“There’s ice-cream as well,” said Anna-Rose, tumultuously in spite of also trying to look like a family butler. “I’d have ice-cream if I were you.  There’s more body in it.  Cold, delicious body.  And you look so hot.  Hot things should always as soon as possible be united to cold things, so as to restore the proper balance—­”

“And there’s some heavenly stuff called cinnamon-toast—­hot, you know, but if you have ice-cream at the same time it won’t matter,” said Anna-Felicitas, hanging up his hat for him.  “I don’t know whether you’ve studied the leaflets,” she continued, “but in case you haven’t I feel I oughtn’t to conceal from you that the price is five dollars whatever you have.”

“So that,” said Anna-Rose, “you needn’t bother about trying to save, for you can’t.”

“Then I’ll have tea to start with and see how I get on,” said Mr. Ridding, sitting down in the chair Anna-Felicitas held for him and beaming up at her.

She flicked an imaginary grain of dust off the cloth with the corner of her apron to convey to him that she knew her business, and hurried away to give the order.  Indeed, they both hurried away to give the order.

“Say—­” called out Mr. Ridding, for he thought one Anna would have been enough for this and he was pining to talk to them; but the twins weren’t to be stopped from both giving the very first order, and they disappeared together into the pantry.

Mrs. Bilton sat in the farthest corner at her desk, apparently absorbed in an enormous ledger.  In this ledger she was to keep accounts and to enter the number of teas, and from this high seat she was to preside over the activities of the personnel.  She had retired hastily to it on the unexpected entrance of Mr. Ridding, and pen in hand was endeavouring to look as if she were totting up figures.  As the pages were blank this was a little difficult.  And it was difficult to sit there quiet.  She wanted to get down and go and chat with the guest; she felt she had quite a good deal she could say to him; she had a great itch to go and talk, but Mr. Twist had been particular that to begin with, till the room was fairly full, he and she should leave the guests entirely to the Annas.

He himself was going to keep much in the background at all times, but through the half-open door of his office he could see and hear; and he couldn’t help thinking, as he sat there watching and observed the effulgence of the beams the old gentleman just arrived turned on the twins, that the first guest appeared to be extraordinarily and undesirably affectionate.  He thought he had seen him at the Cosmopolitan, but wasn’t sure.  He didn’t know that the Annas, after their conversation with him there, felt towards him as old friends, and he considered their manner was a little unduly familiar.  Perhaps, after all, he thought uneasily, Mrs. Bilton had better do the waiting and the Annas sit with him in the office.  The ledger could be written up at the end of the day.  Or he could hire somebody....