At this auspicious moment the knocker sounded . Nobody paid any attention to it save Phil , who sprang up and opened it , expecting a boy with the hat she had bought that morning . On the doorstep stood Mrs. Gardner and her daughters . Anne scrambled to her feet somehow , emptying two indignant cats out of her lap as she did so , and mechanically shifting her wishbone from her right hand to her left . Priscilla , who would have had to cross the room to reach the kitchen door , lost her head , wildly plunged the chocolate cake under a cushion on the inglenook sofa , and dashed upstairs . Stella began feverishly gathering up her manuscript . Only Aunt Jamesina and Phil remained normal . Thanks to them , everybody was soon sitting at ease , even Anne . Priscilla came down , apronless and smudgeless , Stella reduced her corner to decency , and Phil saved the situation by a stream of ready small talk . Mrs. Gardner was tall and thin and handsome , exquisitely gowned , cordial with a cordiality that seemed a trifle forced . Aline Gardner was a younger edition of her mother , lacking the cordiality . She endeavored to be nice , but succeeded only in being haughty and patronizing . Dorothy Gardner was slim and jolly and rather tomboyish . Anne knew she was Roy 's favorite sister and warmed to her . She would have looked very much like Roy if she had had dreamy dark eyes instead of roguish hazel ones . Thanks to her and Phil , the call really went off very well , except for a slight sense of strain in the atmosphere and two rather untoward incidents . Rusty and Joseph , left to themselves , began a game of chase , and sprang madly into Mrs. Gardner 's silken lap and out of it in their wild career . Mrs. Gardner lifted her lorgnette and gazed after their flying forms as if she had never seen cats before , and Anne , choking back slightly nervous laughter , apologized as best she could . `` You are fond of cats ? '' said Mrs. Gardner , with a slight intonation of tolerant wonder .
Anne , despite her affection for Rusty , was not especially fond XXXXX cats , but Mrs. Gardner 's tone annoyed her .
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