Part 21 (1/2)
”I a.s.sure you,” said Anna-Felicitas, with the earnestness of conviction, ”that he'll like it. I think I can undertake to promise he'll show no resentment whatever.”
Amanda half shut the door.
”We'll come in please,” said Anna-Rose, inserting herself into what was left of the opening. ”Will you kindly bear in mind that we're totally unaccustomed to the doorstep?”
Amanda, doubtful, but unpractised in such a situation, permitted herself, in spite of having as she well knew the whole of free and equal America behind her, to be cowed. Well, perhaps not cowed, but taken aback. It was the long words and the awful politeness that did it. She wasn't used to beautiful long words like that, except on Sundays when the clergyman read the prayers in church, and she wasn't used to politeness. That so much of it should come out of objects so young rendered Amanda temporarily dumb.
She wavered with the door. Instantly Anna-Rose slipped through it; instantly Anna-Felicitas followed her.
”Kindly tell your master the Miss Twinklers have arrived,” said Anna-Rose, looking every inch a Junker. There weren't many inches of Anna-Rose, but every one of them at that moment, faced by Amanda's want of discipline, was sheer Junker.
Amanda, who had never met a Junker in her happy democratic life, was stirred into bristling emotion by the word master. She was about to fling the insult of it from her by an impetuous and ill-considered a.s.sertion that if he was her master she was his mistress and so there now, when the bell which had rung once already since they had been standing parleying rang again and more impatiently, and the dining-room door opened and a head appeared. The twins didn't know that it was Edith's head, but it was.
”Amanda--” began Edith, in the appealing voice that was the nearest she ever dared get to rebuke without Amanda giving notice; but she stopped on seeing what, in the dusk of the hall, looked like a crowd.
”Oh--” said Edith, taken aback. ”Oh--” And was for withdrawing her head and shutting the door.
But the twins advanced towards her and the stream of light s.h.i.+ning behind her and the agreeable smell streaming past her, with outstretched hands.
”How do you do,” they both said cordially. ”_Don't_ go away again.”
Edith, feeling that here was something to protect her quietly feeding mother from, came rather hastily through the door and held it to behind her, while her unresponsive and surprised hand was taken and shaken even as Mr. Sack's had been.
”We've come to see Mr. Twist,” said Anna-Rose.
”He's our friend,” said Anna-Felicitas.
”He's our best friend,” said Anna-Rose.
”Is he in there?” asked Anna-Felicitas, appreciatively moving her nose, a particularly delicate instrument, round among the various really heavenly smells that were issuing from the dining-room and sorting them out and guessing what they probably represented, the while water rushed into her mouth.
The sound of a chair being hastily pushed back was heard and Mr. Twist suddenly appeared in the doorway.
”What is it, Edward?” a voice inside said.
Mr. Twist was a pale man, whose skin under no circ.u.mstances changed colour except in his ears. These turned red when he was stirred, and they were red now, and seemed translucent with the bright light behind him s.h.i.+ning through them.
The twins flew to him. It was wonderful how much pleased they were to see him again. It was as if for years they had been separated from their dearest friend. The few hours since the night before had been enough to turn their friends.h.i.+p and esteem for him into a warm proprietary affection. They felt that Mr. Twist belonged to them. Even Anna-Felicitas felt it, and her eyes as she beheld him were bright with pleasure.
”Oh there you are,” cried Anna-Rose darting forward, gladness in her voice, and catching hold of his arm.
”We've come,” said Anna-Felicitas, beaming and catching hold of his other arm.
”We got into difficulties,” said Anna-Rose.
”We got into them at once,” said Anna-Felicitas.
”They weren't our difficulties--”
”They were the Sacks'--”