ne almost dreaded them.
It was very disconcerting to look up in the midst of a sudden silence
and find Gilbert's hazel eyes fixed upon her with a quite unmistakable
expression in their grave depths; and it was still more disconcerting
to find herself blushing hotly and uncomfortably under his gaze, just as
if--just as if--well, it was very embarrassing. Anne wished herself back
at Patty's Place, where there was always somebody else about to take the
edge off a delicate situation. At Green Gables Marilla went promptly to
Mrs. Lynde's domain when Gilbert came and insisted on taking the twins
with her. The significance of this was unmistakable and Anne was in a
helpless fury over it.

Davy, however, was perfectly happy. He reveled in getting out in the
morning and shoveling out the paths to the well and henhouse. He gloried
in the Christmas-tide delicacies which Marilla and Mrs. Lynde vied with
each other in preparing for Anne, and he was reading an enthralling
tale, in a school library book, of a wonderful hero who seemed blessed
with a miraculous faculty for getting into scrapes from which he was
usually delivered by an earthquake or a volcanic explosion, which blew
him high and dry out of his troubles, landed him in a fortune, and
closed the story with proper ECLAT.

"I tell you it's a bully story, Anne," he said ecstatically. "I'd ever
so much rather read it than the Bible."

"Would you?" smiled Anne.

Davy peered curiously at her.

"You don't seem a bit shocked, Anne. Mrs. Lynde was awful shocked when I
said it to her."

"No, I'm not shocked, Davy. I think it's quite natural that a
nine-year-old boy would sooner read an adventure story than the Bible.
But when you are older I hope and think that you will realize what a
wonderful book the Bible is."

"Oh, I think some parts of it are fine," conceded Davy. "That story
about Joseph now--it's bully. But if I'd been Joseph _I_ wouldn't have
forgive the brothers. No, siree, Anne. I'd have cut all their heads off.
Mrs. Lynde was awful mad when I said that and shut the Bible up and said
she'd never read me any more of it if I talked like that. So I don't
talk now when she reads it Sunday afternoons; I just think things and
say them to Milty Boulter next day in school. I told Milty the story
about Elisha and the bears and it scared him so he's never made fun of
Mr. Harrison's bald head once. Are there any bears on P.E. Island, Anne?
I want to know."

"Not nowadays,"