Mind you don t drop leaves all over the stairs then. I m going on a
meeting of the Aid Society at Carmody this afternoon, Anne, and I won t
likely be home before dark. You ll have to get Matthew and Jerry their
supper, so mind you don t forget to put the tea to draw until you sit
down at the table as you did last time.
It was dreadful of me to forget, said Anne apologetically, but that
was the afternoon I was trying to think of a name for Violet Vale and it
crowded other things out. Matthew was so good. He never scolded a bit.
He put the tea down himself and said we could wait awhile as well as
not. And I told him a lovely fairy story while we were waiting, so
he didn t find the time long at all. It was a beautiful fairy story,
Marilla. I forgot the end of it, so I made up an end for it myself and
Matthew said he couldn t tell where the join came in.
Matthew would think it all right, Anne, if you took a notion to get up
and have dinner in the middle of the night. But you keep your wits about
you this time. And--I don t really know if I m doing right--it may make
you more addlepated than ever--but you can ask Diana to come over and
spend the afternoon with you and have tea here.
Oh, Marilla! Anne clasped her hands. How perfectly lovely! You _are_
able to imagine things after all or else you d never have understood how
I ve longed for that very thing. It will seem so nice and grown-uppish.
No fear of my forgetting to put the tea to draw when I have company. Oh,
Marilla, can I use the rosebud spray tea set?
No, indeed! The rosebud tea set! Well, what next? You know I never use
that except for the minister or the Aids. You ll put down the old brown
tea set. But you can open the little yellow crock of cherry preserves.
It s time it was being used anyhow--I believe it s beginning to work.
And you can cut some fruit cake and have some of the cookies and snaps.
I can just imagine myself sitting down at the head of the table and
pouring out the tea, said Anne, shutting her eyes ecstatically. And
asking Diana if she takes sugar! I know she doesn t but of course I ll
ask her just as if I didn t know. And then pressing her to take another
piece of fruit cake and another helping of preserves. Oh, Marilla, it s
a wonderful sensation just to think of it. Can I take her into the spare
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