She was also to find that if Barbara ever managed to walk down the aisle without falling over her own or somebody else 's feet the Avonlea scholars wrote the unusual fact up on the porch wall to commemorate it . But when Anne 's eyes met those of the boy at the front desk facing her own , a queer little thrill went over her , as if she had found her genius . She knew this must be Paul Irving and that Mrs. Rachel Lynde had been right for once when she prophesied that he would be unlike the Avonlea children . More than that , Anne realized that he was unlike other children anywhere , and that there was a soul subtly akin to her own gazing at her out of the very dark blue eyes that were watching her so intently . She knew Paul was ten but he looked no more than eight . He had the most beautiful little face she had ever seen in a child ... features of exquisite delicacy and refinement , framed in a halo of chestnut curls . His mouth was delicious , being full without pouting , the crimson lips just softly touching and curving into finely finished little corners that narrowly escaped being dimpled . He had a sober , grave , meditative expression , as if his spirit was much older than his body ; but when Anne smiled softly at him it vanished in a sudden answering smile , which seemed an illumination of his whole being , as if some lamp had suddenly kindled into flame inside of him , irradiating him from top to toe . Best of all , it was involuntary , born of no external effort or motive , but simply the outflashing of a hidden personality , rare and fine and sweet . With a quick interchange of smiles Anne and Paul were fast friends forever before a word had passed between them . The day went by like a dream . Anne could never clearly recall it afterwards . It almost seemed as if it were not she who was teaching but somebody else . She heard classes and worked sums and set copies mechanically . The children behaved quite well ; only two cases of discipline occurred . Morley Andrews was caught driving a pair of trained crickets in the aisle . Anne stood Morley on the platform for an hour and ... which Morley felt much more keenly ... confiscated his crickets . She put them in a box and on the way from school set them free in Violet Vale ; but Morley believed , then and ever afterwards , that she took them home and kept them for her own amusement . The other culprit was Anthony Pye , who poured the last drops of water from his slate bottle down the back of Aurelia Clay 's neck . Anne kept Anthony in at recess and talked to him about what was expected of gentlemen , admonishing him that they never poured water down ladies ' necks .
She wanted all her boys XXXXX be gentlemen , she said .
before for from in into of on than that to