All around her , lying in the fine , beautiful country silence , were the hills and fields and woods she had known and loved so long . `` History repeats itself , '' said Gilbert , joining her as she passed the Blythe gate . `` Do you remember our first walk down this hill , Anne -- our first walk together anywhere , for that matter ? '' `` I was coming home in the twilight from Matthew 's grave -- and you came out of the gate ; and I swallowed the pride of years and spoke to you . '' `` And all heaven opened before me , '' supplemented Gilbert . `` From that moment I looked forward to tomorrow . When I left you at your gate that night and walked home I was the happiest boy in the world . Anne had forgiven me . '' `` I think you had the most to forgive . I was an ungrateful little wretch -- and after you had really saved my life that day on the pond , too . How I loathed that load of obligation at first ! I do n't deserve the happiness that has come to me . '' Gilbert laughed and clasped tighter the girlish hand that wore his ring . Anne 's engagement ring was a circlet of pearls . She had refused to wear a diamond . `` I 've never really liked diamonds since I found out they were n't the lovely purple I had dreamed . They will always suggest my old disappointment . '' `` But pearls are for tears , the old legend says , '' Gilbert had objected . `` I 'm not afraid of that . And tears can be happy as well as sad .
My very happiest moments have been when I had tears in my eyes -- when Marilla told me I might stay at Green Gables -- when Matthew gave me the XXXXX pretty dress I ever had -- when I heard that you were going to recover from the fever .
Anne Blythe Gilbert Matthew circlet day first left night years