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ANNE OF AVONLEA

to have her and Jane and Diana and myself all together again.”

Marilla, just home from Mrs. Lynde’s, was sitting on the back porch step when Anne returned to the house.

“Rachel and I have decided to have our cruise to town to-morrow,” she said. “Mr. Lynde is feeling better this week and Rachel wants to go before he has another sick spell.”

“I intend to get up extra early to-morrow morning, for I’ve ever so much to do,” said Anne virtuously. “For one thing, I’m going to shift the feathers from my old bed-tick to the new one. I ought to have done it long ago but I’ve just kept putting it off . . . it’s such a detestable task. It’s a very bad habit to put off disagreeable things, and I never mean to again, or else I can’t comfortably tell my pupils not to do it. That would be inconsistent. Then I want to make a cake for Mr. Harrison and finish my paper on gardens for the A. V. I. S., and write Stella, and wash and starch my muslin dress, and make Dora’s new apron.”

“You won’t get half done,” said Marilla pessimistically. “I never yet planned to do a lot of things but something happened to prevent me.”

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