Lucy Montgomery - Emily of New Moon

"Cousin Jimmy says that a man in Priest Pond says the end of the world is coming soon. I hope it won't come till I've seen everything in it.

"Poor Elder MacKay has the mumps.

"I was over sleeping with Ilse the other night because her father was away. Ilse says her prayers now and she said she'd bet me anything she could pray longer than me. I said she couldn't and I prayed ever so long about everything I could think of and when I couldn't think of anything more I thought at first I'd begin over again. Then I thought, 'No, that would not be honerable. A Starr must be honerable.' So I got up and said 'You win' and Ilse never answered. I went around the bed and there she was asleep on her knees. When I woke her up she said we'd have to call the bet off because she could have gone on praying for ever so long if she hadn't fell asleep.

"After we got into bed I told her a lot of things I wished afterwards I hadn't. Secrets.

"The other day in history class Miss Brownell read that Sir Walter Raleigh had to lie in the Tower for fourteen years. Perry said, 'Wouldn't they let him get up sometimes?' Then Miss Brownell punished him for impertinence, but Perry was in earnest. Ilse was mad at Miss Brownell for whipping Perry and mad at Perry for asking such a fool question as if he didn't know anything. But Perry says he is going to write a history book some day that won't have such puzzling things in it.”

"I am finishing the Disappointed House in my mind. I'm furnishing the rooms like flowers. I'll have a rose room all pink and a lily room all white and silver and a pansy room, blue and gold. I wish the Disappointed House could have a Christmas. It never has any Christmases.

"Oh, Father, I've just thought of something nice. When I grow up and write a great novel and make lots of money, I will buy the Disappointed House and finish it. Then it won't be Disappointed any more.

"Ilse's Sunday-school teacher, Miss Willeson, gave her a Bible for learnig 200 verses. But when she took it home her father laid it on the floor and kicked it out in the yard. Mrs Simms says a judgment will come on him but nothing has happened yet. The poor man is warped. That is why he did such a wicked thing.

"Aunt Laura took me to old Mrs Mason's funeral last Wednesday. I like funerals. They are so dramatic.

"My pig died last week. It was a GREAT FINANSHUL LOSS to me. Aunt Elizabeth says Cousin Jimmy fed it too well. I suppose I should not have called it after Lofty John.

"We have maps to draw in school now. Rhoda Stuart always gets the most marks. Miss Brownell doesn't know that Rhoda just puts the map up against a window pane and the paper over it and copies it off. I like drawing maps. Norway and Sweden look like a tiger with mountains for stripes and Ireland looks like a little dog with its back turned on England, and its paws held up against its breast, and Africa looks like a big pork ham. Australia is a lovely map to draw.

"Ilse is getting on real well in school now. She says she isn't going to have me beating her. She can learn like the dickens as Perry says, when she tries, and she has won the silver medal for Queen's County. The W.C.T.U. in Charlottetown gave it for the best reciter. They had the contest in Shrewsbury and Aunt Laura took Ilse because Dr Burnley wouldn't and Ilse won it. Aunt Laura told Dr Burnley when he was here one day that he ought to give Ilse a good education. He said, 'I'm not going to waste money educating any she-thing.' And he looked black as a thunder cloud. Oh, I wish Dr Burnley would love Ilse. I'm so glad YOU loved ME, Father.

"DEC. 22.

"Dear Father: We had our school examination to-day. It was a great occasion. Almost everybody was there except Dr Burnley and Aunt Elizabeth. All the girls wore their best dresses but me. I knew Ilse had nothing to wear but her shabby old last winter's plaid that is too short for her, so to keep her from feeling bad, I put on my old brown dress, too. Aunt Elizabeth did not want to let me do it at first because New Moon Murrays should be well dressed but when I explained about Ilse she looked at Aunt Laura and then said I might.

"Rhoda Stuart made fun of Ilse and me but I heaped coals of fire on her head. (That is what is called a figure of speech.) She got stuck in her recitation. She had left the book home and nobody else knew the piece but me. At first I looked at her triumphantly.

But then a queer feeling came into me and I thought 'What would I feel like if I was stuck before a big crowd of people like this?

And besides the honour of the school is at stake,' so I whispered it to her because I was quite close. She got through the rest all right. The strange thing is, dear Father, that now I don't feel any more as if I hated her. I feel quite kindly to her and it is much nicer. It is uncomfortable to hate people.

"DEC. 28.

"DEAR FATHER: "Christmas is over. It was pretty nice. I never saw so many good things cooked all at once. Uncle Wallace and Aunt Eva and Uncle Oliver and Aunt Addie and Aunt Ruth were here. Uncle Oliver didn't bring any of his children and I was much disappointed. We had Dr Burnley and Ilse too. Every one was dressed up. Aunt Elizabeth wore her black satin dress with a pointed lace collar and cap. She looked quite handsome and I was proud of her. You like your relations to look well even if you don't like THEM. Aunt Laura wore her brown silk and Aunt Ruth had on a grey dress. Aunt Eva was VERY elegant. Her dress had a train. But it smelled of moth balls.

"I had on my blue cashmere and wore my hair tied with blue ribbons, and Aunt Laura let me wear mother's blue silk sash with the pink daisies on it that she had when she was a little girl at New Moon.

Aunt Ruth sniffed when she saw me. She said, 'You have grown a good deal, Em'ly. I hope you are a better girl.' "But she DIDN'T hope it (really). I saw that quite plain. Then she told me my bootlace was untyed.

"'She looks better,' said Uncle Oliver. 'I wouldn't wonder if she grew up into a strong, healthy girl after all.' "Aunt Eva sighed and shook her head. Uncle Wallace didn't say anything but shook hands with me. His hand was as cold as a fish.

When we went out to the sitting-room for dinner I stepped on Aunt Eva's train and I could hear some stitches rip somewhere. Aunt Eva pushed me away and Aunt Ruth said, 'What a very awkward child you are, Em'ly.' I stepped behind Aunt Ruth and stuck out my tongue at her. Uncle Oliver makes a noise eating his soup. We had all the good silver spoons out. Cousin Jimmy carved the turkeys and he gave me two slices of the breast because he knows I like the white meat best. Aunt Ruth said 'When I was a little girl the wing was good enough for me,' and Cousin Jimmy put ANOTHER white slice on my plate. Aunt Ruth didn't say anything more then till the carving was done, and then she said, 'I saw your school teacher in Shrewsbury last Saturday, Em'ly, and she did not give me a very good account of you. If you were MY daughter I would expect a different report.' "'I am very glad I am not your daughter,' I said in my mind. I didn't say it out loud of course but Aunt Ruth said, 'Please do not look so sulky when I speak to you, Em'ly.' And Uncle Wallace said, 'It is a pity she has such an unattractive expression.' "'YOU are conceited and domineering and stingy,' I said, still in my mind. 'I heard Dr Burnley say you were.' "'I see there is an ink-stain on her finger,' said Aunt Ruth. (I had been writing a poem before dinner.) "And then a most surprising thing happened. Relations are always surprising you. Aunt Elizabeth spoke up and said, 'I do wish, Ruth, that you and Wallace would leave that child alone.' I could hardly believe my ears. Aunt Ruth looked annoyed but she DID leave me alone after that and only sniffed when Cousin Jimmy slipped a bit more white meat on my plate.

"After that the dinner was nice. And when they got as far as the pudding they all began to talk and it was splendid to listen to.