was wont to say. "He is just as much my baby as he is yours."
And, indeed, it was always to Susan that Shirley ran, to be
kissed for bumps, and rocked to sleep, and protected from
well-deserved spankings. Susan had conscientiously spanked all
the other Blythe children when she thought they needed it for
their souls' good, but she would not spank Shirley nor allow his
mother to do it. Once, Dr. Blythe had spanked him and Susan had
been stormily indignant.

"That man would spank an angel, Mrs. Dr. dear, that he would,"
she had declared bitterly; and she would not make the poor doctor
a pie for weeks.

She had taken Shirley with her to her brother's home during his
parents' absence, while all the other children had gone to
Avonlea, and she had three blessed months of him all to herself.
Nevertheless, Susan was very glad to find herself back at
Ingleside, with all her darlings around her again. Ingleside was
her world and in it she reigned supreme. Even Anne seldom
questioned her decisions, much to the disgust of Mrs. Rachel
Lynde of Green Gables, who gloomily told Anne, whenever she
visited Four Winds, that she was letting Susan get to be entirely
too much of a boss and would live to rue it.

"Here is Cornelia Bryant coming up the harbour road, Mrs. Dr.
dear," said Susan. "She will be coming up to unload three
months' gossip on us."

"I hope so," said Anne, hugging her knees. "I'm starving for
Glen St. Mary gossip, Susan. I hope Miss Cornelia can tell me