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"Matthew would think it all right, Anne, if you took a notion to get up and have dinner in the middle of the night.

But you keep your wits about you this time.

And-I don't really know if I'm doing right-it may make you more addlepated than ever-but you can ask Diana to come over and spend the afternoon with you and have tea here."

"Oh, Marilla!" Anne clasped her hands.

"How perfectly lovely! You ARE able to imagine things after all or else you'd never have understood how I've longed for that very thing.

It will seem so nice and grown-uppish.

No fear of my forgetting to put the tea to draw when I have company.

Oh, Marilla, can I use the rosebud spray tea set?"

"No, indeed! The rosebud tea set! Well, what next? You know I never use that except for the minister or the Aids.

You'll put down the old brown tea set.

But you can open the little yellow crock of cherry preserves.

It's time it was being used anyhow-I believe it's beginning to work.

And you can cut some fruit cake and have some of the cookies and snaps."

"I can just imagine myself sitting down at the head of the table and pouring out the tea," said Anne, shutting her eyes ecstatically.

"And asking Diana if she takes sugar! I know she doesn't but of course I'll ask her just as if I didn't know.

And then pressing her to take another piece of fruit cake and another helping of preserves.

Oh, Marilla, it's a wonderful sensation just to think of it.

Can I take her into the spare room to lay off her hat when she comes? And then into the parlor to sit?"

"No. The sitting room will do for you and your company.

But there's a bottle half full of raspberry cordial that was left over from the church social the other night.

It's on the second shelf of the sitting-room closet and you and Diana can have it if you like, and a cooky to eat with it along in the afternoon, for I daresay Matthew'll be late coming in to tea since he's hauling potatoes to the vessel."

Anne flew down to the hollow, past the Dryad's Bubble and up the spruce path to Orchard Slope, to ask Diana to tea.

As a result just after Marilla had driven off to Carmody, Diana came over, dressed in HER second-best dress and looking exactly as it is proper to look when asked out to tea.

At other times she was wont to run into the kitchen without knocking; but now she knocked primly at the front door.

And when Anne, dressed in her second best, as primly opened it, both little girls shook hands as gravely as if they had never met before.

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