The new minister and his wife were a young , pleasant-faced couple , still on their honeymoon , and full of all good and beautiful enthusiasms for their chosen lifework . Avonlea opened its heart to them from the start . Old and young liked the frank , cheerful young man with his high ideals , and the bright , gentle little lady who assumed the mistress-ship of the manse . With Mrs. Allan Anne fell promptly and wholeheartedly in love . She had discovered another kindred spirit . `` Mrs. Allan is perfectly lovely , '' she announced one Sunday afternoon . `` She 's taken our class and she 's a splendid teacher . She said right away she did n't think it was fair for the teacher to ask all the questions , and you know , Marilla , that is exactly what I 've always thought . She said we could ask her any question we liked and I asked ever so many . I 'm good at asking questions , Marilla . '' `` I believe you '' was Marilla 's emphatic comment . `` Nobody else asked any except Ruby Gillis , and she asked if there was to be a Sunday-school picnic this summer . I did n't think that was a very proper question to ask because it had n't any connection with the lesson -- the lesson was about Daniel in the lions ' den -- but Mrs. Allan just smiled and said she thought there would be . Mrs. Allan has a lovely smile ; she has such EXQUISITE dimples in her cheeks . I wish I had dimples in my cheeks , Marilla . I 'm not half so skinny as I was when I came here , but I have no dimples yet . If I had perhaps I could influence people for good . Mrs. Allan said we ought always to try to influence other people for good . She talked so nice about everything . I never knew before that religion was such a cheerful thing .
I always thought it was kind XXXXX melancholy , but Mrs. Allan 's is n't , and I 'd like to be a Christian if I could be one like her .
about at except for from in of on to with