nly think it," said Davy cheerfully. "Do give a
fellow some supper, Anne."

Anne looked at Marilla, who followed her into the pantry and shut the
door cautiously.

"You can give him some jam on his bread, I know what tea at Levi
Boulter's is apt to be."

Davy took his slice of bread and jam with a sigh.

"It's a kind of disappointing world after all," he remarked. "Milty has
a cat that takes fits . . . she's took a fit regular every day for three
weeks. Milty says it's awful fun to watch her. I went down today on
purpose to see her have one but the mean old thing wouldn't take a fit
and just kept healthy as healthy, though Milty and me hung round all
the afternoon and waited. But never mind" . . . Davy brightened up as the
insidious comfort of the plum jam stole into his soul . . . "maybe I'll
see her in one sometime yet. It doesn't seem likely she'd stop having
them all at once when she's been so in the habit of it, does it? This
jam is awful nice."

Davy had no sorrows that plum jam could not cure.

Sunday proved so rainy that there was no stirring abroad; but by Monday
everybody had heard some version of the Harrison story. The school
buzzed with it and Davy came home, full of information.

"Marilla, Mr. Harrison has a new wife . . . well, not ezackly new, but
they've stopped being married for quite a spell, Milty says. I always
s'posed people had to keep on being married once they'd begun, but Milty
says no, there's ways of stopping if you can't agree. Milty says one way
is just to start off and leave your wife, and that's what Mr. Harrison
did. Milty says Mr. Harrison left his wife because she throwed things at
him . . . HARD things . . . and Arty Sloane says it was because she
wouldn't let him smoke, and Ned Clay says it was 'cause she never let up
scolding him. I wouldn't leave MY wife for anything like that. I'd just
put my foot down and say, 'Mrs. Davy, you've just got to do what'll
please ME 'cause I'm a MAN.' THAT'D settle her pretty quick I guess. But
Annetta Clay says SHE left HIM because he wouldn't scrape his boots at
the door and she doesn't blame her. I'm going right over to Mr.
Harrison's this minute to see what she's like."

Davy soon returned, somewhat cast down.

"Mrs. Harrison was away . . . she's gone to Carmody with Mrs. Rachel Lynde
to get new paper for the parlor. And Mr. Harrison said to tell Anne to
go over and see him 'cause he wants to have a talk with her. And say,
the floor is