After the Christmas holidays the Avonlea students gave up going home on Fridays and settled down to hard work . By this time all the Queen 's scholars had gravitated into their own places in the ranks and the various classes had assumed distinct and settled shadings of individuality . Certain facts had become generally accepted . It was admitted that the medal contestants had practically narrowed down to three -- Gilbert Blythe , Anne Shirley , and Lewis Wilson ; the Avery scholarship was more doubtful , any one of a certain six being a possible winner . The bronze medal for mathematics was considered as good as won by a fat , funny little up-country boy with a bumpy forehead and a patched coat . Ruby Gillis was the handsomest girl of the year at the Academy ; in the Second Year classes Stella Maynard carried off the palm for beauty , with small but critical minority in favor of Anne Shirley . Ethel Marr was admitted by all competent judges to have the most stylish modes of hair-dressing , and Jane Andrews -- plain , plodding , conscientious Jane -- carried off the honors in the domestic science course . Even Josie Pye attained a certain preeminence as the sharpest-tongued young lady in attendance at Queen 's . So it may be fairly stated that Miss Stacy 's old pupils held their own in the wider arena of the academical course . Anne worked hard and steadily . Her rivalry with Gilbert was as intense as it had ever been in Avonlea school , although it was not known in the class at large , but somehow the bitterness had gone out of it . Anne no longer wished to win for the sake of defeating Gilbert ; rather , for the proud consciousness of a well-won victory over a worthy foeman . It would be worth while to win , but she no longer thought life would be insupportable if she did not . In spite of lessons the students found opportunities for pleasant times . Anne spent many of her spare hours at Beechwood and generally ate her Sunday dinners there and went to church with Miss Barry . The latter was , as she admitted , growing old , but her black eyes were not dim nor the vigor of her tongue in the least abated . But she never sharpened the latter on Anne , who continued to be a prime favorite with the critical old lady . `` That Anne-girl improves all the time , '' she said . `` I get tired of other girls -- there is such a provoking and eternal sameness about them . Anne has as many shades as a rainbow and every shade is the prettiest while it lasts .
I do n't know that she is XXXXX amusing as she was when she was a child , but she makes me love her and I like people who make me love them .
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