Anne of Green Gables: Chapter 23: Anne Comes to Grief in an Affair of Honor Summary & Analysis

A week later, Diana gives a small party for the girls in her class. After tea, the girls wander into the garden and begin “daring” each other, a fashionable game in Avonlea in that period. Dares usually involve innocuous things like climbing a tree or hopping around the garden on one foot. Anne dares Josie Pye, whom she can’t stand, to walk the top of the fence, which Josie handily does. Then Josie dares Anne to walk the ridgepole of the Barrys’ roof. The girls give a gasp of horror as Anne walks toward a ladder. Diana begs her not to accept such a dangerous dare, but Anne says her honor is at stake. If she dies, Diana can have her favorite ring.

Anne climbs onto the roof, gains her balance, and begins tentatively walking the ridgepole. She finds that having a good imagination isn’t much help in this scenario. After a few steps, she sways and loses her balance—soon sliding down the side of the roof as the girls scream. Thankfully, she falls on the less steep side of the roof and into a tangle of vines, but she looks very pale. It becomes clear that her ankle is broken, so Mr. Barry carries her to Green Gables with all the girls trailing behind.

When Marilla sees Mr. Barry approaching with a limp Anne in his arms, she feels such fear that she realizes that Anne is “dearer to her than anything else on earth.” Anne lifts her head and tells Marilla to look on the bright side; she might have broken her neck instead. Then she faints. Later that day, after the doctor’s visit, Anne sadly tells Marilla that she lacked the strength of mind to resist Josie Pye’s dare, and that this accident is punishment enough. She’ll have to stay at home for weeks and will miss the new teacher’s start.

Anne’s imagination, as well as many visits from school friends, does her good over the next seven weeks. Mrs. Allan visits her 14 times, and Anne is grateful that she doesn’t moralize about Anne’s accident, unlike Mrs. Lynde. But Anne can’t wait to return to school. Diana reports that Miss Stacy has the biggest puffed sleeves in Avonlea and often holds classroom recitations or field trips for nature study. Mrs. Lynde thinks such suspicious innovations are what comes of hiring a lady teacher, but Anne is sure that Miss Stacy will prove to be a kindred spirit.