Death ! What was death compared to the unearthly possibility of falling into the clutches of Henry Warren 's grovelling ghost ? One warm July evening the three of them were sitting under the Tree Lovers , feeling a little lonely . Nobody else had come near the valley that evening . Jem Blythe was away in Charlottetown , writing on his entrance examinations . Jerry and Walter Blythe were off for a sail on the harbour with old Captain Crawford . Nan and Di and Rilla and Shirley had gone down the harbour road to visit Kenneth and Persis Ford , who had come with their parents for a flying visit to the little old House of Dreams . Nan had asked Faith to go with them , but Faith had declined . She would never have admitted it , but she felt a little secret jealousy of Persis Ford , concerning whose wonderful beauty and city glamour she had heard a great deal . No , she was n't going to go down there and play second fiddle to anybody . She and Una took their story books to Rainbow Valley and read , while Carl investigated bugs along the banks of the brook , and all three were happy until they suddenly realized that it was twilight and that the old Bailey garden was uncomfortably near by . Carl came and sat down close to the girls . They all wished they had gone home a little sooner , but nobody said anything . Great , velvety , purple clouds heaped up in the west and spread over the valley . There was no wind and everything was suddenly , strangely , dreadfully still . The marsh was full of thousands of fire-flies . Surely some fairy parliament was being convened that night . Altogether , Rainbow Valley was not a canny place just then . Faith looked fearfully up the valley to the old Bailey garden . Then , if anybody 's blood ever did freeze , Faith Meredith 's certainly froze at that moment .
The eyes XXXXX Carl and Una followed her entranced gaze and chills began gallopading up and down their spines also .
at but if in near of over under up with