nevolently, at the black lady who actually having got
oyster patties on her plate hadn't bothered to eat them. "But of course
you couldn't," she went on, remembering in time to be tactful and make a
Sympathetic reference to the lady's weeds; which, indeed, considering
Mr. Twist had told her and Anna-Rose that his father had died when he
was ten, nearly a quarter of a century ago, seemed to have kept their
heads up astonishingly and stayed very fresh. And true to her German
training, and undaunted by the fork, she did that which Anna-Rose in her
contentment had forgotten, and catching up Mrs. Twist's right hand, fork
and all, to her lips gave it the brief ceremonious kiss of a well
brought up Junker.

Like Amanda's, Mrs. Twist's life had been up to this empty of Junkers.
She had never even heard of them till the war, and pronounced their
name, and so did the rest of Clark following her lead, as if it had been
junket, only with an r instead of a t at the end. She didn't therefore
recognize the action; but even she, outraged as she was, could not but
see its grace. And looking up in sombre hostility at the little head
bent over her hand and at the dark line of eyelashes on the the flushed
face, she thought swiftly, "_She's_ the one."

"You see, mother," said Mr. Twist, pulling a chair vigorously and
sitting on it with determination, "it's like this. (Sit down, you two,
and get eating. Start on anything you see in this show that hits your
fancy. Edith'll be fetching you something hot, I expect--soup, or
something--but meanwhile here's enough stuff to go on with.) You see,
mother--" he resumed, turning squarely to her, while the twins obeyed
him with immense alacrity and sat down and began to eat whatever
happened to be nearest them, "these two girls--well, to start with
they're twins--"

Mr. Twist was stopped again by his mother's face. She couldn't conceive
why he should lie. Twins the world over matched in size and features; it
was notorious that they did. Also, it was the custom for them to match
in age, and the tall one of these was at least a year older than the
other one. But still, thought Mrs. Twist, let that pass. She would
suffer whatever it was she had to suffer in silence.

The twins too were silent, because they were so busy eating. Perfectly
at home under the wing they knew so well, they behaved with an easy
naturalness that appeared to Mrs. Twist outrageous. But still--let that
too pass. These strangers h