had not spoken.

"'--but I have to keep it now. However, I promise you that I will not
get another hat for three years or for the duration of the war, if it
lasts longer than that. Even you'--oh, the sarcasm I put into the
'you'--'cannot say that what I paid was too much when spread over at
least three years.'

"'You will be very tired of that hat before three years, Rilla,' said
mother, with a provoking grin, which, being interpreted, meant that I
wouldn't stick it out.

"'Tired or not, I will wear it that long,' I said: and then I marched
upstairs and cried to think that I had been sarcastic to mother.

"I hate that hat already. But three years or the duration of the war, I
said, and three years or the duration of the war it shall be. I vowed
and I shall keep my vow, cost what it will.

"That is one of the 'catawampus' things. The other is that I have
quarrelled with Irene Howard--or she quarrelled with me--or, no, we
both quarrelled.

"The Junior Red Cross met here yesterday. The hour of meeting was
half-past two but Irene came at half-past one, because she got the
chance of a drive down from the Upper Glen. Irene hasn't been a bit
nice to me since the fuss about the eats; and besides I feel sure she
resents not being president. But I have been determined that things
should go smoothly, so I have never taken any notice, and when she came
yesterday she seemed so nice and sweet again that I hoped she had got
over her huffiness and we could be the chums we used to be.

"But as soon as we sat down Irene began to rub me the wrong way. I saw
her cast a look at my new knitting-bag. All the girls have always said
Irene was jealous-minded and I would never believe them before. But now
I feel that perhaps she is.

"The first thing she did was to pounce on Jims--Irene pretends to adore
babies--pick him out of his cradle and kiss him all over his face. Now,
Irene knows perfectly well that I don't like to have Jims kissed like
that. It is not hygienic. After she had worried him till he began to
fuss, she looked at me and gave quite a nasty little laugh but she
said, oh, so sweetly,

"'Why, Rilla, darling, you look as if you thought I was poisoning the
baby.'

"'Oh, no, I don't, Irene,' I said--every bit as sweetly, 'but you know
Morgan says that the only place a baby should be kissed is on its
forehead, for fear of germs, and that is my rule with Jims.'

"'Dear me, am I so full of germs?' said Irene plaintively. I