`` At heart she 's young and beautiful still ... and if we only knew how to unloose the spell she would step forth radiant and fair again . But we do n't know how ... it 's always and only the prince who knows that ... and Miss Lavendar 's prince has n't come yet . Perhaps some fatal mischance has befallen him ... though THAT 'S against the law of all fairy tales . '' `` I 'm afraid he came long ago and went away again , '' said Diana . `` They say she used to be engaged to Stephan Irving ... Paul 's father ... when they were young . But they quarreled and parted . '' `` Hush , '' warned Anne . `` The door is open . '' The girls paused in the porch under the tendrils of ivy and knocked at the open door . There was a patter of steps inside and a rather odd little personage presented herself ... a girl of about fourteen , with a freckled face , a snub nose , a mouth so wide that it did really seem as if it stretched `` from ear to ear , '' and two long braids of fair hair tied with two enormous bows of blue ribbon . `` Is Miss Lewis at home ? '' asked Diana . `` Yes , ma'am . Come in , ma'am . I 'll tell Miss Lavendar you 're here , ma'am . She 's upstairs , ma'am . '' With this the small handmaiden whisked out of sight and the girls , left alone , looked about them with delighted eyes . The interior of this wonderful little house was quite as interesting as its exterior . The room had a low ceiling and two square , small-paned windows , curtained with muslin frills . All the furnishings were old-fashioned , but so well and daintily kept that the effect was delicious .
But it must be candidly admitted XXXXX the most attractive feature , to two healthy girls who had just tramped four miles through autumn air , was a table , set out with pale blue china and laden with delicacies , while little golden-hued ferns scattered over the cloth gave it what Anne would have termed `` a festal air . ''
With against as at in of that though to under