Christmas morning broke on a beautiful white world.  It had been a very mild December and people had looked forward to a green Christmas; but just enough snow fell softly in the night to transfigure Avonlea.  Anne peeped out from her frosted gable window with delighted eyes.  The firs in the Haunted Wood were all feathery and wonderful; the birches and wild cherry trees were outlined in pearl; the plowed fields were stretches of snowy dimples; and there was a crisp tang in the air that was glorious. Anne ran downstairs singing until her voice reechoed through Green Gables.

"Merry Christmas, Marilla!  Merry Christmas, Matthew! Isn’t it a lovely Christmas?  I’m so glad it’s white. Any other kind of Christmas doesn’t seem real, does it? I don’t like green Christmases.  They’re not green– they’re just nasty faded browns and grays.  What makes people call them green? Why–why–Matthew, is that for me? Oh, Matthew!"

Matthew had sheepishly unfolded the dress from its paper swathings and held it out with a deprecatory glance at Marilla, who feigned to be contemptuously filling the teapot, but nevertheless watched the scene out of the corner of her eye with a rather interested air.

Anne took the dress and looked at it in reverent silence.  Oh, how pretty it was–a lovely soft brown gloria with all the gloss of silk; a skirt with dainty frills and shirrings; a waist elaborately pintucked in the most fashionable way, with a little ruffle of filmy lace at the neck.  But the sleeves–they were the crowning glory!  Long elbow cuffs, and above them two beautiful puffs divided by rows of shirring and bows of brown-silk ribbon.

"That’s a Christmas present for you, Anne," said Matthew shyly. "Why–why–Anne, don’t you like it?  Well now–well now."

For Anne’s eyes had suddenly filled with tears.

"Like it!  Oh, Matthew!" Anne laid the dress over a chair and clasped her hands.  "Matthew, it’s perfectly exquisite.  Oh, I can never thank you enough.  Look at those sleeves!  Oh, it seems to me this must be a happy dream."

"Well, well, let us have breakfast," interrupted Marilla.  "I must say, Anne, I don’t think you needed the dress; but since Matthew has got it for you, see that you take good care of it. There’s a hair ribbon Mrs. Lynde left for you.  It’s brown, to match the dress.  Come now, sit in."

"I don’t see how I’m going to eat breakfast," said Anne rapturously. "Breakfast seems so commonplace at such an exciting moment.  I’d rather feast my eyes on that dress.  I’m so glad that puffed sleeves are still fashionable.  It did seem to me that I’d never get over it if they went out before I had a dress with them.  I’d never have felt quite satisfied, you see.  It was lovely of Mrs. Lynde to give me the ribbon too.  I feel that I ought to be a very good girl indeed. It’s at times like this I’m sorry I’m not a model little girl; and I always resolve that I will be in future.  But somehow it’s hard to carry out your resolutions when irresistible temptations come. Still, I really will make an extra effort after this."

When the commonplace breakfast was over Diana appeared, crossing the white log bridge in the hollow, a gay little figure in her crimson ulster.  Anne flew down the slope to meet her.

"Merry Christmas, Diana!  And oh, it’s a wonderful Christmas.  I’ve something splendid to show you.  Matthew has given me the loveliest dress, with SUCH sleeves.  I couldn’t even imagine any nicer."

"I’ve got something more for you," said Diana breathlessly. "Here– this box.  Aunt Josephine sent us out a big box with ever so many things in it–and this is for you.  I’d have brought it over last night, but it didn’t come until after dark, and I never feel very comfortable coming through the Haunted Wood in the dark now."

Anne opened the box and peeped in.  First a card with "For the Anne-girl and Merry Christmas," written on it; and then, a pair of the daintiest little kid slippers, with beaded toes and satin bows and glistening buckles.

"Oh," said Anne, "Diana, this is too much.  I must be dreaming."