While Gilbert was studying medicine, Anne was working as the Principal of Summerside High School. This book is mainly made up of excepts of love letters written by Anne to Gilbert.
This is a fair to middling book. Not the best of the series, not the worst either! This particular time I read it, I was highly entertained by the wedding at the Nelson's at Bonnyview. It is in Chapter 15 and starts at page 102. There were six daughters in the Nelson household. Four were married off. Anne went to be a bridesmaid to Sally. Nora, the last single daughter was certainly not having a good time with all and sundry teasing her.
The problem with Nora is that she loved to quarrel with her child hood sweet heart, Jim. She took his loyalty and unswerving devotion for granted. All seemed well until they had a big, loud quarrel and Jim gave up coming to court Nora. Anne, being her impulsive self, decided to help Nora by putting a lamp at the attic window to summon Jim over for the shore dance. Well, Jim was away until 1 am. Anne, distracted by having a good time at the beach, forgot all about taking the lamp down. Poor Jim, he rushed over the bay and was caught embracing his beloved in the downstairs library in the middle of the night. Goaded by an ancient aunt, he proposed in public. Much to his shock, Nora accepted the proposal immediately.
I suppose it is rather unfair that an unmarried woman past forty is called a spinster. Yet an unmarried man in his forties is eligible. Being parents of girls, we worry if there are no suitors. If there are too many suitors, it is a problem. When a daughter decides to marry, the mother is ambivalent until quite a while later before she can be sure that her daughter made the right choice. Now that girls are well educated and have equal opportunities of being employed outside of the house, things are much better than before.
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