“Better send Anne alone,” said Oliver Sloane.  “She can talk Judson over if anybody can.”

Anne protested.  She was willing to go and do the talking; but she must have others with her “for moral support.”  Diana and Jane were therefore appointed to support her morally and the Improvers broke up, buzzing like angry bees with indignation.  Anne was so worried that she didn’t sleep until nearly morning, and then she dreamed that the trustees had put a fence around the school and painted “Try Purple Pills” all over it.

The committee waited on Judson Parker the next afternoon.  Anne pleaded eloquently against his nefarious design and Jane and Diana supported her morally and valiantly.  Judson was sleek, suave, flattering; paid them several compliments of the delicacy of sunflowers; felt real bad to refuse such charming young ladies . . . but business was business; couldn’t afford to let sentiment stand in the way these hard times.

“But I’ll tell what I will do,” he said, with a twinkle in his light, full eyes.  “I’ll tell the agent he must use only handsome, tasty colors . . . red and yellow and so on.  I’ll tell him he mustn’t paint the ads blue on any account.”

The vanquished committee retired, thinking things not lawful to be uttered.

“We have done all we can do and must simply trust the rest to Providence,” said Jane, with an unconscious imitation of Mrs. Lynde’s tone and manner.

“I wonder if Mr. Allan could do anything,” reflected Diana.

Anne shook her head.

“No, it’s no use to worry Mr. Allan, especially now when the baby’s so sick.  Judson would slip away from him as smoothly as from us, although he has taken to going to church quite regularly just now.  That is simply because Louisa Spencer’s father is an elder and very particular about such things.”

“Judson Parker is the only man in Avonlea who would dream of renting his fences,” said Jane indignantly.  “Even Levi Boulter or Lorenzo White would never stoop to that, tightfisted as they are.  They would have too much respect for public opinion.”

Public opinion was certainly down on Judson Parker when the facts became known, but that did not help matters much.  Judson chuckled to himself and defied it, and the Improvers were trying to reconcile themselves to the prospect of seeing the prettiest part of the Newbridge road defaced by advertisements, when Anne rose quietly at the president’s call for reports of committees on the occasion of the next meeting of the Society, and announced that Mr. Judson Parker had instructed her to inform the Society that he was not going to rent his fences to the Patent Medicine Company.