tably. "It wasn't so hard as you might
imagine, either. I sit with Diana. Our seat is right by the window and
we can look down to the Lake of Shining Waters. There are a lot of nice
girls in school and we had scrumptious fun playing at dinnertime. It's
so nice to have a lot of little girls to play with. But of course I like
Diana best and always will. I ADORE Diana. I'm dreadfully far behind the
others. They're all in the fifth book and I'm only in the fourth. I feel
that it's kind of a disgrace. But there's not one of them has such an
imagination as I have and I soon found that out. We had reading and
geography and Canadian history and dictation today. Mr. Phillips said my
spelling was disgraceful and he held up my slate so that everybody could
see it, all marked over. I felt so mortified, Marilla; he might have
been politer to a stranger, I think. Ruby Gillis gave me an apple and
Sophia Sloane lent me a lovely pink card with 'May I see you home?' on
it. I'm to give it back to her tomorrow. And Tillie Boulter let me wear
her bead ring all the afternoon. Can I have some of those pearl beads
off the old pincushion in the garret to make myself a ring? And oh,
Marilla, Jane Andrews told me that Minnie MacPherson told her that she
heard Prissy Andrews tell Sara Gillis that I had a very pretty nose.
Marilla, that is the first compliment I have ever had in my life and you
can't imagine what a strange feeling it gave me. Marilla, have I really
a pretty nose? I know you'll tell me the truth."

"Your nose is well enough," said Marilla shortly. Secretly she thought
Anne's nose was a remarkable pretty one; but she had no intention of
telling her so.

That was three weeks ago and all had gone smoothly so far. And now, this
crisp September morning, Anne and Diana were tripping blithely down the
Birch Path, two of the happiest little girls in Avonlea.

"I guess Gilbert Blythe will be in school today," said Diana. "He's been
visiting his cousins over in New Brunswick all summer and he only came
home Saturday night. He's AW'FLY handsome, Anne. And he teases the girls
something terrible. He just torments our lives out."

Diana's voice indicated that she rather liked having her life tormented
out than not.

"Gilbert Blythe?" said Anne. "Isn't his name that's written up on the
porch wall with Julia Bell's and a big 'Take Notice' over them?"

"Yes," said Diana, tossing her head, "but I'm sure he doesn't like Julia
Bell so very much.