The fierce flame of agony had burned itself out and the grey dust of its ashes was over all the world. Rilla's younger life recovered physically sooner than her mother. For weeks Mrs. Blythe lay ill from grief and shock. Rilla found it was possible to go on with existence, since existence had still to be reckoned with. There was work to be done, ( Read more... )

( Cut for NPC death )

One day the glorious news came that the Canadians had taken Courcelette and Martenpuich, with many prisoners and guns. Susan ran up the flag and said it was plain to be seen that Haig knew what soldiers to pick for a hard job. The others dared not feel exultant. Who knew what price had been paid ( Read more... )

Rilla had returned home a few days ago and had spent the rest of that time preparing the donations from Fandom to be shipped to the front. Her father and Susan talked about General Haig's new offensive on the front in a place called Courcelette, her mother had been told explicitly to get more rest, and Rilla tried not to notice how her youngest ( Read more... )

The weirdness of Fandom had fortunately not followed Rilla home where she was marking the second anniversary of the start of the war by watching the county battalion--the last of the men of age--march through the county before they headed overseas. They marched from Charlottetown to Lowbridge, then round the Harbour Head and through the Upper Glen ( Read more... )

The first thing Rilla did upon arriving in the right time period was ring up Joe Milgrave from the train station and make sure he knew to bring a ring and the marriage certificate when he came into town ( Read more... )

When Christmas came again Susan did not set any vacant places at the table. Two empty chairs were too much even for Susan who had thought in September that there would not be one.

( This is the first Christmas that Walter was not home-- )

In mid-July Walter came home for a week's leave before going overseas. Rilla drank every minute of it thirstily, hating even the hours she had to spend in sleep, they seemed such a waste of precious moments. In spite of its sadness, it was a beautiful week, full of poignant, unforgettable hours, when she and Walter had long walks and talks and ( Read more... )

Susan kept the flag flying at Ingleside all the next day, in honour of Italy's declaration of war. Walter had gone to town on the early train, but Nan offered to look after Jims for the day and so set Rilla and Annie free. They were wildly busy all day, helping to decorate the Glen hall and seeing to a hundred last things. The evening was beautiful ( Read more... )

Rilla had spent the day fuming over the problem with Irene. She did not want to humiliate herself by apologizing to Irene Howard! Irene had been as much in the wrong as she had been; and she had told such mean, distorted versions of their quarrel everywhere, posing as a puzzled, injured martyr. Rilla could never bring herself to tell her side of it ( Read more... )