Chapter 19 Poetry and Prose The next month was a whirlwind of excitement for Anne.
She was preparing for college and packing all her things.
But it was the wedding that took up most of her time.
Miss Lewis was getting married, and Echo Lodge was the center of activity.
Everyone was excited.
Paul ran to Green Gables as soon as his father told him.
I knew Father would find the perfect mother for me, he said.
I already love Miss Lewis, and now she'll be my mother.
Even Mrs. Lynde thinks that Father made a good choice.
Anne laughed.
Well, that's certainly something when Mrs. Lynde approves.
In fact, Anne could think of little other than the wedding. she said to Marilla one night.
If Diana and I hadn't taken the wrong turn that day, we would never have found Echo Lodge.
Then I never would have brought Paul to visit and Paul would have never mentioned Miss Lewis to his father.
You are always looking for the romantic, Marilla scoffed.
The truth is, two young people fought.
They were too sulky to reconcile.
He moved away and eventually got married.
By all accounts, he was perfectly happy, too.
Then his wife died.
After a decent amount of time, he returned home to look up at old friend.
There's no romance in that.
I suppose there isn't much romance in it when you describe it like that, Anne said.
She looked disappointed, like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on her.
Although Anne added slowly think it's like that when you think the world is nothing special, but if you look at the world as poetry, she continued, it's much more romantic.
Marilla was going to say something else, but decided against it.
Sometimes she admitted, anne's way of looking at things was nicer.
Instead, marilla asked when will the wedding be?
They will be married on the last Wednesday in August, Anne said brightly.
The ceremony will be in the garden, near the rose bushes.
It's the exact spot where Mr. Irving proposed to her twenty-five years ago.
Now, that is romantic.
Even you must agree, Marilla.
Only Diana, Gilbert, Carlotta, Paul, his grandmother, and I will be guests.
And they will all live in Echo Lodge?
Marilla asked.
No, they will return to Boston, Anne said.
Carlotta and Paul will join them in September.
But they will come back to Echo Lodge every summer.
I'm glad about that.
I'd feel very sad if Echo Lodge was left to wither away.
Anne was so wrapped up in Miss Lewis's wedding that she did not notice another bit of romance happening nearby.
She stumbled on it one evening when she went to visit Diana.
She found Diana and Fred Wright standing together by the garden gate.
Fred was holding Diana's hand and speaking in low tones.
Diana was smiling sweetly.
Before they noticed her standing there, Anne quickly turned and ran home.
As she sat in her room, she thought about what she had seen.
Diana and Fred are in love, she said to herself.
It all seemed so hopelessly grown up.
Anne realized that she was upset by this thought.
How can I tell Diana all my thoughts, she said out loud.
She'll surely tell Fred.
Anne understood that her life was changing.
It was not just about going away to college.
Everything was going to be different.
Her Avonlea would not be the same.
Diana came to see Anne the next night to tell her the news.
She and Fred were engaged.
I'm so happy, Anne, said Diana.
I feel like I might burst.
What does it feel like to be engaged?
Anne asked.
It would depend on who you're engaged to, Diana said.
She already sounded wise.
It's perfectly lovely being engaged to Fred, Diana continued.
However, it might be awful being engaged to someone else.
That doesn't offer a lot of hope for the rest of us, Anne said, laughing, as there is only one Fred.
Diana was blushing.
I didn't mean it like that.
You must promise me that you'll be one of my bridesmaids.
No matter where you are, you must promise to come back for the wedding.
Anne smiled and hugged her dearest friend.
Her eyes were filled with tears.
I wouldn't have it any other way, she said.
With all this talk of weddings, Anne could not help thinking about her own.
She thought about the home she hoped to one day have.
Of course, she imagined her ideal husband.
It was the same ideal husband that she had imagined since childhood.
Strangely though, Gilbert Blythe was also present in her dream.
He was helping Anne plan the garden and decorate the room.
No matter what Anne did, Gilbert kept popping up in her dream.
The end of August finally arrived.
It was to be a very busy two weeks.
First, Miss Lewis and Mr. Irving were getting married.
Then Anne and Gilbert were leaving for college.
Then Mrs. Lynde was moving into Green Gables.
All the changes were happening quickly.
On the morning of the wedding, Anne rushed to her window as soon as she woke up.
Oh, no, she cried.
The sky is so gray.
Surely it will rain and ruin the day.
Carlotta and Diana thought the same thing, but Miss Lewis would hear nothing of it.
Let it rain, she said brightly.
We have umbrellas.
I've waited twenty-five years for this day.
A little rain won't ruin it for me.
And so Mr. Irving and Miss Lewis were married in the garden, under gray skies.
Everyone in attendance smiled and cried tears of joy.
As soon as they were pronounced man and wife the clouds parted.
Sunshine shone down on the happy couple.
That must be a happy omen, Anne said.
Everyone agreed.
Shortly after the ceremony, Mr. and Mrs. Irving left for their wedding trip.
Anne, Gilbert, and Diana threw rice as the couple rode off in their carriage.
Paul rang a bell to send them off with music.
After the decorations were taken down and all the food cleared away, Anne walked with Gilbert to his carriage.
What are you thinking, Anne?
Gilbert said.
You look very far away.
I was just thinking about Miss Lewis, I mean, Mrs. Irving and Mr. Irving, she said.
It's such a beautiful story, separated for all those years and then coming back together.
It is very sweet, Gilbert said.
He looked down at Anne's upturned face.
But don't you think that it would have been better if they had never been separated?
If they had spent all those years together without that misunderstanding?
For a moment, Anne's heart fluttered.
She had to look away.
It was the first time that she had faltered under Gilbert's gaze.
Anne felt odd.
She felt nervous and happy.
She suddenly understood how heroines and romance novels felt.
Perhaps she had been wrong about romance.
Maybe it did not appear as a white knight or hero from a story.
Was it possible that romance arrived slowly in the form of an old friend?
Anne quickly shook off these thoughts.
She did not look at Gilbert as she walked toward his carriage.
Something had changed in her.
She was growing up.
She was ready for the adult world of college and leaving home.
Gilbert wisely said nothing.
He knew the next four years of college would bring many new things.
He also knew that the memory of Anne's blush that afternoon would carry him through the next four years.
He would wait as long as necessary.
