Warning: If you have a visual impairment, use the manuscript transcript version including the Lucy Maud Montgomery’s foot notes and contextual annotation references.

Chapter 11

176b

Master’s Grave’ if she liked. (begin superscript)F6(end superscript) She said it wouldn’t do and she told me to learn the 19(begin superscript)th(end superscript) paraphrase for next Sunday. I read it over in church afterwards and it’s splendid. There are two lines in particular that just thrill me.

“Quick as the slaughtered squadrons fell
In Midian’s evil day.”

I don’t know what ‘squadrons’ means nor ‘Midian’ either but it sounds so tragical. I can hardly wait until next Sunday to recite it. I’ll practise it all the week. After Sunday school I asked Miss Rogerson—because Mrs. Lynde was too far away—to show me your pew. I sat just as still as I could and the text was Revelations, third chapter

 

LMM Notes

LMM Note F6
it isn't a really truly religious piece of poetry but it's so sad and melancholy that it might as well be[.]


TEXT ANNOTATION

"The Dog at His Master's Grave": A poem by Lydia Sigourney that was included in the Third Royal Reader. In fact, though the manuscript doesn't include it on this page or in the Notes, the published novel includes the added sentence: "That's in the Third Royal Reader." Montgomery likely added that note when she typed this manuscript to send to the publisher. The poem itself is the sad story of a child who meets a dog standing watch over his deceased master's grave until he dies.

TEXT ANNOTATION

"Quick as the slaughtered squadrons": From the 19(begin superscript)th(end superscript) paraphrase in the Presbyterian hymnal.

TEXT ANNOTATION

"Midian": A mountainous region in what is now Saudi Arabia.