t's nice to imagine the fairies
lost it one night when they had a ball, so we call it the fairy glass.
Matthew is going to make us a table. Oh, we have named that little round
pool over in Mr. Barry's field Willowmere. I got that name out of the
book Diana lent me. That was a thrilling book, Marilla. The heroine
had five lovers. I'd be satisfied with one, wouldn't you? She was very
handsome and she went through great tribulations. She could faint as
easy as anything. I'd love to be able to faint, wouldn't you, Marilla?
It's so romantic. But I'm really very healthy for all I'm so thin. I
believe I'm getting fatter, though. Don't you think I am? I look at my
elbows every morning when I get up to see if any dimples are coming.
Diana is having a new dress made with elbow sleeves. She is going to
wear it to the picnic. Oh, I do hope it will be fine next Wednesday. I
don't feel that I could endure the disappointment if anything happened
to prevent me from getting to the picnic. I suppose I'd live through it,
but I'm certain it would be a lifelong sorrow. It wouldn't matter if
I got to a hundred picnics in after years; they wouldn't make up for
missing this one. They're going to have boats on the Lake of Shining
Waters--and ice cream, as I told you. I have never tasted ice cream.
Diana tried to explain what it was like, but I guess ice cream is one of
those things that are beyond imagination."

"Anne, you have talked even on for ten minutes by the clock," said
Marilla. "Now, just for curiosity's sake, see if you can hold your
tongue for the same length of time."

Anne held her tongue as desired. But for the rest of the week she talked
picnic and thought picnic and dreamed picnic. On Saturday it rained and
she worked herself up into such a frantic state lest it should keep
on raining until and over Wednesday that Marilla made her sew an extra
patchwork square by way of steadying her nerves.

On Sunday Anne confided to Marilla on the way home from church that she
grew actually cold all over with excitement when the minister announced
the picnic from the pulpit.

"Such a thrill as went up and down my back, Marilla! I don't think I'd
ever really believed until then that there was honestly going to be
a picnic. I couldn't help fearing I'd only imagined it. But when a
minister says a thing in the pulpit you just have to believe it."

"You set your heart too much on things, Anne," said Marilla, with a
sigh. "I'm afraid there'll