Whatever the patient endurance in Mr. Douglas ' face had meant it had n't , so Anne reflected , meant debts and duns . John Douglas met them at the door and took them into the sitting-room , where his mother was enthroned in an armchair . Anne had expected old Mrs. Douglas to be tall and thin , because Mr. Douglas was . Instead , she was a tiny scrap of a woman , with soft pink cheeks , mild blue eyes , and a mouth like a baby 's . Dressed in a beautiful , fashionably-made black silk dress , with a fluffy white shawl over her shoulders , and her snowy hair surmounted by a dainty lace cap , she might have posed as a grandmother doll . `` How do you do , Janet dear ? '' she said sweetly . `` I am so glad to see you again , dear . '' She put up her pretty old face to be kissed . `` And this is our new teacher . I 'm delighted to meet you . My son has been singing your praises until I 'm half jealous , and I 'm sure Janet ought to be wholly so . '' Poor Janet blushed , Anne said something polite and conventional , and then everybody sat down and made talk . It was hard work , even for Anne , for nobody seemed at ease except old Mrs. Douglas , who certainly did not find any difficulty in talking . She made Janet sit by her and stroked her hand occasionally . Janet sat and smiled , looking horribly uncomfortable in her hideous dress , and John Douglas sat without smiling . At the tea table Mrs. Douglas gracefully asked Janet to pour the tea . Janet turned redder than ever but did it . Anne wrote a description of that meal to Stella . `` We had cold tongue and chicken and strawberry preserves , lemon pie and tarts and chocolate cake and raisin cookies and pound cake and fruit cake -- and a few other things , including more pie -- caramel pie , I think it was .
After I had eaten twice as much as was good XXXXX me , Mrs. Douglas sighed and said she feared she had nothing to tempt my appetite . ''
At as because for in than to until with without