Anne of Green Gables: Chapter 21: A New Departure in Flavorings Summary & Analysis

On the last day of school, Anne comes home with red eyes. She didn’t like Mr. Phillips that much, yet she couldn’t help crying over his farewell speech when the other girls did. She’s excited about summer vacation and the prospect of meeting the new minister and his wife. The minister’s wife is pretty, and she even wears puffed sleeves. Jane Andrews called such sleeves “worldly,” but Anne longs for them herself and feels one should make allowances for a new minister’s wife.

The old minister, a widower named Mr. Bentley, had resigned the previous February, followed by a long period of candidates taking turns preaching each Sunday. Anne had strong opinions about each of these. She is pleased that Mr. Allan has been chosen, because she thought his sermon was interesting and that “he prayed as if he meant it,” not just out of habit. Mrs. Lynde has also interrogated the new minister on his theology and is satisfied that his wife is a good housekeeper.

The new minister and his wife are enthusiastic young newlyweds, and Avonlea embraces them both instantly. In Mrs. Allan, Anne quickly discovers a “kindred spirit.” She becomes Anne’s Sunday school teacher, and she invites the girls to ask as many questions as they like. Anne is also inspired by Mrs. Allan’s cheerfulness—it contrasts with Mr. Bell’s solemnity. Mrs. Allan seems happy to be a Christian, making Anne realize that religion doesn’t have to be a melancholy thing.

When Marilla plans to have the Allans over for tea, Anne begs for permission to bake a special cake for the occasion, and Marilla agrees, since Anne’s baking has improved over the past year. Anne relishes the whirlwind of preparations for this important visit. She tells Diana of the various jellies, pies, preserves, cakes, and biscuits they’ve been making. She’s frightened that her cake will turn out poorly.

On the day of the Allans’ visit, Anne wakes up with a bad cold from playing at the spring the night before, but her excitement is undiminished. After breakfast she bakes her cake, and to her delight, it turns out beautifully. She even wins Marilla’s permission to decorate the table with ferns and roses, and she is ecstatic when she sees Mrs. Allan’s approving smile. Even shy Matthew, gently coaxed by Anne, comes to the table and talks with the minister.

When it’s time for cake, Marilla encourages the guests, though they’re stuffed from the other food, to try some for Anne’s sake. Mrs. Allan cheerfully takes a slice, but as soon as she tastes it, her expression turns strange. Nevertheless she keeps eating. Marilla quickly samples the cake and demands to know what Anne put into it. Blushing, Anne insists it was only vanilla. Indeed, when she checks the pantry, she finds a clearly-labeled bottle of vanilla. But when Marilla opens it, she immediately smells that it’s actually anodyne liniment—she’d broken the liniment bottle last week and poured the remainder into an old vanilla bottle. Anne couldn’t smell it because of her cold.

Anne flees to her room in tears. When she hears footsteps approaching, Anne wails that she’ll never live down this catastrophe. And she’ll never be able to face Mrs. Allan again. But when she hears a cheerful voice say, “Suppose you jump up and tell her so yourself,” she sees that Mrs. Allan has come to check on her. Mrs. Allan is troubled by Anne’s distress and assures her it was only a mistake. She coaxes Anne downstairs to show her the flower garden, and in the end, Anne enjoys the visit. Later, Anne reflects to Marilla that it’s comforting to know she never makes the same mistake twice, and eventually she’ll have to run out of new ones. Marilla tells her to feed the remaining cake to the pigs.