Gilbert , glancing at her sideways as they walked along a shadowy woodpath , thought she had never looked so lovely . Anne , glancing sideways at Gilbert , now and then , thought how much older he looked since his illness . It was as if he had put boyhood behind him forever . The day was beautiful and the way was beautiful . Anne was almost sorry when they reached Hester Gray 's garden , and sat down on the old bench . But it was beautiful there , too -- as beautiful as it had been on the faraway day of the Golden Picnic , when Diana and Jane and Priscilla and she had found it . Then it had been lovely with narcissus and violets ; now golden rod had kindled its fairy torches in the corners and asters dotted it bluely . The call of the brook came up through the woods from the valley of birches with all its old allurement ; the mellow air was full of the purr of the sea ; beyond were fields rimmed by fences bleached silvery gray in the suns of many summers , and long hills scarfed with the shadows of autumnal clouds ; with the blowing of the west wind old dreams returned . `` I think , '' said Anne softly , `` that ` the land where dreams come true ' is in the blue haze yonder , over that little valley . '' `` Have you any unfulfilled dreams , Anne ? '' asked Gilbert . Something in his tone -- something she had not heard since that miserable evening in the orchard at Patty 's Place -- made Anne 's heart beat wildly . But she made answer lightly . `` Of course . Everybody has . It would n't do for us to have all our dreams fulfilled . We would be as good as dead if we had nothing left to dream about . What a delicious aroma that low-descending sun is extracting from the asters and ferns . I wish we could see perfumes as well as smell them . I 'm sure they would be very beautiful . ''
Gilbert was not XXXXX be thus sidetracked .
as at for from in on over that through to