ng along it and guessed
his motive. She was prepared for the relief she read in his face when he
saw that she had at least brought back Anne back with her. But she said
nothing, to him, relative to the affair, until they were both out in the
yard behind the barn milking the cows. Then she briefly told him Anne's
history and the result of the interview with Mrs. Spencer.

"I wouldn't give a dog I liked to that Blewett woman," said Matthew with
unusual vim.

"I don't fancy her style myself," admitted Marilla, "but it's that
or keeping her ourselves, Matthew. And since you seem to want her, I
suppose I'm willing--or have to be. I've been thinking over the idea
until I've got kind of used to it. It seems a sort of duty. I've never
brought up a child, especially a girl, and I dare say I'll make a
terrible mess of it. But I'll do my best. So far as I'm concerned,
Matthew, she may stay."

Matthew's shy face was a glow of delight.

"Well now, I reckoned you'd come to see it in that light, Marilla," he
said. "She's such an interesting little thing."

"It'd be more to the point if you could say she was a useful little
thing," retorted Marilla, "but I'll make it my business to see she's
trained to be that. And mind, Matthew, you're not to go interfering with
my methods. Perhaps an old maid doesn't know much about bringing up
a child, but I guess she knows more than an old bachelor. So you just
leave me to manage her. When I fail it'll be time enough to put your oar
in."

"There, there, Marilla, you can have your own way," said Matthew
reassuringly. "Only be as good and kind to her as you can without
spoiling her. I kind of think she's one of the sort you can do anything
with if you only get her to love you."

Marilla sniffed, to express her contempt for Matthew's opinions
concerning anything feminine, and walked off to the dairy with the
pails.

"I won't tell her tonight that she can stay," she reflected, as she
strained the milk into the creamers. "She'd be so excited that she
wouldn't sleep a wink. Marilla Cuthbert, you're fairly in for it. Did
you ever suppose you'd see the day when you'd be adopting an orphan
girl? It's surprising enough; but not so surprising as that Matthew
should be at the bottom of it, him that always seemed to have such a
mortal dread of little girls. Anyhow, we've decided on the experiment
and goodness only knows what will come of it."

CHAPTER VII. Anne Says Her Prayers

When Maril