Anne woke up feeling miserable. She had a bad toothache and had not slept all night.
She left for school in a bad mood, and when she arrived, the classroom was cold and smoky because the fire wasn't burning well.
The children were huddled around the stove, shivering.
Anne sent her students to their desks.
Later a student named Barbara Shaw came up to the blackboard to answer a math problem, and she tripped over the coal scuttle.
Coal rolled to every part of the room.
When Barbara stood up, her face was covered in coal dust and the boys roared with laughter.
"Really, Barbara," Anne said icily, "if you cannot move without falling over something, you'd better remain in your seat."
As poor Barbara went back to her desk, her tears combined with the coal dust, producing a truly grotesque effect on her cheeks.
Then Anne caught Joe Sloane passing a small bag to Robert Brown.
Anne guessed that the bag contained candy.
She had warned her students before that candy in class would not be allowed.
And yet now Joe Sloane was passing candy against her explicit instructions!
"Joe," said Anne quietly, "bring that bag here." Startled, Joe obeyed.
"Now throw it into the fire," said Anne.
Joe looked very scared. "P-please, Miss," he stammered.
"Do what I say, Joe," Anne said sternly.
"B-but they . . . they're–" Joe said desperately.
"Joe, are you going to obey me or not?" asked Anne.
Finally, with an agonized glance at Robert Brown, Joe went to the fireplace and threw the bag in.
For a few moments, Anne and the terrified students of Avonlea school did not know whether an earthquake or a volcano had hit them.
The innocent-looking parcel, which Anne had thought contained candy, actually contained an assortment of firecrackers.
The firecrackers exploded loudly, and sparks flew around the classroom.
Anne sat down in her chair, pale, while all the girls climbed onto their desks shrieking.
An hour later the fireworks were gone, and the room was tidied. Everyone was sitting quietly again.
If Anne had been in a better mood, she might have laughed.
Instead her mood had grown even worse.
When Anne returned to the classroom after lunch, all the children were in their seats, studying, except for one—Anthony Pye.
Anne opened her desk drawer to get some chalk, and a mouse leaped out and onto the floor.
As Anne screamed and jumped, Anthony Pye laughed aloud.
The mouse ran out the door, and the classroom was silent.
"Who put that mouse in my desk?" asked Anne.
Her voice was quite low, but it made a shiver go up and down Paul Irving's spine.
She walked past Joe Sloane, who stuttered out wildly, "N-not m-me Teacher!"
Anne paid no attention to Joe. She looked at Anthony Pye, and Anthony Pye looked back, unashamed. "Anthony, was it you?" asked Anne.
"Yes, it was," he said insolently.
Anne took her pointer from her desk.
It was a long, heavy pointer. "Come here, Anthony."
It was not the worst punishment Anthony had ever received, and Anne could never punish a child with cruelty.
But the pointer did hurt a little. Anthony winced, and tears came to his eyes.
Anne felt terrible, dropped the pointer, and told Anthony to go to his seat.
Anne sat down at her desk. She felt ashamed and disappointed in herself for hitting a student.
She had boasted that she would never do such a thing!
How Jane Andrews would laugh at her! But worst of all, the students were looking at her with shock.
And now Anthony Pye would never like her.
She had tried hard to win his respect and love.
That night at Green Gables, Anne cried in her bedroom with remorse.
Marilla came in and exclaimed, "Why, Anne, what's the matter?"
"Oh Marilla, I've had a terrible day," cried Anne.
"At school today, I hit Anthony Pye for being naughty."
"I'm glad to hear it," said Marilla.
"You should have done it a long time ago!"
"No, no, Marilla!" Anne cried. "You don't know how angry and mean I was.
I can't forget the expression in Paul Irving's eyes. He looked so surprised and disappointed."
Marilla stroked Anne's hair and said, "Never mind. We all make mistakes.
This day's done and tomorrow is a new day."
The next morning on the way to school, Anthony Pye met Anne in the lane.
"Can I carry those books for you, Teacher?" he asked.
Anne blinked in surprise. Was she awake?
At school, when Anne took her books back from Anthony, she smiled at him, and he smiled back.
From that day on, Anthony Pye's behavior was excellent.
Later Mrs. Lynde said Anthony Pye had told his mother that Anne had "hit him like a man."
"I never expected to get his respect by hitting him," said Anne.
"My theory about kindness—that it's better than punishing students—can't be wrong."
"No, but the Pyes are an exception to every rule," declared Mrs. Lynde.