Anne and Diana set out in the carriage on a beautiful September day to raise money for the Improvement Society. As usual, Anne’s starry-eyed obsession with the magical beauty of the day conflicts with Diana’s sensible practicality, and Diana cannot understand Anne’s dreamy thoughts of the souls of dying fir trees because “trees haven’t [got] souls” (32). They set off on the Newbridge road, which is filled with cantankerous homebodies who notoriously do not donate to frivolous causes, but Anne considers this her responsibility above anyone else in the A.V.I.S. because she was the first to suggest the fundraiser.

Many in Avonlea express disapproval of the Improvement Society, finding it merely a way for the young people to court each other. Locals have refused to clean up their property—or themselves—but it does not deter the group, who work diligently to appoint committees for all their endeavors.

Their first stop—at the elusive Andrews sisters’ home—does not bear much hope to the girls. The sisters, in their 50s, are notorious for not donating to any cause, mostly due to Eliza’s negativity. When the girls speak to them, Eliza harps on all the things wrong in the world, even while Anne tries to convince her that the world is beautiful and hopeful.