She wore a pale-blue , pansy-sprinkled muslin dress with more ruffles than one would ever have supposed economical Janet could be guilty of , and a white leghorn hat with pink roses and three ostrich feathers on it . Anne felt quite amazed . Later on , she found out Janet 's motive in so arraying herself -- a motive as old as Eden . Valley Road prayer-meetings seemed to be essentially feminine . There were thirty-two women present , two half-grown boys , and one solitary man , beside the minister . Anne found herself studying this man . He was not handsome or young or graceful ; he had remarkably long legs -- so long that he had to keep them coiled up under his chair to dispose of them -- and he was stoop-shouldered . His hands were big , his hair wanted barbering , and his moustache was unkempt . But Anne thought she liked his face ; it was kind and honest and tender ; there was something else in it , too -- just what , Anne found it hard to define . She finally concluded that this man had suffered and been strong , and it had been made manifest in his face . There was a sort of patient , humorous endurance in his expression which indicated that he would go to the stake if need be , but would keep on looking pleasant until he really had to begin squirming . When prayer-meeting was over this man came up to Janet and said , `` May I see you home , Janet ? '' Janet took his arm -- `` as primly and shyly as if she were no more than sixteen , having her first escort home , '' Anne told the girls at Patty 's Place later on . `` Miss Shirley , permit me to introduce Mr. Douglas , '' she said stiffly . Mr. Douglas nodded and said , `` I was looking at you in prayer-meeting , miss , and thinking what a nice little girl you were . '' Such a speech from ninety-nine people out of a hundred would have annoyed Anne bitterly ; but the way in which Mr. Douglas said it made her feel that she had received a very real and pleasing compliment . She smiled appreciatively at him and dropped obligingly behind on the moonlit road . So Janet had a beau ! Anne was delighted . Janet would make a paragon of a wife -- cheery , economical , tolerant , and a very queen of cooks .
It would be a flagrant waste on Nature 's part XXXXX keep her a permanent old maid .
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