If Elinor Blair had never gone to Prince Albert there is no knowing what might have happened , after all . Carey , so powerful in propinquity , might even have ended by learning to love Tannis and marrying her , to his own worldly undoing . But Elinor did go to Prince Albert , and her going ended all things for Tannis of the Flats . Carey met her one evening in September , when he had ridden into town to attend a dance , leaving Paul Dumont in charge of the telegraph office . Elinor had just arrived in Prince Albert on a visit to Tom , to which she had been looking forward during the five years since he had married and moved out West from Avonlea . As I have already said , she was very beautiful at that time , and Carey fell in love with her at the first moment of their meeting . During the next three weeks he went to town nine times and called at the Dumonts ' only once . There were no more rides and walks with Tannis . This was not intentional neglect on his part . He had simply forgotten all about her . The breeds surmised a lover 's quarrel , but Tannis understood . There was another woman back there in town . It would be quite impossible to put on paper any adequate idea of her emotions at this stage . One night , she followed Carey when he went to Prince Albert , riding out of earshot , behind him on her plains pony , but keeping him in sight . Lazarre , in a fit of jealousy , had followed Tannis , spying on her until she started back to the Flats . After that he watched both Carey and Tannis incessantly , and months later had told Tom all he had learned through his low sneaking . Tannis trailed Carey to the Blair house , on the bluffs above the town , and saw him tie his horse at the gate and enter . She , too , tied her pony to a poplar , lower down , and then crept stealthily through the willows at the side of the house until she was close to the windows . Through one of them she could see Carey and Elinor . The half-breed girl crouched down in the shadow and glared at her rival .
She saw the pretty , fair-tinted face , the fluffy coronal of golden hair , the blue , laughing eyes of the woman whom Jerome XXXXX loved , and she realized very plainly that there was nothing left to hope for .
Avonlea Blair Carey Dumonts Elinor Lazarre Tannis Tom night weeks