"I thought you'd scattered more feathers over the floor than usual,"
remarked Marilla.

Then Anne put Davy to bed and made him promise that he would behave
perfectly the next day.

"If I'm as good as good can be all day tomorrow will you let me be just
as bad as I like all the next day?" asked Davy.

"I couldn't do that," said Anne discreetly, "but I'll take you and Dora
for a row in the flat right to the bottom of the pond, and we'll go
ashore on the sandhills and have a picnic."

"It's a bargain," said Davy. "I'll be good, you bet. I meant to go over
to Mr. Harrison's and fire peas from my new popgun at Ginger but another
day'll do as well. I espect it will be just like Sunday, but a picnic at
the shore'll make up for THAT."

XVII

A Chapter of Accidents

Anne woke three times in the night and made pilgrimages to her window to
make sure that Uncle Abe's prediction was not coming true. Finally the
morning dawned pearly and lustrous in a sky full of silver sheen and
radiance, and the wonderful day had arrived.

Diana appeared soon after breakfast, with a basket of flowers over one
arm and HER muslin dress over the other . . . for it would not do to don
it until all the dinner preparations were completed. Meanwhile she wore
her afternoon pink print and a lawn apron fearfully and wonderfully
ruffled and frilled; and very neat and pretty and rosy she was.

"You look simply sweet," said Anne admiringly.

Diana sighed.

"But I've had to let out every one of my dresses AGAIN. I weigh four
pounds more than I did in July. Anne, WHERE will this end? Mrs. Morgan's
heroines are all tall and slender."

"Well, let's forget our troubles and think of our mercies," said Anne
gaily. "Mrs. Allan says that whenever we think of anything that is a
trial to us we should also think of something nice that we can set
over against it. If you are slightly too plump you've got the dearest
dimples; and if I have a freckled nose the SHAPE of it is all right. Do
you think the lemon juice did any good?"

"Yes, I really think it did," said Diana critically; and, much elated,
Anne led the way to the garden, which was full of airy shadows and
wavering golden lights.

"We'll decorate the parlor first. We have plenty of time, for Priscilla
said they'd be here about twelve or half past at the latest, so we'll
have dinner at one."

There may have been two happier and more excited girls somewhere in
Canada or the United States at