then the man detached himself from the group at the gate and came
over to the car with a leaflet in his hand.

"Say--" he said,--"how are you to-day, Miss Heap? Mrs. Ridding, your
humble servant--say, look at this. Teapot Twist wasn't born yesterday
when it comes to keeping things dark. No mention of his name on this
book of words, but it's the house he was doing up all right, and it is
to be used as an inn. Afternoon-tea inn. Profits to go to the American
Red Cross. Price per head five dollars. Bit stiff, five dollars for tea.
Wonder where those Twinkler girls come in. Here--you have this, Ridding,
and study it. I'll get another." And taking off his hat a second time to
the ladies he went back to his friends.

In great agitation Miss Heap turned to Mrs. Ridding, whose mind,
galvanized by the magic words Twist and Twinkler, was slowly heaving
itself free of aspic. "Perhaps we had best go back to the hotel, Mrs
Ridding," said Miss Heap, her voice shaking. "There's something I wish
particularly to tell you. I ought to have done so this morning, directly
I knew, but I had no idea of course that this...." She waved a hand at
the signboard, and collapsed into speechlessness.

"Albert--hotel," directed Mrs. Ridding.

And Mr. Ridding, clutching the leaflet, his face congested with
suppressed emotions, obediently handed on the order through the
speaking-tube to the chauffeur.

CHAPTER XXXI

"It's _perfect_," said the twins, looking round the tea-room.

This was next day, at a quarter to four. They had been looking round
saying it was perfect at intervals since the morning. Each time they
finished getting another of the little tables ready, each time they
brought in and set down another bowl of flowers they stood back and
gazed a moment in silence, and then said with one voice, "It's
_perfect_."

Mr. Twist, though the house was not, as we have seen, quite as sober,
quite as restrained in its effect as he had intended, was obliged to
admit that it did look very pretty. And so did the Annas. Especially the
Annas. They looked so pretty in the sea-blue frocks and little Dutch
caps and big muslin aprons that he took off his spectacles and cleaned
them carefully so as to have a thoroughly uninterrupted view; and as
they stood at a quarter to four gazing round the room, he stood gazing
at them, and when they said "It's _perfect_," he said, indicating them
with his thumb, "Same here," and then they all laughed for they