I’ve been re-reading a lot of the Anne of Green Gables books over the last year. In Book #6 (Anne of Ingleside), Anne is getting ready to match-make. But it’s not the first time Anne has match-maked, because she then lists off all her earlier conquests:
I’m really an adept. Think of all the matches I’ve made … or been accused of making … Theodora Dix and Ludovic Speed … Stephen Clark and Prissy Gardner … Jane Sweet and John Douglas … Professor Carter and Esme Taylor … Nora and Jim … and Dovie and Jarvis …
I was always confused reading this list, because even though I’ve read the books dozens and dozens of times, I could not remember these matches! So were these matches that occurred behind the scenes and were never described in the books?
Well, I have since investigated and discovered where you can find these stories. They are in more out-of-the-way books about Anne:
Chronicles of Avonlea: this book isn’t officially one of the eight “Anne” books, and in fact, it’s not really a book. It is a series of short stories — very lovely short stories — and Anne pops in and out of some of them. The unions of Theodora Dix/Ludovic Speed and of Stephen Clark/Prissy Gardner comprise two of these stories.
Anne of Windy Poplars: This is the fourth Anne book, and it’s the one I’ve read the least, mostly because we didn’t have it at home, and I don’t think it was in the library a lot of the time, either. But I re-read it for the second time just last year, and I discovered that the matchmaking of Professor Carter/Esme Taylor and Nora/Jim and Dovie/Jarvis all take place in this book.
That leaves Jane Sweet and John Douglas. Apparently this match occurs in book #3, Anne of the Island. Which I also re-read just last year but alas! I don’t remember this story.
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