortals. Walter leaned against wall, and he felt a headache begin to form in his temples, there was alredy dull constant trob. Suddenly there was a honey-sweet voice behind him that remarked, "Walter Blythe, as handsome as ever, you're almost too beautiful for a man, especially in this light. "
It was Irene Howard.
She was dressed in flaming red, silk, and her blond hair was done with an intricate hairstyle, and that harmonious voice said, "We're definitely the most beautiful people tonight, aren't we?" Walter rubbed his temples, then he said, "I'm sorry, Irene, I have to go. "
Irene's beautiful face froze into a look of disbelief as little Rilla's brother slipped out of her grip like smoke, and she looked on feeling extremely indignant as Walter walked over to some delicate looking blond girl, she was wearing golden dress, as they joined to the crowd on the dance floor.
Walter felt strangely relieved as he walked toward Alice, though he couldn't quite specify why, but it was somehow related to Irene Howard. Rilla valued the older girl, but Walter couldn't really say why. Irene's singing voice was beautiful, but her performance at the last church concert had been somehow mechanical, it had no soul, or a fire of artistry, just an external performance.
Walter felt a liberated smile rise to his face as he faced Alice's slightly veiled gaze. The girl's eyes looked quite perennial purple in this light, and a light hazy pink gleamed in her cheeks, reminiscent of a bubbling blossoming wild cherry tree, deep in Avonlea, in Hester Gray's garden.
Alice's dress was clearly hand-sewn, no atelier work, for her, as not for Walter's sisters either. The cut seemed simple, but it was probably more complicated than it looked, everything in women's clothing always seemed to be complicated. As Alice took a light step, the hem swayed, charmingly around her slender ankles.
The soft, enchanting violin glowed, and for a moment, time seemed to stop, the past and the present mingled bitterly, for the violinist tonight was not Tadzio, he would never play again except in the heavenly choir. Walter glanced at the podium, and encountered Ned Burr's red face. So he sighed and touched Tadzio's scarf, lightly. Alice, with a quick, gesture that was so common to all women, corrected Walter's collar and brought out the scarf in better position.
The smile that flickered on Alice's face was a mixture of sadness, sympathy, and compassion, and she rose to her toes, in effort to reach to Walter's ear. He heard a soft whisper, "I am sure he is looking at us now, and he enjoys that you are wearing that scarf, and that we are dancing, so let's do it for him. " The light tunes glowed, there were reels, and waltzes, and Walter and Alice danced them all, with the others, as one messy, colliding mass.
Gertrude Oliver observed Ingelside's flock from her own corner. Walter had danced with her in the early evening, for courtesy and forms sake, as he was the only one of Anne's boys who was on the dance floor at the moment. Jem was outside, as was Jerry Meredith, and Carl Meredith was wandering on the rocks with Shirley.
Gertrude straightened her hair with one hand, pearl combs gleamed lightly, in the inky blackess of her hair. Her dress was extremely simple, a whisper light gray silk, it matched her dark eyes and pale skin. Suddenly an interested flicker came into her eyes as she noticed that Walter was on the dance floor, again, but he was not dancing with his sisters, as Gertrude had assumed first. As the blond girl turned in the whirlpool of the waltz Gertrude recognized her, it was Dick Parker's daughter, Alice.
Gertrude had talked to Alice a few times, on and off, during past years, as she had lived in Lowbridge, and she had found out that she liked her. For they had a similar way of looking at the world, but lately there had been some kind of shadow hovering over Alice that was almost visible.
Gertrude, strained her eyes, and it was just as if she could almost see third character around Alice and Walter, a character with plenty of curly hair, and a violin, in one hand, but then the light faded and a passer - by pushed Gertrude, passing by, and she blinked, and the figure disappeared. There was pale spots hovering in front of her eyes and she reached out and drank a full glass of lemonade blindly. Rilla's dearest brother, seemed to be halfway elsewhere. There were clear whispers in his poetry, whispers, that beconed, towards Elsewhere. Gertrude had been extremely relieved when Walter seemed to recover from his severe brush with typhoid, but its shadow was on him, still, or something larger, like ethereal tidal wave that seemed to fade away and slowly come closer, inch, by inch.
Gertrude's thoughts were interrupted when Allan Daly offered her a drink, and they began to discuss the world situation and the literature fiercely. And for a few hours Lowbridge's teacher wasn't a wall rose, but a glowing, sarcastically ironic woman with confident and solid opinions. The conversation was heated, and passionate, and extremely interesting. And Gertrude noticed that she hoped in a wistful, way that her Robert would be by her side, right now, instead of somewhere in the mainland, clarifying matters related to his late parent's estate.
Irene Howard was stunned, the reason why was obvious. In the middle of the Romantic Pavilion, in the midst of leaves and flowers, danced little Rilla Blythe, there was nothing miraculous in that itself, as the girl had been strangely popular all evening. Her partner was the Kenneth Ford. The beauty of his mother Leslie was still talked about, even though she had lived in Toronto for several years. Kenneth was talented, handsome, witty. He had caused sleepless nights, to almost every girl who was present tonight, including Irene herself, though she did not want to admit it, nor would she ever admit it verbally.
Irene glanced in the direction of Ethel Reese, the brown-haired girl's face was pale with rage, and Irene walked over to Ethel and Betty Mead, saying softly, "Well, of course, Kenneth is just dancing courtesy sake with little Rilla, don't worry about it Ethel, soon he will dance with others, too."
But it didn't happen, the waltz followed, with one another, and Kenneth was like glued to Rilla, and then they disappeared from view. Mary Vance reported that she saw them go in the direction of the sandbars, but who could trust the orphan's words, Irene thought feeling little bitter, as she observed her honey-pale beauty that had failed her twice in same evening. Utterly unberable!
Violins and flutes played softly in the bright evening. There is laughter everywhere, and also singing from the beach, the boys from Over Harbor, with their bottles, and their cards, gathered.
Then the buffet opened, there was cake, lemonade, punch and coffe as well as tea. The queue was considerable, long, and chunks of conversation glowed everywhere as the youth of Glen, Lowbridge, and, in part, Charlottetown exchanged news, the triumpf of the youngest Blythe was the talk of the evening, as was the fabulous spread of the buffet, all hand made by one of the Meredith lasses, not the golden one, it was rumoured, and the music, what a shame it was that the italian violinist were nowere to be found, but Ned Burr was quite good as well, but not so pretty to look at. Suddenly music paused, in mid tune, and Jack Elliott´s voice was heard arcoss the din of a crowd: " England has declared war on Germany, the news came wired in as I left from town."
There was sudden echoing silence, and then an ever-increasing uproar. Alice stood alone, on the other side of the dance floor and she listened to the conversations around her. Gertrude Oliver said in a forcedly calm way to her companion Allan Daly, "Oh my dream, the waves, waves, it is here." With the softest steps, Alice tried to find Walter, but he was nowhere to be seen, the crowd seemed to swallowed him, like the sea. He had been so pale, and his gray eyes had been dark with the emotional turmoil that the news had spread. Worried, Alice wandered, dodging the dancing couples, and she saw Ken talking to Rilla, lightly but seriously in the recess of the window. Smiling lightly, Alice raised her chin, and as Ken looked in her direction, he nodded gracefully. Little Rilla would be in fine hands, a little too flirty hands, to be sure, but, no liberties were taken, Alice was sure of that. Ken Ford, was a flirt, but he was not a scoundrel.
In the yard, there was a loud hustle and bustle, as quickly the news seemed to spread everywhere. The young men talked to each other in a low voice, and the girls stood in a row like abandoned flowers.
Walter saw Jem and his elder brother said said calmly, "Looks like the moment has come, I tried to get the flag raised, but it can only be done at dawn. It looks like that your Piper has, called, Walt. " Jem walked away, he seemed to consider the situation to be a great adventure. Mary Vance sat, on the nets, mixed with the lobster traps in the moonlight with Miller, and in passing remarked, "I don't see how this is going to affect us."
Walter stopped as he heard Mary's words, and said, "You will still regret your words, and your carelessness Mary, the call has arrived, and the Piper will play until every man, and son on this beloved island hears it. The bloody dance begins, it will last for years, and with time every, woman, and the girl, will weep blood tears from her heart because of it. The German Empire has a mighty war machine, and war is nothing to play, at. It is destruction, it is pain, not heroism, and a not a Sunday lark, at all. "
"Walter Blythe those words sound like pacifism, do you claim that we Glen boys are cowards who don't do their duty when the call comes?"
Dan Reese's words were mocking, and Walter turned and said calmly, his voice rising, softly "In time everyone will do their part, including you Dan."
In the light of the moon, Walter's gray eyes seemed to shine with supernatural light, and it was as if something were speaking through him, the rising wind rattled his scarf, its red color looking quite like a bloodstain when it was wrapped around Walter's neck. "Well, fancy!" Mary Vance said, and walked away, taking a firm grip on Miller's arm.
Walter Blythe was always overdramatic, but the words were repeated and the excited and angry hum grew, and a lot of boys glanced at him angrily. In passing, Walter heard someone mutter, "that Sissy Blythe is sprouting off again, some nonsese, as usual." Suddenly Di was next to him, and said she in her soft, coaxin manner, "come dear brother, let's go back, to Glen, we have a small group on the beach, just now, going to the boat, and Alice is there too, she is worried about you, so."
Walter took Di´s hand, and as he did so, his heart seemed lighter. Soon their footsteps rattled in the sand, and Alice raised her head. There were bright red spots, they burned on her cheeks. Alice squeezed Walter's hand lightly, and she smiled at him fleetingly, as Walter brushed Tadzio´s scarf, and a sudden longing squeezed his heart.
Soon embroidery of the moonlight, in the soft waves had soothing, effect on Walter´s soul, and then there was the familiar red road in front of him was and Nan's dark head, and Di´s red hair, and Alice's golden brightness, and somewhere in the background also Una, like a high and bright note, amid all the thrumming murkiness and turbulence of this evening.
Suddenly, Walter said, "Where's Rilla my Rilla?"
Nan shared amused glance with Di and Alice and said, "We don't know, she was with Ken until a couple of hours ago. Alice here told us, that she had seen them, and then she was among some of the Upper Glen girls, maybe she went ashore with them. Do not worry so, she will be all right. Admittedly I predict that her feet will be full of abrasions, for I found her shoes in our boat, the silver shoes of Aunt Leslie, which she procured for all of us, are beautiful, but they are not at all suitable for walking on the country road. But maybe this will cure Spider of her vanity, a little bit."
Walter looked at the glorious sky, it was like dark velvet, the undulating phone lines seemed to flicker as news of the outbreak of war circled from house to house. He was once again hearing an enchanting, distant flute playing, it seemed to be closer than before. It was Piper, it enticed him, to follow, like the mythical sirens that lured sailors, toward destruction. In the light of the moon, Alice looked just like a siren, or mermaid, who is walking on earth without voice, and every step is painful, like path of daggers, Walter pondered, as she lightly touched Walter's hand, the gesture was fond, and warm.
Soon the lights of Ingelside glowed, as Susan had left lamps on the porch. Nan and Di took Alice with them, as the girls climbed up the stairs with their shoes in their hands.
Walter sat on the stairs, looking at the calm landscape in front of him. A large yellow moon gleamed just above Rainbow Valley, and a light wind hummed.
It was hard to understand that war had broken out.
There had certainly been wars before. The Boer Wars, and the Russo-Japan war in 1904-1905, but it had not affected Europe, and there had been crises in Bosnia and the instability in the Balkans, and a couple of years ago Italy and Turkey had fought for dominance over certain territories. But this was different, this was a family affair. The world was in a state of turmoil, a cusp of change, and feeling queer ache in his heart, Walter looked at the moon, and wanted to think of the fragrant roses in the garden, but found that he could not, for he remembered Ken's silence on this same porch only few weeks ago, when he saw Rilla coming up the hill and noticed the gentle, soft look in Ken´s eyes as he looked at his sister during waltzes, tonight.
Walter sighed lightly, fingered his scarf, and whispered in the wind, "You've been on my mind tonight." "Who are you talking to, Walter?" Di walked with silent steps, in her pale nightgown and blue shawl, she looked unreal, and Walter held out his hand, and handed his sister, sealed and folded paper, and softly he uttered,
"Di-mine, there are some poems on that sheet. Read them with thought, as they will form my heart."and gliding steps Walter walked into the Rainbow Valley.
The paper opened, verses, passionate and painful, glistening in the moonlight, the red ink looked black, on the creamy white paper, as Di read on.
The morning sky dawned, and Di had not come, for the first time Di had not followed him here, to the heart of Rainbow Valley.
Captain Josiah lifted Union Jack, as promised. The flag fluttered in the morning wind, in the midst of gray clouds like a promise, of allegiance, to the homeland, to the empire.