Notes

CHAPTE The Problem with Vanity Preview Questions 1. What is vanity? 2. Are you vain? Do you know someone who is very vain? 3. Why might vanity be a problem? arilla, walking home one late April evening, realized that the winter was over and gone. It did not matter how old she was; this thought still made her happy. She thought of the fire going and a table nicely spread for tea, and she felt happy that Anne was home to do these things. So when she entered her kitchen and found the fire dark, with no sign of Anne, she was very disappointed and annoyed. "I'll tell Miss Anne think when she comes home. said Marilla, making the tea herself. "I don't care if Mrs. Allan does say she's the brightest and sweetest child she ever knew." It was dark when tea was ready, and still no sign of Anne. Marilla went to light the candle in Anne's room and saw the girl lying on the bed face down."Please, Marilla, go away and don't look at me, said a small voice. "Anne Shirley, whatever is the matter with you? What have you done?" "Look at my hair, Marilla she whispered. Marilla lifted her candle and looked at Anne's hair, which ran all down her back. It looked strange "Anne Shirley, what have you done to your hair? Why, it's green!" Yes, it's green," groaned Anne. "I thought nothing could be as bad as red hair. But now I know it's ten times worse to have green hair." "How did this happen?" "I dyed it. I knew it was a bad thing to do Anne. "But I didn't mean to dye it green, Marilla. He said it would turn my hair a beautiful black "Who said? Who are you talking about "The man who came this afternoon. I bought the dye from him." "Anne Shirley, how often have I told you never to let one of those men in the house? uoh, I didn't him inside. He had a big box full of let very interesting things, and he told me he working was 44 hard to make enough money to bring his wife and children out from Germany. But what am I goin to do? Anne's unhappiness continued for a week. During that time, she went nowhere and washed her hair every day. Nothing worked. At the end of the week, Marilla said, "It's no use, Anne. Your hair must be cut off; there is no other way. You can't go out with it looking like that." And so Marilla cut almost all of Anne's hair off. Everybody talked about Anne in school on Monday; but to her relief, nobody guessed the real reason for her new hair cut. Anne told Marilla all the things the girls had said about her and all the things the boys had said about her. Then, she said, "But am I talking too much, Marilla? Does it hurt your head?" "My head is better now," said Marilla. "And I don't mind your talking-I've gotten so used to it." That was Marilla's way of saying that she liked to hear it. Review Questions Why was Marilla annoyed when she arrived home? 2. What did Anne do to her hair? what did Marilla do so that Anne could go back to school?