which would endure as long as she was faithful to those ideals
and which she would as certainly lose if she were ever false to them. In
Gilbert's eyes Anne's greatest charm was the fact that she never stooped
to the petty practices of so many of the Avonlea girls--the small
jealousies, the little deceits and rivalries, the palpable bids for
favor. Anne held herself apart from all this, not consciously or of
design, but simply because anything of the sort was utterly foreign
to her transparent, impulsive nature, crystal clear in its motives and
aspirations.

But Gilbert did not attempt to put his thoughts into words, for he had
already too good reason to know that Anne would mercilessly and frostily
nip all attempts at sentiment in the bud--or laugh at him, which was ten
times worse.

"You look like a real dryad under that birch tree," he said teasingly.

"I love birch trees," said Anne, laying her cheek against the creamy
satin of the slim bole, with one of the pretty, caressing gestures that
came so natural to her.

"Then you'll be glad to hear that Mr. Major Spencer has decided to set
out a row of white birches all along the road front of his farm, by way
of encouraging the A.V.I.S.," said Gilbert. "He was talking to me about
it today. Major Spencer is the most progressive and public-spirited
man in Avonlea. And Mr. William Bell is going to set out a spruce
hedge along his road front and up his lane. Our Society is getting on
splendidly, Anne. It is past the experimental stage and is an accepted
fact. The older folks are beginning to take an interest in it and the
White Sands people are talking of starting one too. Even Elisha Wright
has come around since that day the Americans from the hotel had the
picnic at the shore. They praised our roadsides so highly and said they
were so much prettier than in any other part of the Island. And when, in
due time, the other farmers follow Mr. Spencer's good example and plant
ornamental trees and hedges along their road fronts Avonlea will be the
prettiest settlement in the province."

"The Aids are talking of taking up the graveyard," said Anne, "and I
hope they will, because there will have to be a subscription for that,
and it would be no use for the Society to try it after the hall affair.
But the Aids would never have stirred in the matter if the Society
hadn't put it into their thoughts unofficially. Those trees we planted
on the church grounds are flourishing, and the