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 that she had never given Charlie the slightest encouragement to suppose such a thing possible . But what could you expect of a Sloane , as Mrs. Rachel Lynde would ask scornfully ? Charlie 's whole attitude , tone , air , words , fairly reeked with Sloanishness . `` He was conferring a great honor -- no doubt whatever about that . And when Anne , utterly insensible to the honor , refused him , as delicately and considerately as she could -- for even a Sloane had feelings which ought not to be unduly lacerated -- Sloanishness still further betrayed itself . Charlie certainly did not take his dismissal as Anne 's imaginary rejected suitors did . Instead , he became angry , and showed it ; he said two or three quite nasty things ; Anne 's temper flashed up mutinously and she retorted with a cutting little speech whose keenness pierced even Charlie 's protective Sloanishness and reached the quick ; he caught up his hat and flung himself out of the house with a very red face ; Anne rushed upstairs , falling twice over Miss Ada 's cushions on the way , and threw herself on her bed , in tears of humiliation and rage . Had she actually stooped to quarrel with a Sloane ?
Was it possible anything Charlie Sloane could say had power XXXXX make her angry ?
As about against by if like of so that to