With her chin propped on her hands and her eyes fixed on the blue glimpse of the Lake of Shining Waters that the west window afforded, she was far away in a gorgeous dreamland hearing and seeing nothing save her own wonderful visions.
Gilbert Blythe wasn’t used to putting himself out to make a girl look at him and meeting with failure.
She should look at him, that red-haired Shirley girl with the little pointed chin and the big eyes that weren’t like the eyes of any other girl in Avonlea school.
Gilbert reached across the aisle, picked up the end of Anne’s long red braid, held it out at arm’s length and said in a piercing whisper:
“Carrots!
Carrots!”
Then Anne looked at him with a vengeance!
She did more than look.
She sprang to her feet, her bright fancies fallen into cureless ruin.
She flashed one indignant glance at Gilbert from eyes whose angry sparkle was swiftly quenched in equally angry tears.
“You mean, hateful boy!” she exclaimed passionately.
“How dare you!”
And then—thwack!
Anne had brought her slate down on Gilbert’s head and cracked it—slate not head—clear across.
Avonlea school always enjoyed a scene.
This was an especially enjoyable one.
Everybody said
“Oh” in horrified delight.
Diana gasped.
Ruby Gillis, who was inclined to be hysterical, began to cry.
Tommy Sloane let his team of crickets escape him altogether while he stared open-mouthed at the tableau.
Mr. Phillips stalked down the aisle and laid his hand heavily on Anne’s shoulder.
“Anne Shirley, what does this mean?” he said angrily.
Anne returned no answer.
It was asking too much of flesh and blood to expect her to tell before the whole school that she had been called “carrots.”
Gilbert it was who spoke up stoutly.
“It was my fault Mr. Phillips.
I teased her.”
Mr. Phillips paid no heed to Gilbert.
“I am sorry to see a pupil of mine displaying such a temper and such a vindictive spirit,” he said in a solemn tone, as if the mere fact of being a pupil of his ought to root out all evil passions from the hearts of small imperfect mortals.
“Anne, go and stand on the platform in front of the blackboard for the rest of the afternoon.”
Anne would have infinitely preferred a whipping to this punishment under which her sensitive spirit quivered as from a whiplash.
With a white, set face she obeyed.
Mr. Phillips took a chalk crayon and wrote on the blackboard above her head.
“Ann Shirley has a very bad temper.
Ann Shirley must learn to control her temper,” and then read it out loud so that even the primer class, who couldn’t read writing, should understand it.
Anne stood there the rest of the afternoon with that legend above her.
She did not cry or hang her head.
Anger was still too hot in her heart for that and it sustained her amid all her agony of humiliation.
With resentful eyes and passion-red cheeks she confronted alike Diana’s sympathetic gaze and Charlie Sloane’s indignant nods and Josie Pye’s malicious smiles.
As for Gilbert Blythe, she would not even look at him.
She would never look at him again!
She would never speak to him!!
When school was dismissed Anne marched out with her red head held high.
Gilbert Blythe tried to intercept her at the porch door.
“I’m awfully sorry I made fun of your hair, Anne,” he whispered contritely.
“Honest I am.
Don’t be mad for keeps, now.”
Anne swept by disdainfully, without look or sign of hearing.
“Oh how could you, Anne?” breathed Diana as they went down the road half reproachfully, half admiringly.