CanIRank

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The article discusses the importance for using indent-rainbow to give some color to your code in HTML The extension colorizes the indentation in front of your lines of code alternating four different colors after every step. Some may find it useful while coding in different languages like HTML, Python and Nim just to name a few. It uses the current editor window tab size. It visibly marks well lines of where indentation is not a multiple of the tab size. This will come handy to help you to find problems with indentation in some situations. Configuration There is possibility to configure some aspects of the extension. You can also configure your own colors by adding or tampering with the codes for the codes. You can find more information in the link below to achieve configuration: The colors blend in perfectly with the VSCode color scheme. https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=oderwat.indent-rainbow If you like seeing your code looking neat and beautiful you should definitely try out this amazing extension that will boost your confidence in writing code. Thank you for taking time to read through my article. My name is Wilfried full time student at . You can reach out to me also on . Microverse Twitter

Indent-Rainbow Tool for Making Your Code More Readable

This article is a continuation of my discussion on the tokenization of real assets. In this piece, I delve into the technical intricacies of the ERC-3643 standard, highlighting its distinctions from the ERC-20 standard and presenting various use cases. If you missed the first part, you can find it here. https://hackernoon.com/tokenizing-real-world-assets-rwa-part-1-a-deep-dive-into-erc-3643?embedable=true Overview ERC-3643 One of the key issues that need to be resolved before RWAs can be safely tokenized is the legal compliance of their transfer and transactions. In other words, they need to be regulated. The ERC-3643 standard is a tokenization standard for RWAs that simplifies their transfer to meet regulatory requirements. It is designed to make it possible to tokenize RWAs at the institutional level. For better clarity, we will compare the ERC-3643 standard to the ERC-20 standard because the ERC-3643 standard is actually another version of the ERC-20. is a fungible token standard that requires implementation of all the functions that the standard is designed to implement, including token transfer functions and functions that return address balances. ERC-20 In the case of ERC-20, the standard does not require token transfer restrictions. This means that in most cases, anyone can own these tokens, even if it is not known exactly who owns them, so transfer and transact with them without restrictions. These tokens are called permissionless. Examples of such tokens are , DAI, etc. USDT In the case of the implementation of the ERC-3643 standard, it implies being permissioned. This means that tokens can only be transferred if all conditions for the transfer are met (e.g. participants are verified and other requirements are met), otherwise, it is not possible. The implementation of the ERC-3643 standard also requires a function that is responsible for the recovery of tokens, for example, in case of loss of access to the account. The ERC-20 standard does not require the implementation of such a function, which means that in case of loss of keys to the account access to tokens can be lost without the possibility of recovery. In the case of ERC-3643, if access to the account is lost, the tokens can be restored to another account due to the required implementation of the recovery function. The ERC-3643 standard means that accounts that will be able to transact in tokens must be identified, as required by the laws of most countries.  With the ERC-20 standard, we have no such requirement, which means that all accounts making transactions remain impersonal due to the lack of identification and such transactions cannot be verified. In the case of ERC-3643, by requiring all accounts to be identified, the blockchain can now become a verifiable ledger (by knowing who is behind each account), and storing data on it will only increase security compared to the current infrastructure. The ERC-3643 standard is designed for Ethereum networks and allows for the creation of programmable agreements for issuing, managing, and trading RWA tokens. All the data required for this is stored directly in the blockchain, such as the addresses of the owners, conditions for token transfer, account status, etc. Because smart contracts calculate and process data, it is all done automatically, with no need for manual verification. For example, let's compare a transaction using an ERC-20 token and a transaction with ERC-3643. In the case of ERC-20, one party calls a function in the token smart contract and there is a transfer of the token to the other party that was specified in that transaction. In the case of ERC-3643, a party makes a token transfer function call to a smart contract, but in this case, there is no immediate token transfer. First, there is a check of all the conditions that are set for such a token transfer, usually on another contract, which processes all the necessary data and returns a status that reflects whether the token transfer can be completed or not. If this status indicates that all the necessary conditions are met, only in this case the token transfer from one party to another is executed. Essential Contracts of ERC-3643 Implementation Now let's look at the essential contracts of the ERC-3643 implementation and what each is responsible for: Each user is assigned a contract that is responsible for processing their identity and storing all claims associated with it. Each user is represented by an Identity contract. Identity: This is where the various claim topics that can be added or deleted to the contract Identity are managed. The owner is responsible for managing these registries per his claims. Claim Topics Registry: Represents a registry of contract addresses that are trusted issuers of claims. This is to ensure that claims are only issued by these trusted issuers. Trusted Issuers Registry: Performs a check on Identities against the rule module it contains. This check is needed to ensure that only participants who meet the specified requirements can make deals or token transfers. Compliance: Keeps track of all Identities in the system and stores them all in one place. This provides convenient verification and validation of user identity. Identity Registry: How does token transfer control work in ERC-3643? To better illustrate the key point of how token transfers between addresses are controlled to meet the requirements, we will look at some of the key features of the Token For Regulated EXchanges (T-REX) protocol token contract, which is an implementation of the ERC-3643 standard. It is ERC-20 compliant and therefore contains all the functionalities required by the ERC-20 standard. Before we move on to the token transfer function itself, let's look at the other aspects that we need to understand before we do so. There is a special role - Agent, this role is given to an authorized account that performs operational activities. An account with the agent role can freeze addresses, freeze tokens, pause token transfers, issue, burn tokens, etc. We will look at a few of these functions that directly relate to the token transfer function itself. - This function in the token contract is responsible for setting the status for the address (of the user) - whether it is frozen or not. It can be called only by an account with the role. So, if passed - it will mean that this address will be considered frozen, and if - it will be considered unfrozen. setAddressFrozen Agent true false these two functions are responsible for freezing or unfreezing a specific amount of tokens at a specific address ( of the user ). After that the frozen amount of tokens can no longer be transferred, or the number of frozen tokens will be reduced through unfreezing. Available for invocation only for accounts with the role. freezePartialTokens / unfreezePartialTokens - Agent - accepts the and the number of tokens to be frozen. Then it is checked that the total amount of frozen tokens after freezing will not exceed the current token balance of this address. If this condition is reached, the amount of frozen tokens at this address is increased by the . freezePartialTokens user address amount - here we first check that the amount of unfreeze tokens does not exceed the amount of frozen tokens at this address. If the condition is met, the amount of frozen tokens is reduced by the . unfreezePartialTokens amount - responsible for the opportunity to pause or unpause transfers. This functionality is available only for accounts with the role. When calling these functions, the value for state variable is set, if - transfers are paused, if - transfers are not paused. Pause/unpause Agent _tokenPaused true false - this function is responsible for transferring tokens from one address to another. It accepts only two arguments: - the address of the recipient, - the amount to be transferred. This function has no restrictions as to who can call it. But its call is available only if transfers are not paused by the role, for this the modifier is responsible. Transfer to amount Agent whenNotPaused First, it is checked that the recipient address and the sender address (sender is the transaction sender) are not frozen. As we have already seen, is responsible for freezing accounts, and only an account with the role can do it. If at least one of the transfer participants has a frozen account, the transaction will revert with an error. setAddressFrozen Agent Then it is checked that the current available balance of the sender, which is calculated as the difference between the current balance and the amount of frozen tokens, does not exceed the . amount The next check consists of two conditions at once: The function is called in the contract, which is the registry for Identity. checks that the address of the Identity contract (for the recipient account) is listed in the , checks the validity of the that are listed in Identity and returns state based on these checks. Verification of claimTopics includes requesting them from the contract and checking that these are issued by the registry of which is stored in the . isVerified IndetityRegistry isVerified IdentityRegistry claimTopics ClaimTopicsRegistry ClaimTopics TrustedIssuers ClaimTopicsRegistry The next condition to be done is to verify that the sender, recipient and the amount of tokens transferred are in compliance with the offer rules, which are placed in the contract and can be added as modules or created completely custom from scratch. It can define conditions such as the maximum number of investors per country, the maximum number of tokens per investor and any other necessary conditions for a particular asset. This verification is done by calling the function in the contract. Compliance canTransfer Compliance If all these conditions are met, then the**_transfer** function is executed, which transfers the tokens, then the function in the contract is called to update the state (what is executed in it depends on what conditions will be written there), and returns true. If the necessary conditions are not reached at any stage, the execution of this function will be reverted with an error. transferred Compliance Implementing regulatory rules directly into the code of smart contracts in this way can open up new opportunities by ensuring the legality and control of transactions by authorized entities. It is important to realize that most assets can only be tokenized if these conditions are met. For example, if we take securities that are recorded by government agencies, they have regulatory requirements and they cannot tokenize them without a guarantee of compliance with those requirements. If these things are not implemented, it makes it impossible for the regulated institutional players, which account for the vast majority of capital in the world, to participate. Because the institutional players are regulated, they cannot transact in assets that are not allowed for them. The government can allow, the government needs regulation, it's a vicious circle. You can have different attitudes to control and regulation, but right now there are a lot of pluses in this direction, which can really give a serious impulse to the growth of this direction at the expense of mass adoption and large players. Use Cases The ERC-3643 standard has been specifically designed for the regulated tokenization of Real World Assets. This solves many issues regarding assets that need to be regulated and therefore the ERC-3643 standard makes the following use cases possible: Tokenization of real commodities in the supply chain using ERC-3643 can increase transparency and efficiency of financing, especially by exactly following the terms and conditions that can be flexibly set in smart contracts, which also strongly reduces counterparty risk. Supply Chains: ERC-3643 can be used for the tokenization of private companies or startups, this increases accessibility to a wider range of investors and thus significantly increases liquidity in this area. Private companies and startups: Tokenization of real estate via the ERC-3643 standard not only increases liquidity for this asset class (especially expensive ones), but also makes transactions with them much more accessible and secure. This is due to the fact that we can set customized conditions for transactions, which will be verified directly in smart contracts. Real estate: ERC-3643 allows tokenization of any securities, including those backed by commodities (gold, oil etc.). This significantly increases their liquidity, simplifies tracking and control of compliance with the necessary requirements for transactions (due to the fact that we can set any requirements and restrictions). Also in the case of tokenized securities, deals are much faster and the data is immediately updated in the blockchain. Securities: By tokenizing diamonds and other treasures through the ERC-3643 standard, we are able to effectively control them and increase liquidity. Liquidity is increased by representing them on the open blockchain as tokens. And by splitting them into smaller pieces, it is possible to lower the entry threshold and increase liquidity even more. The standard is ERC-20 compatible. This means that these tokens can be traded on decentralized exchanges, which adds to diamonds and other treasures the liquidity of funds that are placed on the blockchain. Transactions will be easier to control because they will strictly follow the rules that will be set, and using the blockchain as a ledger makes it easier to track. Diamonds and other treasures: Conclusion ERC-3643 implements the needs of the majority of participants in traditional markets and makes it possible for them to move to the Web3 direction through tokenization. For them, it opens up opportunities to increase efficiency and improve processes. For the Web3 direction itself, it can mean a great inflow of funds and acceleration of development rates, which opens up a great expansion potential. Tokenization allows optimization and increases the efficiency of owning and circulating RWAs. These benefits include increased security of transactions, 24/7 availability, lower transaction costs, and increased liquidity. These are definitely benefits that are absolutely worth using, but before this can happen, a number of regulatory issues need to be resolved. To solve them, a standard for EVM networks (Ethereum) has been created, which allows for such regulation and makes mass adoption of tokenization of real word assets a step closer. The information presented in this article is the subjective opinion of the author and should not be considered a recommendation or a call to action. Disclaimer: The information presented in this article may be incomplete or not fully accurate and readers are advised to conduct their own research to confirm and supplement the information presented. Readers should understand that making any decisions based on this information involves risks, including loss of capital or other negative consequences. Readers are advised to seek professional advice and evaluate their own circumstances before making any decisions. The author shall not be liable for any loss or damage resulting from the use of information from this article.

Tokenizing Real-World Assets (RWA) Part 2: A Deeper Dive Into ERC-3643

By its very nature, crypto attracts all walks of life. Participation in the digital economy , and enjoys representation . This makes sense when considering the motivations that lead people to take their value outside of traditional markets. The ongoing uncertainty and lack of accountability for TradFi’s bad actors continue to be sources of anxiety for retail customers. Bitcoin’s genesis block explicit mention of the failures that transpired following the 2008 global financial crisis. From its onset, this skepticism and hope for a system that puts people ahead of privileged insiders was baked into crypto’s source code. registers across age demographics throughout the political spectrum best captures this mood through However, the response from early enthusiasts within the crypto space set a tone that eschewed most aspects of traditional finance, including the scant protections that existed. Unfortunately, such “ ” thinking continues to draw negative attention from regulators while re-establishing an individualist pecking order that remains an albatross for traditional finance. While Satoshi Yakamoto’s preaches “trustless” transactions on a peer-to-peer network, it does not suggest participants should silo themselves in opposition to the broader community (see the BTC genesis block). Rather, allowing a mindset predicated on self-interest to take root risks polluting the inherent potential of crypto’s innovative technology. Like many instances in the real world, emphasis on the individual frequently holds back progress on a systemic level, even in instances where those same individuals stand to gain. A great example, at least in the United States, is education. Wild West white paper In many U.S. communities, within its zone. Along with funding for libraries and parks, these amenities aim to serve everyone and function as pillars of connection within a community. Too often, residents without children (and run-of-the-mill curmudgeons) will raise the argument that, since they experience no direct benefit from these tax-funded institutions, they shouldn’t have to contribute. It’s a somewhat sound argument if you squint because who needs the fire department when your house isn’t actively burning, right? What this umbrage fails to consider is how these investments are injected into the community through a variety of means. a portion of property taxes are allocated to schools back Obstinance to this process from well-off homeowners is inherently a net drain on the surrounding area despite its obvious benefits. Not only are homes situated closer to schools , but desirable (read: well-funded) districts that gallop prices well above market rates. And this is all before addressing the societal benefits that are created, which can have lasting effects on a macro level. typically valued higher can incite bidding wars From a shrewd (read: economic) perspective, schools are job creators and serve as integral nodes that support a community’s potential to deploy a workforce across any number of industries. When properly resourced, schools reciprocate that value by , and prepares subsequent generations for adult life. If your blood pressure is rising, pause and think of a teacher who helped you become the person you are today. Ask yourself: aren’t children more likely to succeed when they’re well-educated supported? , offering a variety of programming that alleviates working parents promotes social engagement for elderly citizens and Now imagine a society where cantankerous taxpayers get their way and retain their wealth without these contributions to the public good. Like us all, they eventually grow old. Nestled in their high-value homes after decades of denying resources to the surrounding blocks, they start to feel the walls closing in. Sure, they’re comfortable. But have trickled up, making it difficult to find local home care that meets their unique needs. This is compounded by a rising lack of agency. At first, just driving at night is tricky. declining graduation rates But soon, the car is safest in park. Homebound, they start to look around their neighborhood for outlets. Available resources that were viewed as plentiful, back when contributing to their longevity felt superfluous, have dried up. And where it was once unconscionable why anyone would go see a high school matinee of , such a social experience suddenly feels like a luxury. Bye Bye Birdie From this commonly accessible vantage point, a two-pronged approach to reorienting the crypto ecosystem emerges: nurture a true sense of community and find points of commonality that rally solidarity among participants. Like the school example above, such a holistic approach could reimagine how networks interact and benefit in the digital economy by abandoning untoward self-interest. If business-as-usual ideology results in regular and in traditional finance (and, let’s be honest, ), why replicate such norms? Why build an analogous system to the one whose colossal failure sparked Satoshi’s monumental breakthrough? calamities fraud crypto too Rather than waiting until the house is on fire or we’re stuck longing for amateur theater, leaders need to think proactively about building solutions that account for crypto’s ultimate dream. Despite effective altruism proving itself to be little more than robber baron alimony for the digital age, . Carnegie at least left libraries behind From equitably sharing the spoils to ceasing black hat trading techniques to rooting out opportunists who see the world as a mark, a new vision must rise from its ashes. This is both a big tent technological vision and a new covenant of values. To find firm global footing, crypto must retreat from gluttonous visions of wealth-at-all-costs if it hopes to survive . compounding regulatory and consumer culls To achieve global adoption, crypto companies need to start conceiving of the ecosystem as a single organism whose success requires collaborative effort and investment. Whether this demands the development of new or better networks, true progress must be measured by our collective will to achieve financial freedom. No longer a zero-sum game, this is an opportunity for the best and brightest to determine which stars are within reach. After watching how the class of Web 2.0 matured and the world they left behind, it's clear that what comes next must truly aim to shift the cultural paradigm.

To Achieve Global Adoption, Crypto Should Remember Its Roots

গ্লোবাল অ্যাডপশন অর্জন করতে, ক্রিপ্টোকে তার শিকড়গুলি মনে রাখা উচিত

Um eine weltweite Akzeptanz zu erreichen, sollte sich Krypto an seine Wurzeln erinnern

Para lograr una adopción global, las criptomonedas deben recordar sus raíces

Pour parvenir à une adoption mondiale, la crypto devrait se souvenir de ses racines

वैश्विक स्वीकृति प्राप्त करने के लिए, क्रिप्टो को अपनी जड़ें याद रखनी चाहिए

世界的な普及を達成するには、暗号通貨はそのルーツを思い出す必要があります

글로벌 채택을 달성하려면 암호화폐는 그 뿌리를 기억해야 합니다

Para alcançar a adoção global, a criptografia deve se lembrar de suas raízes

Чтобы добиться глобального принятия, криптовалюта должна помнить свои корни

Küresel Benimsenmeyi Sağlamak İçin Kripto, Köklerini Hatırlamalı

Để đạt được sự chấp nhận toàn cầu, tiền điện tử nên nhớ về nguồn gốc của nó

为了实现全球采用，加密货币应该记住它的根源

NONE BUT THE BRAVE DESERVE THE FAIR.

The Warden by Anthony Trollope, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . The Conference here The Conference On the following morning the archdeacon was with his father betimes, and a note was sent down to the warden begging his attendance at the palace. Dr Grantly, as he cogitated on the matter, leaning back in his brougham as he journeyed into Barchester, felt that it would be difficult to communicate his own satisfaction either to his father or his father-in-law. He wanted success on his own side and discomfiture on that of his enemies. The bishop wanted peace on the subject; a settled peace if possible, but peace at any rate till the short remainder of his own days had spun itself out. Mr Harding required not only success and peace, but he also demanded that he might stand justified before the world. The bishop, however, was comparatively easy to deal with; and before the arrival of the other, the dutiful son had persuaded his father that all was going on well, and then the warden arrived. It was Mr Harding's wont, whenever he spent a morning at the palace, to seat himself immediately at the bishop's elbow, the bishop occupying a huge arm-chair fitted up with candle-sticks, a reading table, a drawer, and other paraphernalia, the position of which chair was never moved, summer or winter; and when, as was usual, the archdeacon was there also, he confronted the two elders, who thus were enabled to fight the battle against him together;—and together submit to defeat, for such was their constant fate. Our warden now took his accustomed place, having greeted his son-in-law as he entered, and then affectionately inquired after his friend's health. There was a gentleness about the bishop to which the soft womanly affection of Mr Harding particularly endeared itself, and it was quaint to see how the two mild old priests pressed each other's hand, and smiled and made little signs of love. "Sir Abraham's opinion has come at last," began the archdeacon. Mr Harding had heard so much, and was most anxious to know the result. "It is quite favourable," said the bishop, pressing his friend's arm. "I am so glad." Mr Harding looked at the mighty bearer of the important news for confirmation of these glad tidings. "Yes," said the archdeacon; "Sir Abraham has given most minute attention to the case; indeed, I knew he would;—most minute attention; and his opinion is,—and as to his opinion on such a subject being correct, no one who knows Sir Abraham's character can doubt,—his opinion is, that they hav'n't got a leg to stand on." "But as how, archdeacon?" "Why, in the first place:—but you're no lawyer, warden, and I doubt you won't understand it; the gist of the matter is this:—under Hiram's will two paid guardians have been selected for the hospital; the law will say two paid servants, and you and I won't quarrel with the name." "At any rate I will not if I am one of the servants," said Mr Harding. "A rose, you know—" "Yes, yes," said the archdeacon, impatient of poetry at such a time. "Well, two paid servants, we'll say; one to look after the men, and the other to look after the money. You and Chadwick are these two servants, and whether either of you be paid too much, or too little, more or less in fact than the founder willed, it's as clear as daylight that no one can fall foul of either of you for receiving an allotted stipend." "That does seem clear," said the bishop, who had winced visibly at the words servants and stipend, which, however, appeared to have caused no uneasiness to the archdeacon. "Quite clear," said he, "and very satisfactory. In point of fact, it being necessary to select such servants for the use of the hospital, the pay to be given to them must depend on the rate of pay for such services, according to their market value at the period in question; and those who manage the hospital must be the only judges of this." "And who does manage the hospital?" asked the warden. "Oh, let them find that out; that's another question: the action is brought against you and Chadwick; that's your defence, and a perfect and full defence it is. Now that I think very satisfactory." "Well," said the bishop, looking inquiringly up into his friend's face, who sat silent awhile, and apparently not so well satisfied. "And conclusive," continued the archdeacon; "if they press it to a jury, which they won't do, no twelve men in England will take five minutes to decide against them." "But according to that," said Mr Harding, "I might as well have sixteen hundred a year as eight, if the managers choose to allot it to me; and as I am one of the managers, if not the chief manager, myself, that can hardly be a just arrangement." "Oh, well; all that's nothing to the question. The question is, whether this intruding fellow, and a lot of cheating attorneys and pestilent dissenters, are to interfere with an arrangement which everyone knows is essentially just and serviceable to the church. Pray don't let us be splitting hairs, and that amongst ourselves, or there'll never be an end of the cause or the cost." Mr Harding again sat silent for a while, during which the bishop once and again pressed his arm, and looked in his face to see if he could catch a gleam of a contented and eased mind; but there was no such gleam, and the poor warden continued playing sad dirges on invisible stringed instruments in all manner of positions; he was ruminating in his mind on this opinion of Sir Abraham, looking to it wearily and earnestly for satisfaction, but finding none. At last he said, "Did you see the opinion, archdeacon?" The archdeacon said he had not,—that was to say, he had,—that was, he had not seen the opinion itself; he had seen what had been called a copy, but he could not say whether of a whole or part; nor could he say that what he had seen were the ipsissima verba of the great man himself; but what he had seen contained exactly the decision which he had announced, and which he again declared to be to his mind extremely satisfactory. "I should like to see the opinion," said the warden; "that is, a copy of it." "Well, I suppose you can if you make a point of it; but I don't see the use myself; of course it is essential that the purport of it should not be known, and it is therefore unadvisable to multiply copies." "Why should it not be known?" asked the warden. "What a question for a man to ask!" said the archdeacon, throwing up his hands in token of his surprise; "but it is like you:—a child is not more innocent than you are in matters of business. Can't you see that if we tell them that no action will lie against you, but that one may possibly lie against some other person or persons, that we shall be putting weapons into their hands, and be teaching them how to cut our own throats?" The warden again sat silent, and the bishop again looked at him wistfully. "The only thing we have now to do," continued the archdeacon, "is to remain quiet, hold our peace, and let them play their own game as they please." "We are not to make known then," said the warden, "that we have consulted the attorney-general, and that we are advised by him that the founder's will is fully and fairly carried out." "God bless my soul!" said the archdeacon, "how odd it is that you will not see that all we are to do is to do nothing: why should we say anything about the founder's will? We are in possession; and we know that they are not in a position to put us out; surely that is enough for the present." Mr Harding rose from his seat and paced thoughtfully up and down the library, the bishop the while watching him painfully at every turn, and the archdeacon continuing to pour forth his convictions that the affair was in a state to satisfy any prudent mind. "And The Jupiter?" said the warden, stopping suddenly. "Oh! The Jupiter," answered the other. "The Jupiter can break no bones. You must bear with that; there is much, of course, which it is our bounden duty to bear; it cannot be all roses for us here," and the archdeacon looked exceedingly moral; "besides, the matter is too trivial, of too little general interest to be mentioned again in The Jupiter, unless we stir up the subject." And the archdeacon again looked exceedingly knowing and worldly wise. The warden continued his walk; the hard and stinging words of that newspaper article, each one of which had thrust a thorn as it were into his inmost soul, were fresh in his memory; he had read it more than once, word by word, and what was worse, he fancied it was as well known to everyone as to himself. Was he to be looked on as the unjust griping priest he had been there described? Was he to be pointed at as the consumer of the bread of the poor, and to be allowed no means of refuting such charges, of clearing his begrimed name, of standing innocent in the world, as hitherto he had stood? Was he to bear all this, to receive as usual his now hated income, and be known as one of those greedy priests who by their rapacity have brought disgrace on their church? And why? Why should he bear all this? Why should he die, for he felt that he could not live, under such a weight of obloquy? As he paced up and down the room he resolved in his misery and enthusiasm that he could with pleasure, if he were allowed, give up his place, abandon his pleasant home, leave the hospital, and live poorly, happily, and with an unsullied name, on the small remainder of his means. He was a man somewhat shy of speaking of himself, even before those who knew him best, and whom he loved the most; but at last it burst forth from him, and with a somewhat jerking eloquence he declared that he could not, would not, bear this misery any longer. "If it can be proved," said he at last, "that I have a just and honest right to this, as God well knows I always deemed I had; if this salary or stipend be really my due, I am not less anxious than another to retain it. I have the well-being of my child to look to. I am too old to miss without some pain the comforts to which I have been used; and I am, as others are, anxious to prove to the world that I have been right, and to uphold the place I have held; but I cannot do it at such a cost as this. I cannot bear this. Could you tell me to do so?" And he appealed, almost in tears, to the bishop, who had left his chair, and was now leaning on the warden's arm as he stood on the further side of the table facing the archdeacon. "Could you tell me to sit there at ease, indifferent, and satisfied, while such things as these are said loudly of me in the world?" The bishop could feel for him and sympathise with him, but he could not advise him; he could only say, "No, no, you shall be asked to do nothing that is painful; you shall do just what your heart tells you to be right; you shall do whatever you think best yourself. Theophilus, don't advise him, pray don't advise the warden to do anything which is painful." But the archdeacon, though he could not sympathise, could advise; and he saw that the time had come when it behoved him to do so in a somewhat peremptory manner. "Why, my lord," he said, speaking to his father;—and when he called his father "my lord," the good old bishop shook in his shoes, for he knew that an evil time was coming. "Why, my lord, there are two ways of giving advice: there is advice that may be good for the present day; and there is advice that may be good for days to come: now I cannot bring myself to give the former, if it be incompatible with the other." "No, no, no, I suppose not," said the bishop, re-seating himself, and shading his face with his hands. Mr Harding sat down with his back to the further wall, playing to himself some air fitted for so calamitous an occasion, and the archdeacon said out his say standing, with his back to the empty fire-place. "It is not to be supposed but that much pain will spring out of this unnecessarily raised question. We must all have foreseen that, and the matter has in no wise gone on worse than we expected; but it will be weak, yes, and wicked also, to abandon the cause and own ourselves wrong, because the inquiry is painful. It is not only ourselves we have to look to; to a certain extent the interest of the church is in our keeping. Should it be found that one after another of those who hold preferment abandoned it whenever it might be attacked, is it not plain that such attacks would be renewed till nothing was left us? and, that if so deserted, the Church of England must fall to the ground altogether? If this be true of many, it is true of one. Were you, accused as you now are, to throw up the wardenship, and to relinquish the preferment which is your property, with the vain object of proving yourself disinterested, you would fail in that object, you would inflict a desperate blow on your brother clergymen, you would encourage every cantankerous dissenter in England to make a similar charge against some source of clerical revenue, and you would do your best to dishearten those who are most anxious to defend you and uphold your position. I can fancy nothing more weak, or more wrong. It is not that you think that there is any justice in these charges, or that you doubt your own right to the wardenship: you are convinced of your own honesty, and yet would yield to them through cowardice." "Cowardice!" said the bishop, expostulating. Mr Harding sat unmoved, gazing on his son-in-law. "Well; would it not be cowardice? Would he not do so because he is afraid to endure the evil things which will be falsely spoken of him? Would that not be cowardice? And now let us see the extent of the evil which you dread. The Jupiter publishes an article which a great many, no doubt, will read; but of those who understand the subject how many will believe The Jupiter? Everyone knows what its object is: it has taken up the case against Lord Guildford and against the Dean of Rochester, and that against half a dozen bishops; and does not everyone know that it would take up any case of the kind, right or wrong, false or true, with known justice or known injustice, if by doing so it could further its own views? Does not all the world know this of The Jupiter? Who that really knows you will think the worse of you for what The Jupiter says? And why care for those who do not know you? I will say nothing of your own comfort, but I do say that you could not be justified in throwing up, in a fit of passion, for such it would be, the only maintenance that Eleanor has; and if you did so, if you really did vacate the wardenship, and submit to ruin, what would that profit you? If you have no future right to the income, you have had no past right to it; and the very fact of your abandoning your position would create a demand for repayment of that which you have already received and spent." The poor warden groaned as he sat perfectly still, looking up at the hard-hearted orator who thus tormented him, and the bishop echoed the sound faintly from behind his hands; but the archdeacon cared little for such signs of weakness, and completed his exhortation. "But let us suppose the office to be left vacant, and that your own troubles concerning it were over; would that satisfy you? Are your only aspirations in the matter confined to yourself and family? I know they are not. I know you are as anxious as any of us for the church to which we belong; and what a grievous blow would such an act of apostasy give her! You owe it to the church of which you are a member and a minister, to bear with this affliction, however severe it may be: you owe it to my father, who instituted you, to support his rights: you owe it to those who preceded you to assert the legality of their position; you owe it to those who are to come after you, to maintain uninjured for them that which you received uninjured from others; and you owe to us all the unflinching assistance of perfect brotherhood in this matter, so that upholding one another we may support our great cause without blushing and without disgrace." And so the archdeacon ceased, and stood self-satisfied, watching the effect of his spoken wisdom. The warden felt himself, to a certain extent, stifled; he would have given the world to get himself out into the open air without speaking to, or noticing those who were in the room with him; but this was impossible. He could not leave without saying something, and he felt himself confounded by the archdeacon's eloquence. There was a heavy, unfeeling, unanswerable truth in what he had said; there was so much practical, but odious common sense in it, that he neither knew how to assent or to differ. If it were necessary for him to suffer, he felt that he could endure without complaint and without cowardice, providing that he was self-satisfied of the justice of his own cause. What he could not endure was, that he should be accused by others, and not acquitted by himself. Doubting, as he had begun to doubt, the justice of his own position in the hospital, he knew that his own self-confidence would not be restored because Mr Bold had been in error as to some legal form; nor could he be satisfied to escape, because, through some legal fiction, he who received the greatest benefit from the hospital might be considered only as one of its servants. The archdeacon's speech had silenced him,—stupefied him,—annihilated him; anything but satisfied him. With the bishop it fared not much better. He did not discern clearly how things were, but he saw enough to know that a battle was to be prepared for; a battle that would destroy his few remaining comforts, and bring him with sorrow to the grave. The warden still sat, and still looked at the archdeacon, till his thoughts fixed themselves wholly on the means of escape from his present position, and he felt like a bird fascinated by gazing on a snake. "I hope you agree with me," said the archdeacon at last, breaking the dread silence; "my lord, I hope you agree with me." Oh, what a sigh the bishop gave! "My lord, I hope you agree with me," again repeated the merciless tyrant. "Yes, I suppose so," groaned the poor old man, slowly. "And you, warden?" Mr Harding was now stirred to action;—he must speak and move, so he got up and took one turn before he answered. "Do not press me for an answer just at present; I will do nothing lightly in the matter, and of whatever I do I will give you and the bishop notice." And so without another word he took his leave, escaping quickly through the palace hall, and down the lofty steps; nor did he breathe freely till he found himself alone under the huge elms of the silent close. Here he walked long and slowly, thinking on his case with a troubled air, and trying in vain to confute the archdeacon's argument. He then went home, resolved to bear it all,—ignominy, suspense, disgrace, self-doubt, and heart-burning,—and to do as those would have him, who he still believed were most fit and most able to counsel him aright. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Anthony Trollope (1996). The Warden. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/619/pg619-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

The Conference

Father Cassidy

IN HER SELFLESS MOOD

The Courting of Prissy Strong

Anne's House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . MISS CORNELIA ARRANGES MATTERS CHAPTER 22. MISS CORNELIA ARRANGES MATTERS Gilbert insisted that Susan should be kept on at the little house for the summer. Anne protested at first. "Life here with just the two of us is so sweet, Gilbert. It spoils it a little to have anyone else. Susan is a dear soul, but she is an outsider. It won't hurt me to do the work here." "You must take your doctor's advice," said Gilbert. "There's an old proverb to the effect that shoemakers' wives go barefoot and doctors' wives die young. I don't mean that it shall be true in my household. You will keep Susan until the old spring comes back into your step, and those little hollows on your cheeks fill out." "You just take it easy, Mrs. Doctor, dear," said Susan, coming abruptly in. "Have a good time and do not worry about the pantry. Susan is at the helm. There is no use in keeping a dog and doing your own barking. I am going to take your breakfast up to you every morning." "Indeed you are not," laughed Anne. "I agree with Miss Cornelia that it's a scandal for a woman who isn't sick to eat her breakfast in bed, and almost justifies the men in any enormities." "Oh, Cornelia!" said Susan, with ineffable contempt. "I think you have better sense, Mrs. Doctor, dear, than to heed what Cornelia Bryant says. I cannot see why she must be always running down the men, even if she is an old maid. I am an old maid, but you never hear ME abusing the men. I like 'em. I would have married one if I could. Is it not funny nobody ever asked me to marry him, Mrs. Doctor, dear? I am no beauty, but I am as good-looking as most of the married women you see. But I never had a beau. What do you suppose is the reason?" "It may be predestination," suggested Anne, with unearthly solemnity. Susan nodded. "That is what I have often thought, Mrs. Doctor, dear, and a great comfort it is. I do not mind nobody wanting me if the Almighty decreed it so for His own wise purposes. But sometimes doubt creeps in, Mrs. Doctor, dear, and I wonder if maybe the Old Scratch has not more to do with it than anyone else. I cannot feel resigned THEN. But maybe," added Susan, brightening up, "I will have a chance to get married yet. I often and often think of the old verse my aunt used to repeat: There never was a goose so gray but sometime soon or late Some honest gander came her way and took her for his mate! A woman cannot ever be sure of not being married till she is buried, Mrs. Doctor, dear, and meanwhile I will make a batch of cherry pies. I notice the doctor favors 'em, and I DO like cooking for a man who appreciates his victuals." Miss Cornelia dropped in that afternoon, puffing a little. "I don't mind the world or the devil much, but the flesh DOES rather bother me," she admitted. "You always look as cool as a cucumber, Anne, dearie. Do I smell cherry pie? If I do, ask me to stay to tea. Haven't tasted a cherry pie this summer. My cherries have all been stolen by those scamps of Gilman boys from the Glen." "Now, now, Cornelia," remonstrated Captain Jim, who had been reading a sea novel in a corner of the living room, "you shouldn't say that about those two poor, motherless Gilman boys, unless you've got certain proof. Jest because their father ain't none too honest isn't any reason for calling them thieves. It's more likely it's been the robins took your cherries. They're turrible thick this year." "Robins!" said Miss Cornelia disdainfully. "Humph! Two-legged robins, believe ME!" "Well, most of the Four Winds robins ARE constructed on that principle," said Captain Jim gravely. Miss Cornelia stared at him for a moment. Then she leaned back in her rocker and laughed long and ungrudgingly. "Well, you HAVE got one on me at last, Jim Boyd, I'll admit. Just look how pleased he is, Anne, dearie, grinning like a Chessy-cat. As for the robins' legs if robins have great, big, bare, sunburned legs, with ragged trousers hanging on 'em, such as I saw up in my cherry tree one morning at sunrise last week, I'll beg the Gilman boys' pardon. By the time I got down they were gone. I couldn't understand how they had disappeared so quick, but Captain Jim has enlightened me. They flew away, of course." Captain Jim laughed and went away, regretfully declining an invitation to stay to supper and partake of cherry pie. "I'm on my way to see Leslie and ask her if she'll take a boarder," Miss Cornelia resumed. "I'd a letter yesterday from a Mrs. Daly in Toronto, who boarded a spell with me two years ago. She wanted me to take a friend of hers for the summer. His name is Owen Ford, and he's a newspaper man, and it seems he's a grandson of the schoolmaster who built this house. John Selwyn's oldest daughter married an Ontario man named Ford, and this is her son. He wants to see the old place his grandparents lived in. He had a bad spell of typhoid in the spring and hasn't got rightly over it, so his doctor has ordered him to the sea. He doesn't want to go to the hotel—he just wants a quiet home place. I can't take him, for I have to be away in August. I've been appointed a delegate to the W.F.M.S. convention in Kingsport and I'm going. I don't know whether Leslie'll want to be bothered with him, either, but there's no one else. If she can't take him he'll have to go over the harbor." "When you've seen her come back and help us eat our cherry pies," said Anne. "Bring Leslie and Dick, too, if they can come. And so you're going to Kingsport? What a nice time you will have. I must give you a letter to a friend of mine there—Mrs. Jonas Blake." "I've prevailed on Mrs. Thomas Holt to go with me," said Miss Cornelia complacently. "It's time she had a little holiday, believe ME. She has just about worked herself to death. Tom Holt can crochet beautifully, but he can't make a living for his family. He never seems to be able to get up early enough to do any work, but I notice he can always get up early to go fishing. Isn't that like a man?" Anne smiled. She had learned to discount largely Miss Cornelia's opinions of the Four Winds men. Otherwise she must have believed them the most hopeless assortment of reprobates and ne'er-do-wells in the world, with veritable slaves and martyrs for wives. This particular Tom Holt, for example, she knew to be a kind husband, a much loved father, and an excellent neighbor. If he were rather inclined to be lazy, liking better the fishing he had been born for than the farming he had not, and if he had a harmless eccentricity for doing fancy work, nobody save Miss Cornelia seemed to hold it against him. His wife was a "hustler," who gloried in hustling; his family got a comfortable living off the farm; and his strapping sons and daughters, inheriting their mother's energy, were all in a fair way to do well in the world. There was not a happier household in Glen St. Mary than the Holts'. Miss Cornelia returned satisfied from the house up the brook. "Leslie's going to take him," she announced. "She jumped at the chance. She wants to make a little money to shingle the roof of her house this fall, and she didn't know how she was going to manage it. I expect Captain Jim'll be more than interested when he hears that a grandson of the Selwyns' is coming here. Leslie said to tell you she hankered after cherry pie, but she couldn't come to tea because she has to go and hunt up her turkeys. They've strayed away. But she said, if there was a piece left, for you to put it in the pantry and she'd run over in the cat's light, when prowling's in order, to get it. You don't know, Anne, dearie, what good it did my heart to hear Leslie send you a message like that, laughing like she used to long ago. "There's a great change come over her lately. She laughs and jokes like a girl, and from her talk I gather she's here real often." "Every day—or else I'm over there," said Anne. "I don't know what I'd do without Leslie, especially just now when Gilbert is so busy. He's hardly ever home except for a few hours in the wee sma's. He's really working himself to death. So many of the over-harbor people send for him now." "They might better be content with their own doctor," said Miss Cornelia. "Though to be sure I can't blame them, for he's a Methodist. Ever since Dr. Blythe brought Mrs. Allonby round folks think he can raise the dead. I believe Dr. Dave is a mite jealous—just like a man. He thinks Dr. Blythe has too many new-fangled notions! 'Well,' I says to him, 'it was a new-fangled notion saved Rhoda Allonby. If YOU'D been attending her she'd have died, and had a tombstone saying it had pleased God to take her away.' Oh, I DO like to speak my mind to Dr. Dave! He's bossed the Glen for years, and he thinks he's forgotten more than other people ever knew. Speaking of doctors, I wish Dr. Blythe'd run over and see to that boil on Dick Moore's neck. It's getting past Leslie's skill. I'm sure I don't know what Dick Moore wants to start in having boils for—as if he wasn't enough trouble without that!" "Do you know, Dick has taken quite a fancy to me," said Anne. "He follows me round like a dog, and smiles like a pleased child when I notice him." "Does it make you creepy?" "Not at all. I rather like poor Dick Moore. He seems so pitiful and appealing, somehow." "You wouldn't think him very appealing if you'd see him on his cantankerous days, believe ME. But I'm glad you don't mind him—it's all the nicer for Leslie. She'll have more to do when her boarder comes. I hope he'll be a decent creature. You'll probably like him—he's a writer." "I wonder why people so commonly suppose that if two individuals are both writers they must therefore be hugely congenial," said Anne, rather scornfully. "Nobody would expect two blacksmiths to be violently attracted toward each other merely because they were both blacksmiths." Nevertheless, she looked forward to the advent of Owen Ford with a pleasant sense of expectation. If he were young and likeable he might prove a very pleasant addition to society in Four Winds. The latch-string of the little house was always out for the race of Joseph. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. L. M. Montgomery (1996). Anne's House of Dreams. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/544/pg544-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html. The lead image was generated using HackerNoon's Stable Disffusion Al Image Generator feature, via the prompt "ANNE'S HOUSE OF DREAMS".

MISS CORNELIA ARRANGES MATTERS

Anne's House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . THE STORY OF LESLIE MOORE CHAPTER 11. THE STORY OF LESLIE MOORE "Yes, the eighth baby arrived a fortnight ago," said Miss Cornelia, from a rocker before the fire of the little house one chilly October afternoon. "It's a girl. Fred was ranting mad—said he wanted a boy—when the truth is he didn't want it at all. If it had been a boy he'd have ranted because it wasn't a girl. They had four girls and three boys before, so I can't see that it made much difference what this one was, but of course he'd have to be cantankerous, just like a man. The baby is real pretty, dressed up in its nice little clothes. It has black eyes and the dearest, tiny hands." "I must go and see it. I just love babies," said Anne, smiling to herself over a thought too dear and sacred to be put into words. "I don't say but what they're nice," admitted Miss Cornelia. "But some folks seem to have more than they really need, believe ME. My poor cousin Flora up at the Glen had eleven, and such a slave as she is! Her husband suicided three years ago. Just like a man!" "What made him do that?" asked Anne, rather shocked. "Couldn't get his way over something, so he jumped into the well. A good riddance! He was a born tyrant. But of course it spoiled the well. Flora could never abide the thought of using it again, poor thing! So she had another dug and a frightful expense it was, and the water as hard as nails. If he HAD to drown himself there was plenty of water in the harbor, wasn't there? I've no patience with a man like that. We've only had two suicides in Four Winds in my recollection. The other was Frank West—Leslie Moore's father. By the way, has Leslie ever been over to call on you yet?" "No, but I met her on the shore a few nights ago and we scraped an acquaintance," said Anne, pricking up her ears. Miss Cornelia nodded. "I'm glad, dearie. I was hoping you'd foregather with her. What do you think of her?" "I thought her very beautiful." "Oh, of course. There was never anybody about Four Winds could touch her for looks. Did you ever see her hair? It reaches to her feet when she lets it down. But I meant how did you like her?" "I think I could like her very much if she'd let me," said Anne slowly. "But she wouldn't let you—she pushed you off and kept you at arm's length. Poor Leslie! You wouldn't be much surprised if you knew what her life has been. It's been a tragedy—a tragedy!" repeated Miss Cornelia emphatically. "I wish you would tell me all about her—that is, if you can do so without betraying any confidence." "Lord, dearie, everybody in Four Winds knows poor Leslie's story. It's no secret—the OUTSIDE, that is. Nobody knows the INSIDE but Leslie herself, and she doesn't take folks into her confidence. I'm about the best friend she has on earth, I reckon, and she's never uttered a word of complaint to me. Have you ever seen Dick Moore?" "No." "Well, I may as well begin at the beginning and tell you everything straight through, so you'll understand it. As I said, Leslie's father was Frank West. He was clever and shiftless—just like a man. Oh, he had heaps of brains—and much good they did him! He started to go to college, and he went for two years, and then his health broke down. The Wests were all inclined to be consumptive. So Frank came home and started farming. He married Rose Elliott from over harbor. Rose was reckoned the beauty of Four Winds—Leslie takes her looks from her mother, but she has ten times the spirit and go that Rose had, and a far better figure. Now you know, Anne, I always take the ground that us women ought to stand by each other. We've got enough to endure at the hands of the men, the Lord knows, so I hold we hadn't ought to clapper-claw one another, and it isn't often you'll find me running down another woman. But I never had much use for Rose Elliott. She was spoiled to begin with, believe ME, and she was nothing but a lazy, selfish, whining creature. Frank was no hand to work, so they were poor as Job's turkey. Poor! They lived on potatoes and point, believe ME. They had two children—Leslie and Kenneth. Leslie had her mother's looks and her father's brains, and something she didn't get from either of them. She took after her Grandmother West—a splendid old lady. She was the brightest, friendliest, merriest thing when she was a child, Anne. Everybody liked her. She was her father's favorite and she was awful fond of him. They were 'chums,' as she used to say. She couldn't see any of his faults—and he WAS a taking sort of man in some ways. "Well, when Leslie was twelve years old, the first dreadful thing happened. She worshipped little Kenneth—he was four years younger than her, and he WAS a dear little chap. And he was killed one day—fell off a big load of hay just as it was going into the barn, and the wheel went right over his little body and crushed the life out of it. And mind you, Anne, Leslie saw it. She was looking down from the loft. She gave one screech—the hired man said he never heard such a sound in all his life—he said it would ring in his ears till Gabriel's trump drove it out. But she never screeched or cried again about it. She jumped from the loft onto the load and from the load to the floor, and caught up the little bleeding, warm, dead body, Anne—they had to tear it from her before she would let it go. They sent for me—I can't talk of it." Miss Cornelia wiped the tears from her kindly brown eyes and sewed in bitter silence for a few minutes. "Well," she resumed, "it was all over—they buried little Kenneth in that graveyard over the harbor, and after a while Leslie went back to her school and her studies. She never mentioned Kenneth's name—I've never heard it cross her lips from that day to this. I reckon that old hurt still aches and burns at times; but she was only a child and time is real kind to children, Anne, dearie. After a while she began to laugh again—she had the prettiest laugh. You don't often hear it now." "I heard it once the other night," said Anne. "It IS a beautiful laugh." "Frank West began to go down after Kenneth's death. He wasn't strong and it was a shock to him, because he was real fond of the child, though, as I've said, Leslie was his favorite. He got mopy and melancholy, and couldn't or wouldn't work. And one day, when Leslie was fourteen years of age, he hanged himself—and in the parlor, too, mind you, Anne, right in the middle of the parlor from the lamp hook in the ceiling. Wasn't that like a man? It was the anniversary of his wedding day, too. Nice, tasty time to pick for it, wasn't it? And, of course, that poor Leslie had to be the one to find him. She went into the parlor that morning, singing, with some fresh flowers for the vases, and there she saw her father hanging from the ceiling, his face as black as a coal. It was something awful, believe ME!" "Oh, how horrible!" said Anne, shuddering. "The poor, poor child!" "Leslie didn't cry at her father's funeral any more then she had cried at Kenneth's. Rose whooped and howled for two, however, and Leslie had all she could do trying to calm and comfort her mother. I was disgusted with Rose and so was everyone else, but Leslie never got out of patience. She loved her mother. Leslie is clannish—her own could never do wrong in her eyes. Well, they buried Frank West beside Kenneth, and Rose put up a great big monument to him. It was bigger than his character, believe ME! Anyhow, it was bigger than Rose could afford, for the farm was mortgaged for more than its value. But not long after Leslie's old grandmother West died and she left Leslie a little money—enough to give her a year at Queen's Academy. Leslie had made up her mind to pass for a teacher if she could, and then earn enough to put herself through Redmond College. That had been her father's pet scheme—he wanted her to have what he had lost. Leslie was full of ambition and her head was chock full of brains. She went to Queen's, and she took two years' work in one year and got her First; and when she came home she got the Glen school. She was so happy and hopeful and full of life and eagerness. When I think of what she was then and what she is now, I say—drat the men!" Miss Cornelia snipped her thread off as viciously as if, Nero-like, she was severing the neck of mankind by the stroke. "Dick Moore came into her life that summer. His father, Abner Moore, kept store at the Glen, but Dick had a sea-going streak in him from his mother; he used to sail in summer and clerk in his father's store in winter. He was a big, handsome fellow, with a little ugly soul. He was always wanting something till he got it, and then he stopped wanting it—just like a man. Oh, he didn't growl at the weather when it was fine, and he was mostly real pleasant and agreeable when everything went right. But he drank a good deal, and there were some nasty stories told of him and a girl down at the fishing village. He wasn't fit for Leslie to wipe her feet on, that's the long and short of it. And he was a Methodist! But he was clean mad about her—because of her good looks in the first place, and because she wouldn't have anything to say to him in the second. He vowed he'd have her—and he got her!" "How did he bring it about?" "Oh, it was an iniquitous thing! I'll never forgive Rose West. You see, dearie, Abner Moore held the mortgage on the West farm, and the interest was overdue some years, and Dick just went and told Mrs. West that if Leslie wouldn't marry him he'd get his father to foreclose the mortgage. Rose carried on terrible—fainted and wept, and pleaded with Leslie not to let her be turned out of her home. She said it would break her heart to leave the home she'd come to as a bride. I wouldn't have blamed her for feeling dreadful bad over it—but you wouldn't have thought she'd be so selfish as to sacrifice her own flesh and blood because of it, would you? Well, she was. "And Leslie gave in—she loved her mother so much she would have done anything to save her pain. She married Dick Moore. None of us knew why at the time. It wasn't till long afterward that I found out how her mother had worried her into it. I was sure there was something wrong, though, because I knew how she had snubbed him time and again, and it wasn't like Leslie to turn face—about like that. Besides, I knew that Dick Moore wasn't the kind of man Leslie could ever fancy, in spite of his good looks and dashing ways. Of course, there was no wedding, but Rose asked me to go and see them married. I went, but I was sorry I did. I'd seen Leslie's face at her brother's funeral and at her father's funeral—and now it seemed to me I was seeing it at her own funeral. But Rose was smiling as a basket of chips, believe ME! "Leslie and Dick settled down on the West place—Rose couldn't bear to part with her dear daughter!—and lived there for the winter. In the spring Rose took pneumonia and died—a year too late! Leslie was heart-broken enough over it. Isn't it terrible the way some unworthy folks are loved, while others that deserve it far more, you'd think, never get much affection? As for Dick, he'd had enough of quiet married life—just like a man. He was for up and off. He went over to Nova Scotia to visit his relations—his father had come from Nova Scotia—and he wrote back to Leslie that his cousin, George Moore, was going on a voyage to Havana and he was going too. The name of the vessel was the Four Sisters and they were to be gone about nine weeks. "It must have been a relief to Leslie. But she never said anything. From the day of her marriage she was just what she is now—cold and proud, and keeping everyone but me at a distance. I won't BE kept at a distance, believe ME! I've just stuck to Leslie as close as I knew how in spite of everything." "She told me you were the best friend she had," said Anne. "Did she?" exclaimed Miss Cornelia delightedly. "Well, I'm real thankful to hear it. Sometimes I've wondered if she really did want me around at all—she never let me think so. You must have thawed her out more than you think, or she wouldn't have said that much itself to you. Oh, that poor, heart-broken girl! I never see Dick Moore but I want to run a knife clean through him." Miss Cornelia wiped her eyes again and having relieved her feelings by her blood-thirsty wish, took up her tale. "Well, Leslie was left over there alone. Dick had put in the crop before he went, and old Abner looked after it. The summer went by and the Four Sisters didn't come back. The Nova Scotia Moores investigated, and found she had got to Havana and discharged her cargo and took on another and left for home; and that was all they ever found out about her. By degrees people began to talk of Dick Moore as one that was dead. Almost everyone believed that he was, though no one felt certain, for men have turned up here at the harbor after they'd been gone for years. Leslie never thought he was dead—and she was right. A thousand pities too! The next summer Captain Jim was in Havana—that was before he gave up the sea, of course. He thought he'd poke round a bit—Captain Jim was always meddlesome, just like a man—and he went to inquiring round among the sailors' boarding houses and places like that, to see if he could find out anything about the crew of the Four Sisters. He'd better have let sleeping dogs lie, in my opinion! Well, he went to one out-of-the-way place, and there he found a man he knew at first sight it was Dick Moore, though he had a big beard. Captain Jim got it shaved off and then there was no doubt—Dick Moore it was—his body at least. His mind wasn't there—as for his soul, in my opinion he never had one!" "What had happened to him?" "Nobody knows the rights of it. All the folks who kept the boarding house could tell was that about a year before they had found him lying on their doorstep one morning in an awful condition—his head battered to a jelly almost. They supposed he'd got hurt in some drunken row, and likely that's the truth of it. They took him in, never thinking he could live. But he did—and he was just like a child when he got well. He hadn't memory or intellect or reason. They tried to find out who he was but they never could. He couldn't even tell them his name—he could only say a few simple words. He had a letter on him beginning 'Dear Dick' and signed 'Leslie,' but there was no address on it and the envelope was gone. They let him stay on—he learned to do a few odd jobs about the place—and there Captain Jim found him. He brought him home—I've always said it was a bad day's work, though I s'pose there was nothing else he could do. He thought maybe when Dick got home and saw his old surroundings and familiar faces his memory would wake up. But it hadn't any effect. There he's been at the house up the brook ever since. He's just like a child, no more nor less. Takes fractious spells occasionally, but mostly he's just vacant and good humored and harmless. He's apt to run away if he isn't watched. That's the burden Leslie has had to carry for eleven years—and all alone. Old Abner Moore died soon after Dick was brought home and it was found he was almost bankrupt. When things were settled up there was nothing for Leslie and Dick but the old West farm. Leslie rented it to John Ward, and the rent is all she has to live on. Sometimes in summer she takes a boarder to help out. But most visitors prefer the other side of the harbor where the hotels and summer cottages are. Leslie's house is too far from the bathing shore. She's taken care of Dick and she's never been away from him for eleven years—she's tied to that imbecile for life. And after all the dreams and hopes she once had! You can imagine what it has been like for her, Anne, dearie—with her beauty and spirit and pride and cleverness. It's just been a living death." "Poor, poor girl!" said Anne again. Her own happiness seemed to reproach her. What right had she to be so happy when another human soul must be so miserable? "Will you tell me just what Leslie said and how she acted the night you met her on the shore?" asked Miss Cornelia. She listened intently and nodded her satisfaction. "YOU thought she was stiff and cold, Anne, dearie, but I can tell you she thawed out wonderful for her. She must have taken to you real strong. I'm so glad. You may be able to help her a good deal. I was thankful when I heard that a young couple was coming to this house, for I hoped it would mean some friends for Leslie; especially if you belonged to the race that knows Joseph. You WILL be her friend, won't you, Anne, dearie?" "Indeed I will, if she'll let me," said Anne, with all her own sweet, impulsive earnestness. "No, you must be her friend, whether she'll let you or not," said Miss Cornelia resolutely. "Don't you mind if she's stiff by times—don't notice it. Remember what her life has been—and is—and must always be, I suppose, for creatures like Dick Moore live forever, I understand. You should see how fat he's got since he came home. He used to be lean enough. Just MAKE her be friends—you can do it—you're one of those who have the knack. Only you mustn't be sensitive. And don't mind if she doesn't seem to want you to go over there much. She knows that some women don't like to be where Dick is—they complain he gives them the creeps. Just get her to come over here as often as she can. She can't get away so very much—she can't leave Dick long, for the Lord knows what he'd do—burn the house down most likely. At nights, after he's in bed and asleep, is about the only time she's free. He always goes to bed early and sleeps like the dead till next morning. That is how you came to meet her at the shore likely. She wanders there considerable." "I will do everything I can for her," said Anne. Her interest in Leslie Moore, which had been vivid ever since she had seen her driving her geese down the hill, was intensified a thousand fold by Miss Cornelia's narration. The girl's beauty and sorrow and loneliness drew her with an irresistible fascination. She had never known anyone like her; her friends had hitherto been wholesome, normal, merry girls like herself, with only the average trials of human care and bereavement to shadow their girlish dreams. Leslie Moore stood apart, a tragic, appealing figure of thwarted womanhood. Anne resolved that she would win entrance into the kingdom of that lonely soul and find there the comradeship it could so richly give, were it not for the cruel fetters that held it in a prison not of its own making. "And mind you this, Anne, dearie," said Miss Cornelia, who had not yet wholly relieved her mind, "You mustn't think Leslie is an infidel because she hardly ever goes to church—or even that she's a Methodist. She can't take Dick to church, of course—not that he ever troubled church much in his best days. But you just remember that she's a real strong Presbyterian at heart, Anne, dearie." About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. L. M. Montgomery (1996). Anne's House of Dreams. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/544/pg544-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html. The lead image was generated using HackerNoon's Stable Disffusion Al Image Generator feature, via the prompt "ANNE'S HOUSE OF DREAMS".

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