As for your tongue , it 's a marvel it 's not clean worn out . '' Anne sighed and betook herself to the back yard , over which a young new moon was shining through the leafless poplar boughs from an apple-green western sky , and where Matthew was splitting wood . Anne perched herself on a block and talked the concert over with him , sure of an appreciative and sympathetic listener in this instance at least . `` Well now , I reckon it 's going to be a pretty good concert . And I expect you 'll do your part fine , '' he said , smiling down into her eager , vivacious little face . Anne smiled back at him . Those two were the best of friends and Matthew thanked his stars many a time and oft that he had nothing to do with bringing her up . That was Marilla 's exclusive duty ; if it had been his he would have been worried over frequent conflicts between inclination and said duty . As it was , he was free to , `` spoil Anne '' -- Marilla 's phrasing -- as much as he liked . But it was not such a bad arrangement after all ; a little `` appreciation '' sometimes does quite as much good as all the conscientious `` bringing up '' in the world . CHAPTER XXV . Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves Matthew was having a bad ten minutes of it . He had come into the kitchen , in the twilight of a cold , gray December evening , and had sat down in the woodbox corner to take off his heavy boots , unconscious of the fact that Anne and a bevy of her schoolmates were having a practice of `` The Fairy Queen '' in the sitting room . Presently they came trooping through the hall and out into the kitchen , laughing and chattering gaily . They did not see Matthew , who shrank bashfully back into the shadows beyond the woodbox with a boot in one hand and a bootjack in the other , and he watched them shyly for the aforesaid ten minutes as they put on caps and jackets and talked about the dialogue and the concert . Anne stood among them , bright eyed and animated as they ; but Matthew suddenly became conscious that there was something about her different from her mates . And what worried Matthew was that the difference impressed him as being something that should not exist . Anne had a brighter face , and bigger , starrier eyes , and more delicate features than the other ; even shy , unobservant Matthew had learned to take note of these things ; but the difference that disturbed him did not consist in any of these respects . Then in what did it consist ? Matthew was haunted by this question long after the girls had gone , arm in arm , down the long , hard-frozen lane and Anne had betaken herself to her books .
He could not refer it to Marilla , who , he felt , would be quite sure to sniff scornfully and remark that the only difference she saw between Anne and the other girls was XXXXX they sometimes kept their tongues quiet while Anne never did .
among as at between into of over than that with