Anne of Avonlea · Chapter
Miss Lavendar's Romance explained
Anne visits Miss Lavendar at Echo Lodge on a snowy December evening, where they share a joyful, playful time.
What happens
Anne visits Miss Lavendar at Echo Lodge on a snowy December evening, where they share a joyful, playful time. Miss Lavendar reveals the story of her broken engagement to Stephen Irving twenty-five years ago due to a foolish quarrel and her own pride and sulkiness. Later, Anne brings Paul Irving to meet Miss Lavendar, and they form an immediate, warm connection.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Friendship
Miss Lavendar recounts her lost love with Stephen Irving, while her friendship with Anne brings warmth and companionship.
Imagination and Idealism
Anne and Miss Lavendar share a love of 'pretending' and dreams, finding solace in imagination even amid life's disappointments.
Forgiveness and Redemption
Miss Lavendar reflects on her pride and sulkiness that ended her engagement, and the chapter hints at the possibility of healing through meeting Stephen's son.
Characters to notice
- Anne Shirley
Visits Miss Lavendar at Echo Lodge, bringing youth and companionship; later brings Paul Irving to meet her.
- Lavendar Lewis
Hosts Anne, shares the story of her broken engagement to Stephen Irving, and meets Paul Irving for the first time.
- Paul Irving
Accompanies Anne to Echo Lodge and meets Miss Lavendar, forming an immediate bond.
- Marilla Cuthbert
Expresses concern about the weather when Anne plans her walk to Echo Lodge.
- Charlotta the Fourth
Mentioned as being away for the night due to her mother's illness.
Key passages
“I always like to do things as well as possible, and since an old maid I had to be I was determined to be a very nice one.”
Miss Lavendar decided that if she had to be a spinster, she would be the best spinster she could be.
Reflects her resilient and positive attitude toward her unmarried state.
“My heart did break, if ever a heart did, when I realized that Stephen Irving was not coming back. But, Anne, a broken heart in real life isn't half as dreadful as it is in books. It's a good deal like a bad tooth.”
Miss Lavendar compares her heartbreak to a toothache—painful at times but not constantly debilitating, allowing her to still enjoy life.
Highlights the contrast between romanticized sorrow and the practical reality of enduring loss.