nd Mrs. Rachel, after a
heart to heart talk with Marilla, gratefully accepted the offer of a
home at Green Gables. She elected to remain in her own house for the
summer, however; the farm was not to be sold until the fall and there
were many arrangements to be made.

"I certainly never thought of living as far off the road as Green
Gables," sighed Mrs. Rachel to herself. "But really, Green Gables
doesn't seem as out of the world as it used to do . . . Anne has lots of
company and the twins make it real lively. And anyhow, I'd rather live
at the bottom of a well than leave Avonlea."

These two decisions being noised abroad speedily ousted the arrival of
Mrs. Harrison in popular gossip. Sage heads were shaken over Marilla
Cuthbert's rash step in asking Mrs. Rachel to live with her. People
opined that they wouldn't get on together. They were both "too fond of
their own way," and many doleful predictions were made, none of which
disturbed the parties in question at all. They had come to a clear and
distinct understanding of the respective duties and rights of their new
arrangements and meant to abide by them.

"I won't meddle with you nor you with me," Mrs. Rachel had said
decidedly, "and as for the twins, I'll be glad to do all I can for them;
but I won't undertake to answer Davy's questions, that's what. I'm not
an encyclopedia, neither am I a Philadelphia lawyer. You'll miss Anne
for that."

"Sometimes Anne's answers were about as queer as Davy's questions," said
Marilla drily. "The twins will miss her and no mistake; but her future
can't be sacrificed to Davy's thirst for information. When he asks
questions I can't answer I'll just tell him children should be seen and
not heard. That was how I was brought up, and I don't know but what it
was just as good a way as all these new-fangled notions for training
children."

"Well, Anne's methods seem to have worked fairly well with Davy," said
Mrs. Lynde smilingly. "He is a reformed character, that's what."

"He isn't a bad little soul," conceded Marilla. "I never expected to
get as fond of those children as I have. Davy gets round you somehow
. . . and Dora is a lovely child, although she is . . . kind of . . .
well, kind of . . ."

"Monotonous? Exactly," supplied Mrs. Rachel. "Like a book where every
page is the same, that's what. Dora will make a good, reliable woman
but she'll never set the pond on fire. Well, that sort of folks are
comfortable to have round, even