vements, that's what. But there,
I know you'll go ahead with it if you've set your mind on it. You were
always one to carry a thing through somehow."

Something about the firm outlines of Anne's lips told that Mrs. Rachel
was not far astray in this estimate. Anne's heart was bent on forming
the Improvement Society. Gilbert Blythe, who was to teach in White
Sands but would always be home from Friday night to Monday morning, was
enthusiastic about it; and most of the other folks were willing to go in
for anything that meant occasional meetings and consequently some "fun."
As for what the "improvements" were to be, nobody had any very clear
idea except Anne and Gilbert. They had talked them over and planned them
out until an ideal Avonlea existed in their minds, if nowhere else.

Mrs. Rachel had still another item of news.

"They've given the Carmody school to a Priscilla Grant. Didn't you go to
Queen's with a girl of that name, Anne?"

"Yes, indeed. Priscilla to teach at Carmody! How perfectly lovely!"
exclaimed Anne, her gray eyes lighting up until they looked like evening
stars, causing Mrs. Lynde to wonder anew if she would ever get it
settled to her satisfaction whether Anne Shirley were really a pretty
girl or not.

II

Selling in Haste and Repenting at Leisure

Anne drove over to Carmody on a shopping expedition the next afternoon
and took Diana Barry with her. Diana was, of course, a pledged member of
the Improvement Society, and the two girls talked about little else all
the way to Carmody and back.

"The very first thing we ought to do when we get started is to have that
hall painted," said Diana, as they drove past the Avonlea hall, a rather
shabby building set down in a wooded hollow, with spruce trees hooding
it about on all sides. "It's a disgraceful looking place and we must
attend to it even before we try to get Mr. Levi Boulder to pull his
house down. Father says we'll never succeed in DOING that. Levi Boulter
is too mean to spend the time it would take."

"Perhaps he'll let the boys take it down if they promise to haul
the boards and split them up for him for kindling wood," said Anne
hopefully. "We must do our best and be content to go slowly at first.
We can't expect to improve everything all at once. We'll have to educate
public sentiment first, of course."

Diana wasn't exactly sure what educating public sentiment meant; but it
sounded fine and she felt rather proud that she was go