When Mr. Phillips was in the back of the room hearing Prissy

Andrews's Latin, Diana whispered to Anne,
"That's Gilbert Blythe sitting right across the aisle from you,

Anne. Just look at him and see if you don't think he's handsome."
Anne looked accordingly. She had a good chance to do so, for the

said Gilbert Blythe was absorbed in stealthily pinning the long
yellow braid of Ruby Gillis, who sat in front of him, to the back

of her seat. He was a tall boy, with curly brown hair, roguish
hazel eyes, and a mouth twisted into a teasing smile. Presently

Ruby Gillis started up to take a sum to the master; she fell back
into her seat with a little shriek, believing that her hair was

pulled out by the roots. Everybody looked at her and Mr.
Phillips glared so sternly that Ruby began to cry. Gilbert had

whisked the pin out of sight and was studying his history with
the soberest face in the world; but when the commotion subsided

he looked at Anne and winked with inexpressible drollery.
"I think your Gilbert Blythe IS handsome," confided Anne to Diana,

"but I think he's very bold. It isn't good manners to wink at a
strange girl."

But it was not until the afternoon that things really began to happen.
Mr. Phillips was back in the corner explaining a problem in

algebra to Prissy Andrews and the rest of the scholars were doing
pretty much as they pleased eating green apples, whispering,

drawing pictures on their slates, and driving crickets harnessed
to strings, up and down aisle. Gilbert Blythe was trying to make

Anne Shirley look at him and failing utterly, because Anne was at
that moment totally oblivious not only to the very existence of

Gilbert Blythe, but of every other scholar in Avonlea school itself.
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. Diana felt that SHE could

never have resisted Gilbert's plea.
"I shall never forgive Gilbert Blythe," said Anne firmly.

"And Mr. Phillips spelled my name without an e, too.
The iron has entered into my soul, Diana."

Diana hadn't the least idea what Anne meant but she understood it
was something terrible.

"You mustn't mind Gilbert making fun of your hair," she said
soothingly. "Why, he makes fun of all the girls. He laughs at

mine because it's so black. He's called me a crow a dozen times;
and I never heard him apologize for anything before, either."

"There's a great deal of difference between being called a crow
and being called carrots," said Anne with dignity. "Gilbert

Blythe has hurt my feelings EXCRUCIATINGLY, Diana."
It is possible the matter might have blown over without more

excruciation if nothing else had happened. But when things begin
to happen they are apt to keep on.

Avonlea scholars often spent noon hour picking gum in Mr. Bell's
spruce grove over the hill and across his big pasture field.

From there they could keep an eye on Eben Wright's house, where
the master boarded. When they saw Mr. Phillips emerging therefrom

they ran for the schoolhouse; but the distance being about three
times longer than Mr. Wright's lane they were very apt to arrive

there, breathless and gasping, some three minutes too late.
On the following day Mr. Phillips was seized with one of his

spasmodic fits of reform and announced before going home to
dinner, that he should expect to find all the scholars in their

seats when he returned. Anyone who came in late would be punished.
All the boys and some of the girls went to Mr. Bell's spruce

grove as usual, fully intending to stay only long enough to "pick
a chew." But spruce groves are seductive and yellow nuts of gum

beguiling; they picked and loitered and strayed; and as usual the
first thing that recalled them to a sense of the flight of time

was Jimmy Glover shouting from the top of a patriarchal old
spruce "Master's coming."

The girls who were on the ground, started first and managed to