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By Root 783 0

seems to be the preferred cosmetic in Spook’s Lane. I have discovered that Rebecca Dew uses it. She has bound me over to keep it secret from the widows, because they would think it too frivolous for her age. The number of secrets I have to keep at Windy Willows is ageing me before my time. I wonder if I buttermilked my nose if it would banish those seven freckles? By the way, did it ever occur to you, sir, that I had a ‘lovely creamy skin’? If it did you never told me so. And have you realized to the full that I am ‘comparatively beautiful’? Because I have discovered that I am.

‘What is it like to be beautiful, Miss Shirley?’ asked Rebecca Dew gravely the other day, when I was wearing my new biscuit coloured voile.

‘I’ve often wondered,’ said I.

‘But you are beautiful,’ said Rebecca Dew.

‘I never thought you could be sarcastic, Rebecca,’ I said reproachfully.

‘I did not mean to be sarcastic, Miss Shirley. You are beautiful – comparatively.’

‘Oh, comparatively!’ said I.

‘Look in the sideboard glass,’ said Rebecca Dew, pointing. ‘Compared to me you are.’

Well, I was!

But I haven’t finished with Elizabeth. One stormy evening when the wind was howling along Spook’s Lane we couldn’t go for a walk, so we came up to my room and drew a map of fairyland. Elizabeth sat on my blue doughnut cushion to make her higher and looked like a serious little gnome as she bent over the map. (By the way, no phonetic spelling for me! ‘Gnome’ is far eerier and fairy-er than ‘nome’.)

Our map isn’t completed yet: every day we think of something more to go in it. Last night we located the house of the Witch of the Snow, and drew a triple hill, covered completely with wild cherry-trees in bloom, behind it. (By the way, I want some wild cherry-trees near our house of dreams, Gilbert.) Of course, we have a Tomorrow on the map – located east of today and west of yesterday – and we have no end of ‘times’ in fairyland: springtime, long time, short time, new-moon time, good-night time, next time – but no last time, because that is too sad a time for fairyland – old time, young time – because if there is an old time there ought to be a young time too, mountain time, because that has such a fascinating sound, night-time and daytime, but no bed-time or school time, Christmas-time – no only time, because that is too sad for fairyland – but lost time, because it is so nice to find it, some time, good time, fast time, slow time, half-past kissing time, going-home time, and time immemorial, which is one of the most beautiful phrases in the world. And we have cunning little red arrows everywhere pointing to the different ‘times’. I know Rebecca Dew thinks I’m quite childish. But, oh, Gilbert, don’t let’s ever grow too old and wise – no, nor too old and silly – for fairyland.

Rebecca Dew, I feel sure, is not quite certain that I am an influence for good in Elizabeth’s life. She thinks I encourage her in being ‘fanciful’. One evening when I was away Rebecca Dew took the milk to her, and found her already at the gate, looking at the sky so intently that she never heard Rebecca’s (anything but) fairy footfalls.

‘I was listening, Rebecca,’ she explained.

‘You do too much listening,’ said Rebecca disapprovingly.

Elizabeth smiled, remotely, austerely. (Rebecca Dew didn’t use those words, but I know exactly how Elizabeth smiled.)

‘You would be surprised, Rebecca, if you knew what I hear sometimes,’ she said, in a way that made Rebecca Dew’s flesh creep on her bones, or so she avers.

But Elizabeth is always touched with faery, and what can be done about it?

Your very Anne-est

ANNE

P.S. Never, never, never shall I forget Cyrus Taylor’s face when his wife accused him of crocheting. But I shall always like him, because he hunted for those kittens. And I like Esme for standing up for her father under the supposed wreck of all her hopes.

P.S. 2. I have put in a new pen. And I love you because you aren’t pompous like Dr Carter, and I love you because you haven’t got sticky-out ears like Johnny, and – the very best reason of all – I love you for just being Gilbert!