e
was very distinctly aware that Elliott was extremely attractive.

"It's not time yet to talk of husbands," he therefore hotly and
jealously said.

"On the contrary," said Anna-Felicitas gently, "it's not only time but
war-time. The war, I have observed, is making people be quick and sudden
about all sorts of things."

"You haven't observed it. That's Elliott said that."

"He may have," said Anna-Felicitas. "He said so many things--"

And again she lapsed into contemplation; into, thought Mr. Twist as he
gazed jealously at her profile, an ineffable, ruminating, reminiscent
smugness.

"See here, Anna II.," he said, finding it impossibly painful to wait
while she contemplated, "suppose you don't at this particular crisis
fall into quite so many ecstatic meditations. There isn't as much time
as you seem to think."

"No--and there's Christopher," said Anna-Felicitas, giving herself a
shake, and with that slightly troubled look coming into her face again
as of having, in spite of being an angel in glory, somehow got her feet
wet.

"Precisely," said Mr. Twist, getting up and walking about the room.
"There's Christopher. Now Christopher, I should say, would be pretty
well heart-broken over this."

"But that's so unreasonable," said Anna-Felicitas with gentle
deprecation.

"You're all she has got, and she'll be under the impression--the
remarkably vivid impression--that she's losing you."

"But _that's_ so unreasonable. She isn't losing me. It's sheer gain.
Without the least effort or bother on her part she's acquiring a
brother-in-law."

"Oh, I know what Christopher feels," said Mr. Twist, going up and down
the room quickly. "I know right enough, because I feel it all myself."

"But _that's_ so unreasonable," said Anna-Felicitas earnestly. "Why
should two of you be feeling things that aren't?"

"She has always regarded herself as responsible for you, and I shouldn't
be surprised if she were terribly shocked at your conduct."

"But there has to _be_ conduct," said Anna-Felicitas, still very gentle,
but looking as though her feet were getting wetter. "I don't see how
anybody is ever to fall in love unless there's been some conduct first."

"Oh, don't argue--don't argue. You can't expect Anna-Rose not to mind
your wanting to marry a perfect stranger, a man she hasn't even seen."

"But everybody you marry started by being a perfect stranger and
somebody you hadn't ever seen," said Anna-Felicitas.

"Oh Lord