looked very often at Anne, and Anne, thanks to Marilla s drilling,
answered promptly; but it may be questioned if she understood very much
about either question or answer.
She did not think she liked Miss Rogerson, and she felt very miserable;
every other little girl in the class had puffed sleeves. Anne felt that
life was really not worth living without puffed sleeves.
Well, how did you like Sunday-school? Marilla wanted to know when Anne
came home. Her wreath having faded, Anne had discarded it in the lane,
so Marilla was spared the knowledge of that for a time.
I didn t like it a bit. It was horrid.
Anne Shirley! said Marilla rebukingly.
Anne sat down on the rocker with a long sigh, kissed one of Bonny s
leaves, and waved her hand to a blossoming fuchsia.
They might have been lonesome while I was away, she explained. And
now about the Sunday-school. I behaved well, just as you told me. Mrs.
Lynde was gone, but I went right on myself. I went into the church, with
a lot of other little girls, and I sat in the corner of a pew by the
window while the opening exercises went on. Mr. Bell made an awfully
long prayer. I would have been dreadfully tired before he got through
if I hadn t been sitting by that window. But it looked right out on the
Lake of Shining Waters, so I just gazed at that and imagined all sorts
of splendid things.
You shouldn t have done anything of the sort. You should have listened
to Mr. Bell.
But he wasn t talking to me, protested Anne. He was talking to God
and he didn t seem to be very much interested in it, either. I think
he thought God was too far off though. There was a long row of white
birches hanging over the lake and the sunshine fell down through them,
way, way down, deep into the water. Oh, Marilla, it was like a
beautiful dream! It gave me a thrill and I just said, Thank you for
it, God, two or three times.
73