Then, almost as suddenly as it began, the storm ceased. The hail
stopped, the thunder rolled and muttered away to the eastward, and the
sun burst out merry and radiant over a world so changed that it seemed
an absurd thing to think that a scant three quarters of an hour could
have effected such a transformation.

Marilla rose from her knees, weak and trembling, and dropped on her
rocker. Her face was haggard and she looked ten years older.

"Have we all come out of that alive?" she asked solemnly.

"You bet we have," piped Davy cheerfully, quite his own man again. "I
wasn't a bit scared either . . . only just at the first. It come on a
fellow so sudden. I made up my mind quick as a wink that I wouldn't
fight Teddy Sloane Monday as I'd promised; but now maybe I will. Say,
Dora, was you scared?"

"Yes, I was a little scared," said Dora primly, "but I held tight to
Anne's hand and said my prayers over and over again."

"Well, I'd have said my prayers too if I'd have thought of it," said
Davy; "but," he added triumphantly, "you see I came through just as safe
as you for all I didn't say them."

Anne got Marilla a glassful of her potent currant wine . . . HOW potent
it was Anne, in her earlier days, had had all too good reason to know
. . . and then they went to the door to look out on the strange scene.

Far and wide was a white carpet, knee deep, of hailstones; drifts of
them were heaped up under the eaves and on the steps. When, three or
four days later, those hailstones melted, the havoc they had wrought was
plainly seen, for every green growing thing in the field or garden was
cut off. Not only was every blossom stripped from the apple trees but
great boughs and branches were wrenched away. And out of the two hundred
trees set out by the Improvers by far the greater number were snapped
off or torn to shreds.

"Can it possibly be the same world it was an hour ago?" asked Anne,
dazedly. "It MUST have taken longer than that to play such havoc."

"The like of this has never been known in Prince Edward Island," said
Marilla, "never. I remember when I was a girl there was a bad storm, but
it was nothing to this. We'll hear of terrible destruction, you may be
sure."

"I do hope none of the children were caught out in it," murmured Anne
anxiously. As it was discovered later, none of the children had been,
since all those who had any distance to go had taken Mr. Andrews'
excellent advice and sought refuge at the po