Chapter 10 A Chapter of Accidents Anne woke up three times in the middle of the night.
She was worried about the weather.
The sky was clear.
She could see stars, but she was worried that it might rain.
She wanted everything to be perfect when Mrs. Morgan arrived.
Priscilla Grant was bringing her cousin to tea at Green Gables.
Mrs. Morgan was a famous author.
She had written several books, all of them romance novels with beautiful heroines, and Anne and Diana had read them all.
Diana arrived shortly after breakfast.
She was carrying a basket full of food on one arm.
On the other, she draped a white muslin dress.
Anne and Diana had planned their lunch down to the last detail.
All of the heroines in Mrs. Morgan's books wore white muslin.
Anne and Diana decided they should, too.
Anne sighed.
Oh, thank goodness you're here, Diana, she said.
I am so pleased.
And now we must get to work.
I think we should decorate the parlor first.
Priscilla said they would arrive at twelve, so we have plenty of time.
The girls got to work.
They placed flowers all around the room.
They even put a garland of flowers over the door frame.
The parlor of green gables usually looked very clean but drab.
Now there was color everywhere.
Anne put her hands on her hips.
I think we should set the table, she said.
We should have a vase of roses as centerpiece.
Then each plate should have a rose as well.
I think that will look very elegant.
That's a wonderful idea, Diana said.
That's exactly what happened in Mrs. Morgan's book, The Rosebud Garden.
Anne smiled.
She hoped that Mrs. Morgan would also notice the similarities.
Anne brought out a very special item.
It was a blue platter from Josephine Barry, Diana's aunt.
It was an elegant dish, much fancier than anything at Green Gables.
Anne had written to Miss Barry and asked to borrow the platter.
She was very excited about this lunch and wanted to impress Mrs. Morgan.
Miss Barry agreed to lend her the platter but warned Anne that it was precious.
Now I am certain that our lunch will be perfect, Anne exclaimed.
By eleven-thirty everything was ready.
The lemon pies were baked and the chicken was cooked.
They also had a lettuce salad, potatoes, beans, and peas.
The other guests, Mr and Mrs Allen and Anne's old schoolteacher, Miss Stacy, arrived just before noon.
Marilla, Davy, and Dora also joined the party.
Now they only needed the guests of honor.
At half past twelve, Anne started to get nervous.
She looked out the window repeatedly.
She went to the front gate to watch down the lane.
When she returned to the party, she was very upset.
"'What if she doesn't arrive?' she asked.
"'She must come,' Diana said.
"'It would be awful if she didn't.'
While the adults discussed Mrs. Morgan's arrival, Davy kept himself busy.
He slowly made his way from his chair onto the table and reached for the lemon pie.
Unfortunately, he lost his balance.
The chair slipped, and Davy and the pie went with it.
They all crashed to the floor.
Davy was fine, but the pie was ruined.
Davy Keith, Marilla scolded, didn't I tell you not to crawl on the table?
I don't remember, Davy said.
You've told me not to do so many things that it's hard to keep track.
Marilla sent Davy to his room without any lunch.
He went up with his head hung low, and Anne promised to save him some chicken.
At half-past one o'clock, Marilla finally spoke up.
Anne, you must accept the fact that they aren't coming, she said.
Everyone is hungry and waiting isn't going to change that fact.
Reluctantly, Anne agreed.
She and Diana went to the kitchen to bring out the food.
The dinner party was a success, but it was not an enthusiastic gathering.
As they cleared away the food, Anne put Miss Barry's platter on a side table and went into the kitchen to make a pot of tea.
She had just put the water on to boil when she heard a terrible crash.
She ran back into the parlor.
There was Miss Barry's platter lying in pieces on the floor.
Beside it was one of Davy's balls.
She looked up the stairs and saw Davy standing at the top.
Davy Keith, Marilla exclaimed yet again.
Did you drop that ball on purpose?
No, Davy said.
He sounded nervous.
I was just sitting here ever so quiet, trying to listen to all of you.
I dropped the ball by accident, I swear.
Marilla sent him back to his room.
"'And this time I'll check on you, young man,' she called after him.
Anne had to admit that the day was a complete disaster.
She wondered how she would ever recover.
Late in the afternoon, Marilla brought a letter to Anne as she sat in the kitchen.
It was from Priscilla.
Priscilla writes that Mrs. Morgan has a sprained ankle.
She is returning to Toronto sooner than expected, Anne said.
I suppose it was too good to be true that Mrs. Morgan would be stopping here.
Anne, Marilla said, you shouldn't take these things so seriously.
How will I replace Miss Barry's platter?
Anne sighed.
She said it cost twenty dollars.
I suppose you will have to pay her back the money, Marilla said.
I suppose I will, Anne said sadly.
Marilla looked out the kitchen window.
Look, she said, Gilbert Blythe is walking up the lane.
If he wants to take you rowing on the pond, you should take your raincoat.
It looks like it might rain.
