Join Host Bree Carlile as she reads the thirty-second chapter of Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Come with us as we release one bite a day of one of your favorite classic novels, plays & short stories. Bree reads these classics like she reads to her daughter, one chapter a day. If you love books or audiobooks and want something to listen to as you're getting ready, driving to work, or as you're getting ready for bed, check out Bite at a Time Books!

Follow, rate, and review Bite at a Time Books where we read you your favorite classics, one bite at a time. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Get exclusive Behind the Scenes content on our Patreon

We are now part of the Bite at a Time Books Productions network!

If you ever wondered what inspired your favorite classic novelist to write their stories, what was happening in their lives or the world at the time, check out Bite at a Time Books Behind the Story wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow us on all the socials: Instagram - Twitter - Facebook - TikTok

Follow Bree at: Instagram - Twitter - Facebook

Take it chapter by chapter one fight so many adventures and mountains we can climb.

Welcome to Bite at a Time books where we read you your favorite classics one byte at a time.

My name is Brie Carlyle, and I love to read and wanted to share my passion with listeners like you.

If you enjoy our show, be sure to follow us so you get all the new episodes.

If you want to see exclusive behind the scenes of our show, follow us on YouTube.

We would also love for you to drop us a rating on your favorite podcast platform and share our show with your friends.

You can catch us on all the social medias at Bite at a Timebooks or on our website, bite atotimebooks.com today we'll be continuing anne of the island by Lucy Maud Montgomery chapter 32 tea with Mrs.

Douglas on the first Thursday night of Anne sojourn in Valley Road, janet asked her to go to prayer meeting.

Janet blossomed out like a rose to attend that prayer meeting.

She wore a pale blue pansysprinkled muslin dress with more ruffles than one would ever have supposed.

Economical, Janet could be guilty of, and a white leghorn hat with pink roses and three ostrich feathers on it, and felt quite amazed.

Later on, she found out Janet's motive in a ring herself, a motive as old as eaten.

Valley Road prayer meetings seemed to be essentially feminine.

There were 32 women present, two half grown boys, and one solitary man beside the minister, and found herself studying this man.

He was not handsome or young or graceful.

He had remarkably long legs, so long that he had to keep them coiled up under his chair to dispose of them.

And he was stoop shouldered, his hands were big, his hair wanted barbering, and his moustache was unkempt.

But Anne thought she liked his face.

It was kind and honest and tender.

There was something else in it, too, just what Anne found it hard to define.

She finally concluded that this man had suffered and been strong, and it had been made manifest in his face.

There was a sort of patient, humorous endurance in his expression, which indicated that he would go to the stake if need be, but would keep on looking pleasant until he really had to begin squirming.

When prayer meeting was over, this man came up to Janet and said, may I see you home, Janet?

Janet took his arm, as primly and shyly as if she were no more than 16, having her first escort home, and told the girls at Patty's place later on.

Miss Shirley, permit me to introduce Mr.

Douglas, she said stiffly.

Mr.

Douglas nodded and said, I was looking at you in prayer meeting, Miss, and thinking what a nice little girl you were.

Such a speech from 99 people out of 100 would have annoyed Anne bitterly, but the way in which Mr.

Douglas said it made her feel that she had received a very real and pleasing compliment.

She smiled appreciatively at him and dropped obligingly behind on the moonlit road so Janet had a bow.

Anne was delighted.

Janet would make a paragon of a wife cheery, economical, tolerant, and a very queen of cooks.

It would be a flagrant waste on nature's part to keep her a permanent old maid.

John Douglas asks me to take you up to see his mother, said Janet the next day.

She's bedrid a lot of the time and never goes out of the house, but she's powerful fond of company and always wants to see my borders.

Can you go up this evening?

Anna scented.

But later in the day, Mr.

Douglas called on his mother's behalf to invite them up to tea on Saturday evening.

Oh, why didn't you put on your pretty pansy dress?

Asked Anne when they left home.

It was a hot day, and poor Janet, between her excitement and her heavy black cashmere dress, looked as if she were being broiled alive.

Old Mrs.

Douglas would think it terrible frivolous and unsuitable.

I'm afraid John likes that dress, though, she added wistfully.

The old Douglas homestead was half a mile from Wayside, cresting a windy hill.

The house itself was large and comfortable, old enough to be dignified and girdled, with maple groves and orchards.

There were big trim barns behind it, and everything bespoke prosperity.

Whatever the patient endurance in Mr.

Douglas's face had meant, it hadn't, so Anne reflected, meant deaths and guns.

John Douglas met them at the door and took them into the sitting room, where his mother was enthroned in an armchair.

Anne had expected old Mrs.

Douglas to be tall and thin because Mr.

Douglas was.

Instead, she was a tiny scrap of a woman with soft pink cheeks, mild blue eyes, and a mouth like a baby's.

Dressed in a beautiful fashionably made black silk dress with a fluffy white shawl over her shoulders and her snowy hair surmounted by a daintylaced cap.

She might have posed as a grandmother doll.

How do you do, Janet dear?

She said sweetly.

I'm so glad to see you again, dear.

She put up her pretty old face to be kissed.

And this is our new teacher.

I'm delighted to meet you.

My son has been singing your praises until I'm half jealous, and I'm sure Janet ought to be holy.

So poor Janet blushed.

Anne said something polite and conventional, and then everybody sat down and made talk.

It was hard work, even for Anne, for nobody seemed at ease except old Mrs.

Douglas, who certainly did not find any difficulty in talking.

She made Janet sit by her and stroked her hand occasionally.

Janet sat and smiled, looking horribly uncomfortable in her hideous dress, and John Douglas sat without smiling at the tea table.

Mrs.

Douglas gracefully asked Janet to pour the tea.

Janet turned redder than ever, but did it?

Anne wrote a description of that meal to stella.

We had cold tongue and chicken and strawberry preserves lemon pie and tarts and chocolate cake and raisin cookies and pound cake and fruit cake and a few other things, including more pie.

Caramel pie, I think it was, after I had eaten twice as much as was good for me.

Mrs.

Douglas sighed and said she feared she had nothing to tempt my appetite.

I'm afraid dear Janet's cooking has spoiled you for any other, she said sweetly.

Of course, nobody in Valley Road aspires to rival her.

Won't you have another piece of pie, Miss Shirley?

You haven't eaten anything, Stella.

I had eaten a helping of tongue and one of chicken, three biscuits, a generous allowance of preserves, a piece of pie, a tart and a square of chocolate cake.

After tea, mrs.

Douglas smiled benevolently and told John to take dear Janet out into the garden and get her some roses.

Miss Surely will keep me company while you are out, won't you?

She said plaintively.

She settled down in her armchair with a sigh.

I'm a very frail old woman, Miss Shirley.

For over 20 years I've been a great sufferer.

For 20 long, weary years, I've been dying by inches.

How painful, said Anne, trying to be sympathetic and succeeding only in feeling idiotic.

There have been scores of nights when they thought I could never live to see the dawn, went on Mrs.

Douglas solemnly.

Nobody knows what I've gone through.

Nobody can know but myself.

While it can't last very much longer now, my weary pilgrimage will soon be over.

Miss Shirley.

It is a great comfort to me that John will have such a good wife to look after him when his mother is gone.

A great comfort, Miss Shirley.

Janet is a lovely woman, said Anne warmly.

Lovely.

A beautiful character.

Assented, Mrs Douglas?

And a perfect housekeeper something I never was.

My health would not permit it.

Miss Shirley, I am indeed thankful that John has made such a wise choice.

I hope and believe that he will be happy.

He is my only son, Miss Shirley and his happiness lies very near my heart.

Of course, said Anne, stupidly.

For the first time in her life, she was stupid, yet she could not imagine why.

She seemed to have absolutely nothing to say to this sweet, smiling, angelic old lady who was patting her hand so kindly.

Come and see me soon again, dear Janet, said Mrs.

Douglas lovingly when they left.

You don't come half often enough.

But then I suppose John will be bringing you here to stay all the time one of these days.

Anne happened to glance at John Douglas as his mother spoke gave a positive start of dismay.

He looked as a tortured man might look when his tormenters gave the rack the last turn of possible endurance.

She felt sure he must be ill and hurried poor, blushing Janet away.

Isn't old Mrs.

Douglas a sweet woman?

Asked Janet as they went down the road, answered Anne absently.

She wondered why John Douglas had looked so.

She's been a terrible sufferer, said Janet, feelingly she takes terrible spells.

It keeps Jon all worried up.

He's scared to leave home for fear his mother will take a spell and nobody there but the hired girl.

Thank you for joining Byte at the Time Books today while we read a bite of one of your favorite classics.

If you enjoy our show, be sure to follow us so you get all the new episodes.

If you want to see exclusive behind the scenes of our show, follow us on YouTube.

We would also love for you to drop us a rating on your favorite podcast platform and share our show with your friends.

You can catch us on all the social medias at Bite at a Timebooks or on our website, Bite at a Time books.com Again my name is Brie Carlyle and I hope you come back tomorrow for the next bite of ane of the island.

Take it.