“No,” said Anna-Felicitas, also under her breath and also watching Li Koo’s ear, “but it feels extraordinarily as if we were.”

“Yes.  And that’s intolerable.  And it forces us to do silly baby things, wholly unsuited either to our age or our position.  Who would have thought we’d ever hide from somebody in a ditch again!” Anna-Rose’s voice was almost a sob at the humiliation.

“It all comes from sleeping in the same room,” said Anna-Felicitas.  “Nobody can stand a thing that doesn’t end at night either.”

“Of course they can’t,” said Anna-Rose.  “It isn’t fair.  If you have to have a person all day you oughtn’t to have to have the same person all night.  Some one else should step in and relieve you then.  Just as they do in hospitals.”

“Yes,” said Anna-Felicitas.  “Mr. Twist ought to.  He ought to remove her forcibly from our room by marriage.

“No he oughtn’t,” said Anna-Rose hastily, “because we can remove her ourselves by the simple process of giving her notice.”

“I don’t believe it’s simple,” said Anna-Felicia again feeling a chill trickling down her spine.

“Of course it is.  We just go to her very politely and inform her that the engagement is terminated on a basis of mutual esteem but inflexible determination.”

“And suppose she doesn’t stop talking enough to hear?”

“Then we’ll hand it to her in writing.”

The rest of the way they walked in silence, Anna-Rose with her chin thrust out in defiance, Anna-Felicitas dragging her feet along with a certain reluctance and doubt.

Mrs. Bilton had finished her breakfast when they got back, having seen no sense in letting good food get cold, and was ready to sit and chat to them while they had theirs.  She was so busy telling them what she had supposed they were probably doing, that she was unable to listen to their attempted account of what they had done.  Thus they were saved from telling humiliating and youthful fibs; but they were also prevented, as by a wall of rock, from getting the speech through to her ear that Anna-Rose, trembling in spite of her defiance, had ready to launch at her.  It was impossible to shout at Mrs. Bilton in the way Mr. Twist, when in extremity of necessity, had done.  Ladies didn’t shout; especially not when they were giving other ladies notice.  Anna-Rose, who was quite cold and clammy at the prospect of her speech, couldn’t help feeling relieved when breakfast was over and no opportunity for it had been given.

“We’ll write it,” she whispered to Anna-Felicitas beneath the cover of a lively account Mrs. Bilton was giving them, a propos of their being late for breakfast, of the time it took her, after Mr. Bilton’s passing, to get used to his unpunctuality at meals.