Chapter 26
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Andrews proposed to her sister Susan. She said Malcolm told Susan that his dad had given him the farm in his own name and then said, ‘What do you say (begin subscript)^(end subscript)(begin superscript),darling pet, (end superscript)if we get hitched this fall?’ and Susan said, ‘Yes—no—I don’t know—let me see’—and there they were engaged as quick as that. But I didn’t think that sort of a proposal was a very romantic one, so in the end I had to imagine it out—as well as I could. I made it very flowery and poetical (begin subscript)^(end subscript)(begin superscript)and Bertram went on his knees although Ruby Gillis says it isn’t done nowadays.(end superscript) Geraldine accepted him in a speech a page long. I can tell you I took a lot of trouble with that speech. I rewrote it five times (begin subscript)^(end subscript)(begin superscript)and I look upon it as my masterpiece.(end superscript) Bertram gave her a diamond ring and a ruby necklace and told her they would go to Europe for a wedding tour
PHOTO ANNOTATION

"flowery and poetical": Montgomery's adolescent scrapbooking captures many of imagined, or illustrated, "flowery and poetical" moments. This illustration of a couple at a ball is literally surrounded by pressed real flowers and colorful illustrations from floral catalogs (Blue Scrapbook, p. 44; Imagining Anne, p. 61).
Confederation Centre of the Arts