The twins had a bad moment of chill fear and misgiving, and then once more were saved by an inspiration,—­this time Anna-Rose’s.

“I know,” she exclaimed, her face clearing.  “We’ll make it Co-operative.”

Mr. Twist, whose brow too had been puckered in the effort to think out a way of persuading the twins to let him help them openly with his money, for in spite of his going to be their guardian they remained difficult on this point, jumped at the idea.  He couldn’t, of course, tell what in Anna-Rose’s mind the word co-operative stood for, but felt confident that whatever it stood for he could manipulate it into covering his difficulties.

“What is co-operative?” asked Anna-Felicitas, with a new respect for a sister who could suddenly produce a business word like that and seem to know all about it.  She had heard the word herself, but it sat very loosely in her head, at no point touching anything else.

“Haven’t you heard of Co-operative Stores?” inquired Anna-Rose.

“Yes but—­”

“Well, then.”

“Yes, but what would a co-operative inn be?” persisted Anna-Felicitas.

“One run on co-operative lines, of course,” said Anna-Rose grandly.  “Everybody pays for everything, so that nobody particular pays for anything.”

“Oh,” said Anna-Felicitas.

“I mean,” said Anna-Rose, who felt herself that this might be clearer, “it’s when you pay the servants and the rent and the cakes and things out of what you get.”

“Oh,” said Anna-Felicitas.  “And will they wait quite quietly till we’ve got it?”

“Of course, if we’re all co-operative.”

“I see,” said Anna-Felicitas, who saw as little as before, but knew of old that Anna-Rose grew irascible when pressed.

“See here now,” said Mr. Twist weightily, “if that isn’t an idea.  Only you’ve got hold of the wrong word.  The word you want is profit-sharing.  And as this undertaking is going to be a big success there will be big profits, and any amount of cakes and salaries will be paid for as glibly and easily as you can say your ABC.”

And he explained that till they were fairly started he was going to stay in California, and that he intended during this time to be book-keeper, secretary, and treasurer to The Open Arms, besides Advertiser-in-Chief, which was, he said, the most important post of all; and if they would be so good as to leave this side of it unquestioningly to him, who had had a business training, he would undertake that the Red Cross, American or British, whichever they decided to support, should profit handsomely.

Thus did Mr. Twist artfully obtain a free hand as financial backer of The Open Arms.  The profit-sharing system seemed to the twins admirable.  It cleared away every scruple and every difficulty, they now bought chintzes and pewter pots in the faith of it without a qualm, and even ceased to blench at the salary of the lady engaged to be their background,—­indeed her very expensiveness pleased them, for it gave them confidence that she must at such a price be the right one, because nobody, they agreed, who knew herself not to be the right one would have the face to demand so much.