The Story of an Invitation
by Lucy Maud Montgomery
COMPREHENSION
1. Answer the following questions.
a. In what respects were the two girls different from each other?
= Bartha was bright, pretty and popular, the favourite of her classmates and teachers. On the other hand, Grace was a grave, quite girl, dressed in mourning.
b. Why was Grace dressed as she was?
= Grace was dressed in mourning because she was quite alone in the world, the aunt who had brought her up have recently died.
c. How did Grace celebrate the good news she had received?
= Grace celebrated the good news she had received by going into Carter's and investing all her spare cash in caramels.
d. What do we learn about the aunt from what Grace says about her?
=From what Grace says about her aunt, we come to know that her full name was Aunt Margaret. She was commonly called Aunt Meg. She resided at Riversdale. She was a dear, sweet and jolly woman.
e. What do you think is meant by the statement 'Mary and Lou and Lil are girls after your own heart'?
= I think the statement 'Mary and Lou and Lil are girls after your own heart' meant that Mary, Louise and Lily were very close friends of Grace. They were very close to her.
f. What made Grace wistful?
= The thought that it must be very delightful to have friends like Mary, Louise and Lily to love her and plan for her, made Grace wistful.
g. Did Bertha think it was a good idea for Grace to work at Clarkman's all summer?
= Bertha did not think it was a good ides for Grace to work at Clarkman's all summer because she was not strong and she needed a good rest. It would be awful to work at Clarkman's all summer.
h. From what Grace and Aunt Meg say in their letters, what clues are there to indicate that Grace really was having a good time staying with Aunt Meg?
= Grace wrote that she was having a lovely time at Aunt Meg's. She is returning to school the next month. She was very happy to let Bertha know that that was going as be her home. Aunt Margaret has made her to call her as Aunt Meg.
On the other hand, Aunt Meg found Grace to be the sweetest girl in the world. She always wanted a daughter of her own. So, she intended to adopt Grace.
These questions are more difficult. Discuss them first.
i. When did Bertha decide that it would be a good idea to send Grace to her aunt's in her place? How and why did she come to this decision?
= Bertha was studying her senior English. But her thoughts wandered hopelessly and finally she gave it up in despair and went to bed. There she could not sleep; she lay wake and wrestled with herself. It was after midnight when she sat up in bed and decided to send Grace to her aunt's in her place.
Grace was as poor as the proverbial church mouse. She could not afford to board all summer and get her winter outfit unless she do something to earn it. So she decided to work at Clarkman's until the school reopens.
Bertha knew that Grace was not strong enough to work at Clarkman's for two months. She needed a good rest. Then she thought that if she were not going to Aunt Meg's, she would ask Grace to go home with her. Or if Aunt Meg had room for another guest, she would have written about Grace. But unfortunately Aunt Meg had no extra room left. Then she came to this decision that it would be a good idea to send Grace to her aunt's in her place.
j. Would you say that Bertha really was a 'good angel'? In what way was her sacrifice worthwhile?
= Yes, I would of course say that Bertha was really a 'good angel. She knew the needs of both Grace and Aunt Meg. Grace was very much poor. There was no one in this world for her. She is so lonesome. She could not afford to board all summer and get her winter outfit unless she do something to earn it. So she decided to work at Clarkman's until the school reopens.
On the other hand, Aunt Meg is a dear sweet and jolly person. She is very fond of children. She always wanted to have a daughter of her own. As Bertha sent Grace to Riversdale, Grace and Aunt Meg found each other. They became very happy. Grace was contented to get to spend a lovely time there and Aunt Meg was glad to found a sweet girl like Grace. She decided to adopt Grace. All these happened due to the kindness and empathy of Bertha. She has rightly been called a 'good angel'.
2. Answer the following with reference to context.
a. "I shall have to manage this affair very carefully.'
i. Who says these words and to whom?
= Bertha says these words to herself.
ii. What was the 'affair' that had to be managed carefully?
= The 'affair' was that she wrote a confidential letter to Aunt Meg. She thanked her for her invitation and then told her all about Grace. She asked Aunt Meg to let her transfer her invitation to Grace and ask her to go to Riversdale that summer in her place. Aunt Meg could not have both Bertha and Grace, so Bertha wanted Grace to go there. It will do Grace so much good. Bertha had a lovely home of her own to go to but Grace has none.
iii. What did the speaker plan to do in order to 'manage this affair carefully'?
= Bertha wanted that Grace must never suspect that she did it on purpose. She would tell her that circumstances had prevented her from accepting Aunt Meg's invitation. It was true that the circumstances are of Grace, not Bertha. But she would not tell the fact. She would say that she just asked Aunt Meg to invite her in place of her and she had done so.
b. "You are not strong, and you need a good rest.'
i. Who says these words and to whom?
= Bertha says these words to Grace.
ii. Why did the person being spoken to need a 'good rest'?
= The person being spoken to needed a 'good rest' because she was not strong. She had pressure of her studies too. She was all alone in the world. As a result, she had scarcity of proper lodging and fooding.
iii. What had this person been planning to do during the holidays?
= According to the person, she was going to Clarkman's bookstore untill school reopens. She was as poor as the proverbial church mouse. She could not afford to pay her board all summer and get her winter outfit unless she do something to earn it.
She should be too busy to be lonesome. She had to set to work some algebra problems. She should expect long, newsy letters from Bertha, telling her all her fun - passing the vacation at Aunt Meg's place at Riversdale.
c. "Don't think me ungrateful.'
i. Who says these words, how and to whom?
= Bertha says these words in a letter to Aunt Meg.
ii. Why might the speaker appear to be ungrateful?
= Aunt Meg was a dear, sweet, jolly woman. She has invited Bertha to come to Riversdale to spend the summer vacation at her place. She definitely loves Bertha a lot and awaits for her arrival.
But Bertha did not want to come for the sake of Grace. She asked Aunt Meg to invite Grace to come to her instead of Bertha. As she rejects Aunt Meg's kind invitation, Bertha might appear to be ungrateful to her. But this was her gentleness to think like this. She was actually doing utmost grateful thing to send Grace to Aunt Meg in place of her.
About the Author :
Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) was a Canadian author who is best known for her novel Anne of Green Gables (1908). She went on to publish 20 novels and 500 short stories and poems. Montgomery's mother died when she was very young, so she was raised by her maternal grandparents, who brought her up in a strict environment.
She had no brothers or sisters and in her isolation created many imaginary friends. This period of her life gave rise to her creative talent. She worked as a teacher and had plenty of time to write stories which were published in various magazines and newspapers.