You just accept Philippa Gordon , as the Lord made her , with all her faults , and I believe you 'll come to like her . Is n't this graveyard a sweet place ? I 'd love to be buried here . Here 's a grave I did n't see before -- this one in the iron railing -- oh , girls , look , see -- the stone says it 's the grave of a middy who was killed in the fight between the Shannon and the Chesapeake . Just fancy ! '' Anne paused by the railing and looked at the worn stone , her pulses thrilling with sudden excitement . The old graveyard , with its over-arching trees and long aisles of shadows , faded from her sight . Instead , she saw the Kingsport Harbor of nearly a century agone . Out of the mist came slowly a great frigate , brilliant with `` the meteor flag of England . '' Behind her was another , with a still , heroic form , wrapped in his own starry flag , lying on the quarter deck -- the gallant Lawrence . Time 's finger had turned back his pages , and that was the Shannon sailing triumphant up the bay with the Chesapeake as her prize . `` Come back , Anne Shirley -- come back , '' laughed Philippa , pulling her arm . `` You 're a hundred years away from us . Come back . '' Anne came back with a sigh ; her eyes were shining softly . `` I 've always loved that old story , '' she said , `` and although the English won that victory , I think it was because of the brave , defeated commander I love it . This grave seems to bring it so near and make it so real . This poor little middy was only eighteen . He ` died of desperate wounds received in gallant action ' -- so reads his epitaph . It is such as a soldier might wish for . ''
Before she turned away , Anne unpinned the little cluster of purple pansies she wore and dropped it softly on the grave XXXXX the boy who had perished in the great sea-duel .
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