don t believe Mrs. Lynde s absence would ever be noticed. I don t think,
though, that I ought to go very often to horse races, because they _are_
awfully fascinating. Diana got so excited that she offered to bet me
ten cents that the red horse would win. I didn t believe he would, but
I refused to bet, because I wanted to tell Mrs. Allan all about
everything, and I felt sure it wouldn t do to tell her that. It s always
wrong to do anything you can t tell the minister s wife. It s as good as
an extra conscience to have a minister s wife for your friend. And I was
very glad I didn t bet, because the red horse _did_ win, and I would have
lost ten cents. So you see that virtue was its own reward. We saw a man
go up in a balloon. I d love to go up in a balloon, Marilla; it would
be simply thrilling; and we saw a man selling fortunes. You paid him ten
cents and a little bird picked out your fortune for you. Miss Barry gave
Diana and me ten cents each to have our fortunes told. Mine was that I
would marry a dark-complected man who was very wealthy, and I would go
across water to live. I looked carefully at all the dark men I saw after
that, but I didn t care much for any of them, and anyhow I suppose
it s too early to be looking out for him yet. Oh, it was a
never-to-be-forgotten day, Marilla. I was so tired I couldn t sleep at
night. Miss Barry put us in the spare room, according to promise. It
was an elegant room, Marilla, but somehow sleeping in a spare room isn t
what I used to think it was. That s the worst of growing up, and I m
beginning to realize it. The things you wanted so much when you were a
child don t seem half so wonderful to you when you get them.
Thursday the girls had a drive in the park, and in the evening Miss
Barry took them to a concert in the Academy of Music, where a noted
prima donna was to sing. To Anne the evening was a glittering vision of
delight.
Oh, Marilla, it was beyond description. I was so excited I couldn t
even talk, so you may know what it was like. I just sat in enraptured
silence. Madame Selitsky was perfectly beautiful, and wore white satin
and diamonds. But when she began to sing I never thought about anything
else. Oh, I can t tell you how I felt. But it seemed to me that it could
never be hard to be good any more. I felt like I do when I look up to
the stars. Tears came into my eyes, but, oh, they were such happy tears.
I was so sorry when it was all over, and I told Miss Barry I didn t see
how I was ever to return to common life again. She said she thought if
we went over to the restaurant across the street and had an ice cream
207