room to lay off her hat when she comes? And then into the parlor to
sit?
No. The sitting room will do for you and your company. But there s a
bottle half full of raspberry cordial that was left over from the church
social the other night. It s on the second shelf of the sitting-room
closet and you and Diana can have it if you like, and a cooky to eat
with it along in the afternoon, for I daresay Matthew ll be late coming
in to tea since he s hauling potatoes to the vessel.
Anne flew down to the hollow, past the Dryad s Bubble and up the spruce
path to Orchard Slope, to ask Diana to tea. As a result just after
Marilla had driven off to Carmody, Diana came over, dressed in _her_
second-best dress and looking exactly as it is proper to look when asked
out to tea. At other times she was wont to run into the kitchen without
knocking; but now she knocked primly at the front door. And when Anne,
dressed in her second best, as primly opened it, both little girls
shook hands as gravely as if they had never met before. This unnatural
solemnity lasted until after Diana had been taken to the east gable to
lay off her hat and then had sat for ten minutes in the sitting room,
toes in position.
How is your mother? inquired Anne politely, just as if she had not
seen Mrs. Barry picking apples that morning in excellent health and
spirits.
She is very well, thank you. I suppose Mr. Cuthbert is hauling potatoes
to the _lily sands_ this afternoon, is he? said Diana, who had ridden
down to Mr. Harmon Andrews s that morning in Matthew s cart.
Yes. Our potato crop is very good this year. I hope your father s crop
is good too.
It is fairly good, thank you. Have you picked many of your apples yet?
Oh, ever so many, said Anne forgetting to be dignified and jumping up
quickly. Let s go out to the orchard and get some of the Red Sweetings,
Diana. Marilla says we can have all that are left on the tree. Marilla
is a very generous woman. She said we could have fruit cake and cherry
preserves for tea. But it isn t good manners to tell your company what
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