Even Mrs. George Pye 's eyes flickered and waned and quailed . Nothing more was said until Sara had picked up her glasses and marched from the room . Even then they dared not speak above a whisper . Mrs. Pye , alone , smarting from snub , ventured to ejaculate , `` Pity save us ! '' as Sara slammed the door . For the next fortnight gossip and rumor held high carnival in Avonlea and Newbridge , and Mrs. Eben grew to dread the sight of a visitor . `` They 're bound to talk about the Baxter failure and criticize Lige , '' she deplored to Mrs. Jonas . `` And it riles Sara up so terrible . She used to declare that she hated Lige , and now she wo n't listen to a word against him . Not that I say any , myself . I 'm sorry for him , and I believe he 's done his best . But I ca n't stop other people from talking . '' One evening Harmon Andrews came in with a fresh budget of news . `` The Baxter business is pretty near wound up at last , '' he said , as he lighted his pipe . `` Peter has got his lawsuits settled and has hushed up the talk about swindling , somehow . Trust him for slipping out of a scrape clean and clever . He do n't seem to worry any , but Lige looks like a walking skeleton . Some folks pity him , but I say he should have kept the run of things better and not have trusted everything to Peter . I hear he 's going out West in the Spring , to take up land in Alberta and try his hand at farming . Best thing he can do , I guess .
Folks hereabouts have had enough XXXXX the Baxter breed .
For above as at from in like of that to