Dear, dear, she exclaimed, you re the last folks I was looking for
today, but I m real glad to see you. You ll put your horse in? And how
are you, Anne?
I m as well as can be expected, thank you, said Anne smilelessly. A
blight seemed to have descended on her.
I suppose we ll stay a little while to rest the mare, said Marilla,
but I promised Matthew I d be home early. The fact is, Mrs. Spencer,
there s been a queer mistake somewhere, and I ve come over to see where
it is. We sent word, Matthew and I, for you to bring us a boy from the
asylum. We told your brother Robert to tell you we wanted a boy ten or
eleven years old.
Marilla Cuthbert, you don t say so! said Mrs. Spencer in distress.
Why, Robert sent word down by his daughter Nancy and she said you
wanted a girl--didn t she, Flora Jane? appealing to her daughter who
had come out to the steps.
She certainly did, Miss Cuthbert, corroborated Flora Jane earnestly.
I m dreadful sorry, said Mrs. Spencer. It s too bad; but it certainly
wasn t my fault, you see, Miss Cuthbert. I did the best I could and I
thought I was following your instructions. Nancy is a terrible flighty
thing. I ve often had to scold her well for her heedlessness.
It was our own fault, said Marilla resignedly. We should have come
to you ourselves and not left an important message to be passed along
by word of mouth in that fashion. Anyhow, the mistake has been made and
the only thing to do now is to set it right. Can we send the child back
to the asylum? I suppose they ll take her back, won t they?
I suppose so, said Mrs. Spencer thoughtfully, but I don t think
it will be necessary to send her back. Mrs. Peter Blewett was up here
yesterday, and she was saying to me how much she wished she d sent by me
for a little girl to help her. Mrs. Peter has a large family, you know,
and she finds it hard to get help. Anne will be the very girl for her. I
call it positively providential.
Marilla did not look as if she thought Providence had much to do with
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