and convey to her as quickly as possible, as one swimming for his life
against the stream, that she was engaged. "Engaged, Mrs. Bilton,"--he
called out, raising his voice above the sound of Mrs. Bilton's rushing
words, "engaged." She would be expected at the Cosmopolitan, swiftly
continued Mr. Twist, who was as particularly anxious to have her at the
Cosmopolitan as the twins were particularly anxious not to,--for for the
life of them they couldn't see why Mrs. Bilton should be stirred up
before they started inhabiting the cottage,--within three days--

"Mr. Twist, it can't be done," broke in Mrs. Bilton a fresh and
mountainous wave of speech gathering above Mr. Twist's head. "It
absolutely--"

"Within a week, then," he called out quickly, holding up the breaking of
the wave for an instant while he hastened to and opened the door. "And
goodmorning Mrs. Bilton--my apologies, my sincere apologies, but we
have to hurry away--"

The cook was engaged that afternoon. Mr. Twist appeared to have mixed up
the answers to his advertisement, for when, after paying the
luncheon-bill, he went to join the twins in the sitting-room, he found
them waiting for him in the passage outside the door looking excited.

"The cook's come," whispered Anna-Rose, jerking her head towards the
shut door. "She's a man."

"She's a Chinaman," whispered Anna-Felicitas.

Mr. Twist was surprised. He thought he had an appointment with a
woman,--a coloured lady from South Carolina who was a specialist in
pastries and had immaculate references, but the Chinaman assured him
that he hadn't, and that his appointment was with him alone, with him,
Li Koo. In proof of it, he said, spreading out his hands, here he was.
"We make cakies--li'l cakies--many, lovely li'l cakies," said Li Koo,
observing doubt on the gentleman's face; and from somewhere on his
person he whipped out a paper bag of them as a conjurer whips a rabbit
out of a hat, and offered them to the twins.

They ate. He was engaged. It took five minutes.

After he had gone, and punctually to the minute of her appointment, an
over-flowing Negress appeared and announced that she was the coloured
lady from South Carolina to whom the gentleman had written.

Mr. Twist uncomfortably felt that Li Koo had somehow been clever.
Impossible, however, to go back on him, having eaten his cakes. Besides,
they were perfect cakes, blown together apparently out of flowers and
honey and cream,--cakes which, comb