Summary—Chapter 33: The Hotel Concert
Diana, now locally famous for her fashion sense, helps
Anne dress for a performance at the upscale White Sands Hotel. Diana
suggests a dress of white organdy for Anne’s slim figure; Anne can
adorn the dress with the string of pearls Matthew recently gave
her as a gift. Anne, accustomed to public speaking, is levelheaded
about the affair until she enters the hotel dressing room by herself
and is swallowed up in the bustle of elegantly dressed city women.
Suddenly, she feels out of place in her simple dress and pearls,
which looked lovely in her room at Green Gables but now seem plain
next to the other ladies’ silks, laces, and diamonds. Onstage, Anne
sits between a stout lady who occasionally turns to scrutinize her
and a girl in white lace who laughs loudly about the country bumpkins
at the affair. The show of wealth and culture intimidates Anne,
and stage fright assails her. For several moments, she feels she
must run off the stage. Then she sees Gilbert’s face in the audience,
and the unbearable thought of failing in front of him spurs her
on. She delivers a recitation so accomplished that it impresses
even the girl in white lace. Afterward, the stout lady, who is the
wife of an American millionaire, introduces her to everybody, and
she receives many compliments.
On the ride home, Diana tells Anne she overheard a rich
American man comment on Anne’s hair and face, saying he wanted to paint
her. Later, in response to Jane Andrews’s wistful observations about
all the jewels and riches that were on display, Anne says that she
already feels rich in her own skin, with her imagination and the gift
of Matthew’s string of pearls.
Summary—Chapter 34: A Queen’s Girl
It won’t make a bit of difference where
I go or how much I change outwardly; at heart I shall always be your
little Anne.
See Important Quotations Explained
Anne’s departure for Queen’s Academy is imminent, and
everyone at Green Gables helps with the preparations. Marilla changes
her ideas about fashion and buys Anne fabric for a fancy evening
dress. When Anne tries the dress on and recites a poem for Matthew
and Marilla, Marilla begins to cry. At first proud that her poem
has moved Marilla, Anne realizes her departure is what makes Marilla sad
and reassures her that though she has grown up, she is still the same
person, saying, “It won’t make a bit of difference where I go or how
much I change outwardly; at heart I will always be your little Anne.”
They embrace, and Matthew reflects that it was Providence (God’s
will), not luck, that sent Anne to them in the first place.
On the first day at Queen’s Academy, Gilbert’s presence
in the advanced class comforts Anne. Although Anne and Gilbert never speak
to each other, his presence reminds her of the rivalry that has motivated
her for so many years. Anne is lonely in the classroom full of unfamiliar
people and miserable later that night in her room at the boardinghouse.
Just as Anne starts crying, Josie Pye shows up, and Anne is delighted
to see a familiar face, even though she dislikes Josie. Jane and
Ruby visit, and Jane admits that she has been crying too. Josie
announces the news of the Avery Scholarship, which provides money
for the best student in English to attend a four-year college after
his or her one-year program at Queen’s Academy. Anne immediately
imagines Matthew’s pride if she were to earn a bachelor’s degree.
Summary—Chapter 35: The Winter at Queen’s
All the Beyond was hers with its possibilities
lurking rosily in the oncoming years—each year a rose of promise
to be woven into an immortal chaplet.
See Important Quotations Explained
Anne’s homesickness wears off as the school year progresses.
Midway through the year, the scholars at Queen’s Academy stop their weekend
visits to Avonlea and prepare for exams in the spring. Anne finds
that though she is as ambitious as ever, her rivalry with Gilbert has
lost some of its power. The thought of defeating him academically
still excites her because he is a worthy opponent, but she no longer
cares about beating him just to humiliate him. In fact, she secretly
wishes to be friends with him. Seeing him walking with Ruby Gillis
all the time makes her wonder what Gilbert sees in Ruby, since Ruby
has none of the ambition or thoughtfulness that Anne and Gilbert
share.
Anne’s circle of friends expands as she meets other girls
in her class. She also continues her friendship with Aunt Josephine.
At the end of the term, while all the other girls are nervous about
exams, Anne forgets about the pressure of school and enjoys the
beautiful sights of spring.
