“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 circumstances 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 shining 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 friendship 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’—­”

“But they reacted on us—­”

“And so here we are.”

“Who is it, Edward?” asked the voice inside.

“Mrs. Sack ran away yesterday from Mr. Sack,” went on Anna-Rose eagerly.

“Mr. Sack was still quite warm and moist from it when we got there,” said Anna-Felicitas.

“Aunt Alice said we weren’t ever to stay in a house where they did that,” said Anna-Rose.

“Where there wasn’t a lady,” said Anna-Felicitas

“So when we saw that she wasn’t there because she’d gone, we turned straight round to you,” said Anna.  Rose.

“Like flowers turning to the sun,” said Anna-Felicitas, even in that moment of excitement not without complacency at her own aptness.

“And left our things at the station,” Anna-Rose rushed on.

“And ran practically the whole way,” said Anna-Felicitas, “because of perhaps being late for supper and you’re having eaten it all, and we so dreadfully hungry—­”