And now , this thrilling experience had turned out to be merely grotesque . Billy Andrews had got his sister to propose for him because his father had given him the upper farm ; and if Anne would n't `` have him '' Nettie Blewett would . There was romance for you , with a vengeance ! Anne laughed -- and then sighed . The bloom had been brushed from one little maiden dream . Would the painful process go on until everything became prosaic and hum-drum ? Chapter IX An Unwelcome Lover and a Welcome Friend The second term at Redmond sped as quickly as had the first -- `` actually whizzed away , '' Philippa said . Anne enjoyed it thoroughly in all its phases -- the stimulating class rivalry , the making and deepening of new and helpful friendships , the gay little social stunts , the doings of the various societies of which she was a member , the widening of horizons and interests . She studied hard , for she had made up her mind to win the Thorburn Scholarship in English . This being won , meant that she could come back to Redmond the next year without trenching on Marilla 's small savings -- something Anne was determined she would not do . Gilbert , too , was in full chase after a scholarship , but found plenty of time for frequent calls at Thirty-eight , St. John 's . He was Anne 's escort at nearly all the college affairs , and she knew that their names were coupled in Redmond gossip . Anne raged over this but was helpless ; she could not cast an old friend like Gilbert aside , especially when he had grown suddenly wise and wary , as behooved him in the dangerous proximity of more than one Redmond youth who would gladly have taken his place by the side of the slender , red-haired coed , whose gray eyes were as alluring as stars of evening . Anne was never attended by the crowd of willing victims who hovered around Philippa 's conquering march through her Freshman year ; but there was a lanky , brainy Freshie , a jolly , little , round Sophomore , and a tall , learned Junior who all liked to call at Thirty-eight , St. John 's , and talk over ` ologies and ` isms , as well as lighter subjects , with Anne , in the becushioned parlor of that domicile . Gilbert did not love any of them , and he was exceedingly careful to give none of them the advantage over him by any untimely display of his real feelings Anne-ward . To her he had become again the boy-comrade of Avonlea days , and as such could hold his own against any smitten swain who had so far entered the lists against him . As a companion , Anne honestly acknowledged nobody could be so satisfactory as Gilbert ; she was very glad , so she told herself , that he had evidently dropped all nonsensical ideas -- though she spent considerable time secretly wondering why . Only one disagreeable incident marred that winter . Charlie Sloane , sitting bolt upright on Miss Ada 's most dearly beloved cushion , asked Anne one night if she would promise `` to become Mrs. Charlie Sloane some day . '' Coming after Billy Andrews ' proxy effort , this was not quite the shock to Anne 's romantic sensibilities that it would otherwise have been ; but it was certainly another heart-rending disillusion .
She was angry , too , for she felt XXXXX she had never given Charlie the slightest encouragement to suppose such a thing possible .
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