would have had to cross the room
to reach the kitchen door, lost her head, wildly plunged the chocolate
cake under a cushion on the inglenook sofa, and dashed upstairs. Stella
began feverishly gathering up her manuscript. Only Aunt Jamesina and
Phil remained normal. Thanks to them, everybody was soon sitting at
ease, even Anne. Priscilla came down, apronless and smudgeless, Stella
reduced her corner to decency, and Phil saved the situation by a stream
of ready small talk.

Mrs. Gardner was tall and thin and handsome, exquisitely gowned, cordial
with a cordiality that seemed a trifle forced. Aline Gardner was a
younger edition of her mother, lacking the cordiality. She endeavored
to be nice, but succeeded only in being haughty and patronizing. Dorothy
Gardner was slim and jolly and rather tomboyish. Anne knew she was Roy's
favorite sister and warmed to her. She would have looked very much
like Roy if she had had dreamy dark eyes instead of roguish hazel ones.
Thanks to her and Phil, the call really went off very well, except for
a slight sense of strain in the atmosphere and two rather untoward
incidents. Rusty and Joseph, left to themselves, began a game of chase,
and sprang madly into Mrs. Gardner's silken lap and out of it in their
wild career. Mrs. Gardner lifted her lorgnette and gazed after their
flying forms as if she had never seen cats before, and Anne, choking
back slightly nervous laughter, apologized as best she could.

"You are fond of cats?" said Mrs. Gardner, with a slight intonation of
tolerant wonder.

Anne, despite her affection for Rusty, was not especially fond of cats,
but Mrs. Gardner's tone annoyed her. Inconsequently she remembered
that Mrs. John Blythe was so fond of cats that she kept as many as her
husband would allow.

"They ARE adorable animals, aren't they?" she said wickedly.

"I have never liked cats," said Mrs. Gardner remotely.

"I love them," said Dorothy. "They are so nice and selfish. Dogs are
TOO good and unselfish. They make me feel uncomfortable. But cats are
gloriously human."

"You have two delightful old china dogs there. May I look at them
closely?" said Aline, crossing the room towards the fireplace and
thereby becoming the unconscious cause of the other accident. Picking up
Magog, she sat down on the cushion under which was secreted Priscilla's
chocolate cake. Priscilla and Anne exchanged agonized glances but
could do nothing. The stately Aline continued to sit on th