Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery

blows.” Perhaps the country back of the North Wind where
Diamond went
. One could sail to it over that silver sea on a night like this.’
    “
‘That was
heaven, I think,’ said Ilse.
    “Then we talked about immortality, and Ilse said she was afraid of it – afraid of living for ever and for ever; she said she was sure she would get awfully tired of herself. I said I thought I liked Dean’s idea of a succession of lives – I can’t make outfrom him whether he really believes that or not – and Ilse said that might be all very well if you were sure of being born again as a decent person, but how about it if you weren’t?
    “‘Well, you have to take some risk in any kind of immortality’ I said.
    “‘Anyhow,’ said Ilse, ‘whether I am myself or somebody else next time, I do hope I won’t have such a dreadful temper. If I just go on being myself I’ll smash my harp and tear my halo to pieces and pull all the feathers out of the other angels’ wings half an hour after getting to heaven. You know I will, Emily. I can’t help it. I had a fiendish quarrel with Perry yesterday again. It was all my fault – but of course he vexed me by his boasting. I
wish
I could control my temper.’
    “I don’t mind Ilse’s rages one bit now – I know she never means anything she says in them. I never say anything back. I just smile at her and if I’ve a bit of paper handy I jot down the things she says. This infuriates her so that she chokes with anger and can’t say anything more. At all others times Ilse is a darling and such good fun.
    “‘You can’t control your rages because you like going into them,’ I said.
    “Ilse stared at me.
    “‘I don’t – I don’t.’
    “You do. You enjoy them,’ I insisted.
    “‘Well, of course,’ said Ilse, grinning, ‘I
do
have a good time while they last. It’s awfully
satisfying
to say the most insulting things and call the worst names. I believe you’re right, Emily. I
do
enjoy them. Queer I never thought of it. I suppose if I really were unhappy in them I wouldn’t go into them. But after they’re over – I’m so remorseful. I cried for an hour yesterday after fighting with Perry’
    “Yes, and you enjoyed that, too – didn’t you?’
    “Ilse reflected.
    “‘I guess so, Emily; you’re an uncanny thing. I won’t talk about it any more. Let’s go bathing. No dresses? What does it matter. There isn’t a soul for miles. I can’t resist those waves. They’re
calling
me.’
    “I felt just as she did, and bathing by moonlight seemed such a lovely, romantic thing – and it
is
, when the Potters of the world don’t know of it. When they do, they smudge it. We undressed in a little hollow among the dunes – that was like a bowl of silver in the moonlight – but we kept our petticoats on. We had the loveliest time splashing and swimming about in that silver-blue water and those creamy little waves, like mermaids or sea nymphs. It was like living in a poem or a fairy tale. And when we came out I held out my hands to Ilse and said:
    “‘Come unto these yellow sands,
Curtseyed when we have and kissed,
The wild winds whist,
Foot it featly here and there
And, sweet sprites, the burden bear.’
    “Ilse took my hands and we danced in rings over the moonlit sands, and then we went up to the silver bowl and dressed and went home perfectly happy. Only, of course, we had to carry our wet petticoats rolled up under our arms, so we looked rather slinky, but nobody saw us. And
that
is what Blair Water is so scandalised about.
    “All the same, I hope Aunt Elizabeth won’t hear of it.
    “It is too bad Mrs. Price lost so much sleep over Dean and me. We were not performing any weird incantations – we were simply walking over the Delectable Mountain andtracing pictures in the clouds. Perhaps it was childish – but it was great fun. That is one thing I like about Dean – he isn’t afraid of doing something harmless and pleasant just because it’s childish. One