Long ago , just after we moved into this house , we had a married hired man for a little while , and his wife had a baby here . But there 's never been a wedding before . It does seem so strange to think of Anne being married . In a way she just seems to me the little girl Matthew brought home here fourteen years ago . I ca n't realize that she 's grown up . I shall never forget what I felt when I saw Matthew bringing in a GIRL . I wonder what became of the boy we would have got if there had n't been a mistake . I wonder what HIS fate was . '' `` Well , it was a fortunate mistake , '' said Mrs. Rachel Lynde , `` though , mind you , there was a time I did n't think so -- that evening I came up to see Anne and she treated us to such a scene . Many things have changed since then , that 's what . '' Mrs. Rachel sighed , and then brisked up again . When weddings were in order Mrs. Rachel was ready to let the dead past bury its dead . `` I 'm going to give Anne two of my cotton warp spreads , '' she resumed . `` A tobacco-stripe one and an apple-leaf one . She tells me they 're getting to be real fashionable again . Well , fashion or no fashion , I do n't believe there 's anything prettier for a spare-room bed than a nice apple-leaf spread , that 's what . I must see about getting them bleached . I 've had them sewed up in cotton bags ever since Thomas died , and no doubt they 're an awful color . But there 's a month yet , and dew-bleaching will work wonders . '' Only a month !
Marilla sighed and then said proudly : `` I 'm giving XXXXX that half dozen braided rugs I have in the garret .
Anne Lynde Matthew Rachel Thomas apple-leaf dew-bleaching evening month spare-room