Such was the state of affairs on the morning of August 21, when Anne was working in her garden just under the wall which separated Mr. Bayes’s property from the high road. She was steadily pulling up weeds after the rain, and thinking how nice the sun made the earth smell, when she heard the beating of hoofs, and the scrunching of wheels on the road, and a murmur of happy voices young and old. And then she heard a man’s voice call out “Stop!” and the horses were pulled up.
“What is it, father?” she heard a girl’s voice say.
And then the man’s voice replied, “We shall have to go back. I’ve just remembered that no cups and saucers were put in.”
“Oh no, don’t let’s go back,” said one child’s voice after another. “It’s so hot, and it doesn’t really matter. We can drink out of the glasses.”
“No,” said the father’s voice again, “we must go back. You forget that the Richardsons are going to meet us there, and they will want tea and want it properly served. We must have at least six cups and saucers. Turn round, John!”
“PLEASE DON’T TROUBLE TO GO BACK. I’LL LEND YOU THE CUPS AND SAUCERS.”
By this time, Anne, who had been struggling to set a ladder against the wall, had got it to stand still and climbed to the top, and just as John began to turn the horses of the carriage she called out:
“Please don’t trouble to go back. I’ll lend you the cups and saucers. I won’t be gone a minute”; and before anyone could reply she was down the ladder and running to the house.
Perhaps if she had not been in such a hurry, and had not been so genuinely troubled to think of the picnic party spoiling their pleasure by going back to the Hall (a horrid thing to do, as Anne remembered, after leaving it so gaily), she would have asked herself several questions—such as, “What right have I to offer to lend strangers cups and saucers belonging to my parents?” and “Is my head properly controlling my impulse?” and so forth. But Anne had no time for inquiries like that: all she could think of was getting the cups and saucers as soon as possible, and returning with them so as to save those nice picnic people from having to go back again.