I 'm so glad I have such a lot . And there never seems to be any end to them -- that 's the best of it . Just as soon as you attain to one ambition you see another one glittering higher up still . It does make life so interesting . '' CHAPTER XXXV . The Winter at Queen 's Anne 's homesickness wore off , greatly helped in the wearing by her weekend visits home . As long as the open weather lasted the Avonlea students went out to Carmody on the new branch railway every Friday night . Diana and several other Avonlea young folks were generally on hand to meet them and they all walked over to Avonlea in a merry party . Anne thought those Friday evening gypsyings over the autumnal hills in the crisp golden air , with the homelights of Avonlea twinkling beyond , were the best and dearest hours in the whole week . Gilbert Blythe nearly always walked with Ruby Gillis and carried her satchel for her . Ruby was a very handsome young lady , now thinking herself quite as grown up as she really was ; she wore her skirts as long as her mother would let her and did her hair up in town , though she had to take it down when she went home . She had large , bright-blue eyes , a brilliant complexion , and a plump showy figure . She laughed a great deal , was cheerful and good-tempered , and enjoyed the pleasant things of life frankly . `` But I should n't think she was the sort of girl Gilbert would like , '' whispered Jane to Anne . Anne did not think so either , but she would not have said so for the Avery scholarship . She could not help thinking , too , that it would be very pleasant to have such a friend as Gilbert to jest and chatter with and exchange ideas about books and studies and ambitions . Gilbert had ambitions , she knew , and Ruby Gillis did not seem the sort of person with whom such could be profitably discussed . There was no silly sentiment in Anne 's ideas concerning Gilbert . Boys were to her , when she thought about them at all , merely possible good comrades . If she and Gilbert had been friends she would not have cared how many other friends he had nor with whom he walked .
She had a genius for friendship ; girl friends she had in plenty ; but she had a vague consciousness that masculine friendship might also be a good thing to round out one 's conceptions of companionship and furnish broader standpoints XXXXX judgment and comparison .
as at by for in of over so that though