several little coruscations of glory. Marilla, as she picked her steps
along the damp lane, thought that it was really a satisfaction to know
that she was going home to a briskly snapping wood fire and a table
nicely spread for tea, instead of to the cold comfort of old Aid meeting
evenings before Anne had come to Green Gables.
Consequently, when Marilla entered her kitchen and found the fire black
out, with no sign of Anne anywhere, she felt justly disappointed and
irritated. She had told Anne to be sure and have tea ready at five
o clock, but now she must hurry to take off her second-best dress and
prepare the meal herself against Matthew s return from plowing.
I ll settle Miss Anne when she comes home, said Marilla grimly, as
she shaved up kindlings with a carving knife and with more vim than was
strictly necessary. Matthew had come in and was waiting patiently for
his tea in his corner. She s gadding off somewhere with Diana, writing
stories or practicing dialogues or some such tomfoolery, and never
thinking once about the time or her duties. She s just got to be pulled
up short and sudden on this sort of thing. I don t care if Mrs. Allan
does say she s the brightest and sweetest child she ever knew. She may
be bright and sweet enough, but her head is full of nonsense and there s
never any knowing what shape it ll break out in next. Just as soon as
she grows out of one freak she takes up with another. But there! Here I
am saying the very thing I was so riled with Rachel Lynde for saying at
the Aid today. I was real glad when Mrs. Allan spoke up for Anne, for
if she hadn t I know I d have said something too sharp to Rachel before
everybody. Anne s got plenty of faults, goodness knows, and far be it
from me to deny it. But I m bringing her up and not Rachel Lynde, who d
pick faults in the Angel Gabriel himself if he lived in Avonlea. Just
the same, Anne has no business to leave the house like this when I told
her she was to stay home this afternoon and look after things. I must
say, with all her faults, I never found her disobedient or untrustworthy
before and I m real sorry to find her so now.
Well now, I dunno, said Matthew, who, being patient and wise and,
above all, hungry, had deemed it best to let Marilla talk her wrath
out unhindered, having learned by experience that she got through
with whatever work was on hand much quicker if not delayed by untimely
argument. Perhaps you re judging her too hasty, Marilla. Don t call her
untrustworthy until you re sure she has disobeyed you. Mebbe it can all
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