with dozens of frills and elbow sleeves, and she looked just like a
seraph. I really think I d like to be a minister s wife when I grow up,
Marilla. A minister mightn t mind my red hair because he wouldn t be
thinking of such worldly things. But then of course one would have to
be naturally good and I ll never be that, so I suppose there s no use in
thinking about it. Some people are naturally good, you know, and others
are not. I m one of the others. Mrs. Lynde says I m full of original
sin. No matter how hard I try to be good I can never make such a success
of it as those who are naturally good. It s a good deal like geometry,
I expect. But don t you think the trying so hard ought to count for
something? Mrs. Allan is one of the naturally good people. I love her
passionately. You know there are some people, like Matthew and Mrs.
Allan that you can love right off without any trouble. And there are
others, like Mrs. Lynde, that you have to try very hard to love. You
know you _ought_ to love them because they know so much and are such
active workers in the church, but you have to keep reminding yourself of
it all the time or else you forget. There was another little girl at the
manse to tea, from the White Sands Sunday-school. Her name was Laurette
Bradley, and she was a very nice little girl. Not exactly a kindred
spirit, you know, but still very nice. We had an elegant tea, and I
think I kept all the rules of etiquette pretty well. After tea Mrs.
Allan played and sang and she got Lauretta and me to sing too.
Mrs. Allan says I have a good voice and she says I must sing in the
Sunday-school choir after this. You can t think how I was thrilled at
the mere thought. I ve longed so to sing in the Sunday-school choir,
as Diana does, but I feared it was an honor I could never aspire to.
Lauretta had to go home early because there is a big concert in the
White Sands Hotel tonight and her sister is to recite at it. Lauretta
says that the Americans at the hotel give a concert every fortnight in
aid of the Charlottetown hospital, and they ask lots of the White
Sands people to recite. Lauretta said she expected to be asked herself
someday. I just gazed at her in awe. After she had gone Mrs. Allan and I
had a heart-to-heart talk. I told her everything--about Mrs. Thomas and
the twins and Katie Maurice and Violetta and coming to Green Gables and
my troubles over geometry. And would you believe it, Marilla? Mrs.
Allan told me she was a dunce at geometry too. You don t know how that
encouraged me. Mrs. Lynde came to the manse just before I left, and what
do you think, Marilla? The trustees have hired a new teacher and it s
a lady. Her name is Miss Muriel Stacy. Isn t that a romantic name? Mrs.
Lynde says they ve never had a female teacher in Avonlea before and she
162