He went straight in search of Anna-Rose.
He was going to propose to her. He couldn't bear it. He couldn't bearthe idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both goingout of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what hehad just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.
All his life he had stood on the door-mat outside the shut door of love.He had had no love; neither at home, where they talked so much about itand there wasn't any, nor, because of his home and its inhibitions gotso thoroughly into his blood, anywhere else. He had never tried tomarry,--again because of his home and his mother and the wholeonly-son-of-a-widow business. He would try now. He would risk it. It wasawful to risk it, but it was more awful not to. He adored Anna-Rose. Hownearly the afternoon before, when she sat crying in his chair, had hetaken her in his arms! Why, he would have taken her into them then andthere, while she was in that state, while she was in the need ofcomfort, and never let her go out of them again, if it hadn't been thathe had got the idea so firmly fixed in his head that she was a child.Fool that he was. Elliott had dispelled that idea for him. It wasn'tchildren who looked as Anna-Felicitas had looked just now in the office.Anna-Rose, it is true, seemed younger than Anna-Felicitas, but that wasbecause she was little and easily cried. He loved her for being little.He loved her because she easily cried. He yearned and hungered tocomfort, to pet to take care of. He was, as has been pointed out, a bornmother.
Avoiding the verandah and Mrs. Bilton, Mr. Twist filled withrecklessness, hurried upstairs and knocked at Anna-Rose's door. Noanswer. He listened. Dead silence. He opened it a slit and peeped in.Emptiness. Down he went again and made for the kitchen, because Li Koo,who always knew everything, might know where she was. Li Koo did. Hejerked his head towards the window, and Mr. Twist hurried to it andlooked out. There in the middle of the yard was the cat, exactly wherehe had left her an hour before, and kneeling beside her stroking herstomach was Anna-Rose.
She had her back to the house and her face was hidden. The sun streameddown on her bare head and on the pale gold rings of hair that friskedround her neck. She didn't hear him till he was close to her, so muchabsorbed was she apparently in the cat; and when she did she didn't lookup, but bent her head lower than before and stroked more assiduously.
"Anna-Rose," said Mr. Twist.
"Yes."
"Come and talk to me."
"I'm thinking."
"Don't think. Come and talk to me, little--little dear one."
She bent her head lower still. "I'm thinking," she said again.
"Come and tell me what you're thinking."
"I'm thinking about cats."
"About cats?" said Mr. Twist, uncertainly.
"Yes," said Anna-Rose, stroking the cat's stomach faster and carefullykeeping her face hidden from him. "About how wise and wonderful theyare."
"Well then if that's all, you can go on with that presently and come andtalk to me now."
"You see," said Anna-Rose, not heeding this, "they're invariably twins,and more than twins, for they're often fours and sometimes sixes, butstill they sit in the sun quietly all their lives and don't mind a bitwhat their--what their twins do--"
"Ah," said Mr. Twist. "Now I'm getting there."
"They don't mind a bit about anything. They just clean their whiskersand they purr. Perhaps it's that that comforts them. Perhaps if I--if Ihad whiskers and a--and a purr--"
The cat leaped suddenly to her feet and shook herself violently.Something hot and wet had fallen on her beautiful stomach.
Anna-Rose made a little sound strangers might have taken for a laugh asshe put out her arms and caught her again, but it was a sound sowretched, so piteous in the attempt to hide away from him, that Mr.Twist's heart stood still. "Oh, don't go," she said, catching at the catand hugging her tight, "I can't let you go--" And she buried her facein her fur, so that Mr. Twist still couldn't see it.
"Now that's enough about the cat," he said, speaking very firmly."You're coming with me." And he stooped and picked her up, cat and all,and set her on her feet.
Then he saw her face.
"Good God, Anna-Rose!" he exclaimed.
"I did try not to show you," she said; and she added, taking shelterbehind her pride and looking at him as defiantly as she could out ofeyes almost closed up, "but you mustn't suppose just because I happento--to seem as if I'd been crying that I--that I'm minding anything."
"Oh no," said Mr. Twist, who at sight of her face had straightwayforgotten about himself and his longings and his proposals, and onlyknew that he must comfort Christopher. "Oh no," he said, looking at heraghast, "I'm not supposing we're minding anything, either of us."
He took her by the arm. Comfort Christopher; that's what he had got todo. Get rid as quickly as possible of that look of agony--yes, it wasdownright agony--on her face.
He thought he guessed what she was thinking and feeling; he thought--hewas pretty sure--she was thinking and feeling that her beloved Columbushad gone from her, and gone to a stranger, in a day, in a few hours, toa stranger she had never even seen, never even heard of; that herColumbus had had secrets from her, had been doing things behind herback; that she had had perfect faith and trust in her twin, and now wastasting the dreadful desolation of betrayal; and he also guessed thatshe must be sick with fears,--for he knew how responsible she felt, howseriously she took the charge of her beautiful twin--sick with fearabout this unknown man, sick with the feeling of helplessness, oflooking on while Columbus rushed into what might well be, for all anyone knew, a deadly mess-up of her happiness.
Well, he could reason her out of most of this, he felt. Certainly hecould reassure her about Elliott, who did inspire one with confidence,who did seem, anyhow outwardly, a very fitting mate for Anna-Felicitas.But he was aghast at the agony on her face. All that he guessed she wasthinking and feeling didn't justify it. It was unreasonable to suffer soviolently on account of what was, after all, a natural happening. Buthowever unreasonable it was, she was suffering.
He took her by the arm. "You come right along with me," he said; and ledher out of the yard, away from Li Koo and the kitchen window, towardsthe eucalyptus grove behind the house. "You come right along with me,"he repeated, holding her firmly for she was very wobbly on her feet,"and we'll tell each other all about the things we're not minding. Doyou remember when the St. Luke left Liverpool? You thought I thoughtyou were minding things then, and were very angry with me. We've madefriends since, haven't we, and we aren't going to mind anything everagain except each other."
But he hardly knew what he was saying, so great was his concern anddistress.
Anna-Rose went blindly. She stumbled along, helped by him, clutching thecat. She couldn't see out of her swollen eyes. Her foot caught in aroot, and the cat, who had for some minutes past been thoroughly uneasy,became panic-stricken and struggled out of her arms, and fled into thewood. She tried to stop it, but it would go. For some reason this brokedown her self-control. The warm cat clutched to her breast had at leastbeen something living to hold on to. Now the very cat had gone. Herpride collapsed, and she tumbled against Mr. Twist's arm and justsobbed.
If ever a man felt like a mother it was Mr. Twist at that moment. Hepromptly sat her down on the grass. "There now--there, there now," hesaid, whipping out his handkerchief and anxiously mopping up her face."This is what I did on the St. Luke--do you remember?--there now--thattime you told me about your mother--it looks like being my permanentjob--there, there now--don't now--you'll have no little eyes left soonif you go on like this--"
"Oh but--oh but--Co-Columbus--"
"Yes, yes I know all about Columbus. Don't you worry about her. She'sall right. She's all right in the office at this moment, and we're allright out here if only you knew it, if only you wouldn't cry suchquantities. It beats me where it all comes from, and you solittle--there, there now--"
"Oh but--oh but Columbus--"
"Yes, yes, I know--you're worrying yourself sick because you thinkyou're responsible for her to your aunt and uncle, but you won't be, youknow, once she's married--there, there now--"
"Oh but--oh but--"
"Now don't--now please--yes, yes, I know--he's a stranger, and youhaven't seen him yet, but everybody was a stranger once," said Mr.Twist, quoting Anna-Felicitas's own argument, the one that hadespecially irritated him half-an-hour before, "and he's real good--I'msure of it. And you'll be sure too the minute you see him. That's tosay, if you're able to see anything or anybody for the next week out ofyour unfortunate stuck-together little eyes."
"Oh but--oh but--you don't--you haven't--"
"Yes, yes, I have. Now turn your face so that I can wipe the other sideproperly. There now, I caught an enormous tear. I got him just in timebefore he trickled into your ear. Lord, how sore your poor little eyesare. Don't it even cheer you to think you're going to be asister-in-law, Anna-Rose?"
"Oh but you don't--you haven't--" she sobbed, her face not a whit lessagonized for all his reassurances.
"Well, I know I wish I were going to be a brother-in-law," said Mr.Twist, worried by his inability to reassure, as he tenderly andcarefully dabbed about the corners of her eyes and her soaked eyelashes."My, shouldn't I think well of myself."
Then his hand shook.
"I wish I were going to be Anna-Felicitas's brother-in-law," he said,suddenly impelled, perhaps by this failure to get rid of the misery inher face, to hurl himself on his fate. "Not yours--get your mind quiteclear about that,--but Anna-Felicitas's." And his hand shook so muchthat he had to leave off drying. For this was a proposal. If onlyAnna-Rose would see it, this was a proposal.
Anna-Rose, however, saw nothing. Even in normal times shewasn't good at relationships, and had never yet understood thethat-man's-father-was-my-father's-son one; now she simply didn'thear. She was sitting with her hands limply in her lap, and sobbingin a curious sort of anguish.
He couldn't help being struck by it. There was more in this than he hadgrasped. Again he forgot himself and his proposal. Again he wasoverwhelmed by the sole desire to help and comfort.
He put his hand on the two hands lying with such an air of beingforgotten on her lap. "What is it?" he asked gently. "Little dear one,tell me. It's clear I'm not dead on to it yet."
"Oh--Columbus--"
She seemed to writhe in her misery.
"Well yes, yes Columbus. We know all about that."
Anna-Rose turned her quivering face to him. "Oh, you haven't seen--youdon't see--it's only me that's seen--"
"Seen what? What haven't I seen? Ah, don't cry--don't cry like that--"
"Oh, I've lost her--lost her--"
"Lost her? Because she's marrying?"
"Lost her--lost her--" sobbed Anna-Rose.
"Come now," remonstrated Mr. Twist. "Come now. That's just flat contraryto the facts. You've lost nothing, and you've gained a brother."
"Oh,--lost her--lost her," sobbed Anna-Rose.
"Come, come now," said Mr. Twist helplessly.
"Oh," she sobbed, looking at him out of her piteous eyes, "has nobodythought of it but me? Columbus hasn't. I--I know she hasn't fromwhat--from what--she said. She's too--too happy to think. But--haven'tyou thought--haven't you seen--that she'll be English now--reallyEnglish--and go away from me to England with him--and I--I can't go toEngland--because I'm still--I'm still--an alien enemy--and so I've losther--lost her--lost my own twin--"
And Anna-Rose dropped her head on to her knees and sobbed in anabandonment of agony.
Mr. Twist sat without saying or doing anything at all. He hadn't thoughtof this; nor, he was sure, had Anna-Felicitas. And it was true. Now heunderstood Anna-Rose's face and the despair of it. He sat looking ather, overwhelmed by the realization of her misfortune. For a moment hewas blinded by it, and didn't see what it would mean for him. Then hedid see. He almost leaped, so sudden was the vision, and so luminous.
"Anna-Rose," he said, his voice trembling, "I want to put my arm roundyou. That's because I love you. And if you'll let me do that I couldtell you of a way there is out of this for you. But I can't tell you sowell unless--unless you let me put my arm round you first...."
He waited trembling. She only sobbed. He couldn't even be sure she waslistening. So he put his arm round her to try. At least she didn'tresist. So he drew her closer. She didn't resist that either. Hecouldn't even be sure she knew about it. So he put his other arm roundher too, and though he couldn't be sure, he thought--he hardly daredthink, but it did seem as if--she nestled.
Happiness, such as in his lonely, loveless life he had never imagined,flooded Mr. Twist. He looked down at her face, which was now so close tohis, and saw that her eyes were shut. Great sobs went on shaking herlittle body, and her tears, now that he wasn't wiping them, were rollingdown her cheeks unchecked.
He held her closer to him, close to his heart where she belonged, andagain he had that sensation, that wonderful sensation, of nestling.
"Little Blessed, the way out is so simple," he whispered. "LittleBlessed, don't you see?"
But whether Anna-Rose saw seemed very doubtful. There was only thatfeeling, as to which he was no doubt mistaken, of nestling to go on. Hereyes, anyhow, remained shut, and her body continued to heave with sobs.
He bent his head lower. His voice shook. "It's so, so simple," hewhispered. "All you've got to do is to marry me."
And as she made an odd little movement in his arms he held her tighterand began to talk very fast.
"No, no," he said, "don't answer anything yet. Just listen. Just let metell you first. I want to tell you to start with how terribly I loveyou. But that doesn't mean you've got to love me--you needn't if youdon't want to--if you can't--if you'd rather not I'm eighteen yearsolder than you, and I know what I'm like to look at--no, don't sayanything yet--just listen quiet first--but if you married me you'd be anAmerican right away, don't you see? Just as Anna-Felicitas is going tobe English. And I always intended going back to England as soon as maybe, and if you married me what is to prevent your coming too? Coming toEngland? With Anna-Felicitas and her husband. Anna-Rose--littleBlessed--think of it--all of us together. There won't be any aliens inthat quartette, I guess, and the day you marry me you'll be done withbeing German for good and all. And don't you get supposing it mattersabout your not loving me, because, you see, I love you so much, I adoreyou so terribly, that anyhow there'll be more than enough love to goround, and you needn't ever worry about contributing any if you don'tfeel like it--"
Mr. Twist broke off abruptly. "What say?" he said, for Anna-Rose wasmaking definite efforts to speak. She was also making definite andunmistakable movements, and this time there could be no doubt about it;she was coming closer.
"What say?" said Mr. Twist breathlessly, bending his head.
"But I do," whispered Anna-Rose.
"Do what?" said Mr. Twist, again breathlessly.
She turned her face up to his. On it was the same look he had latelyseen on Anna-Felicitas's, shining through in spite of the disfigurationof her tears.
"But--of course I do," whispered Anna-Rose, an extraordinary smile,an awe-struck sort of smile, coming into her face at the greatness ofher happiness, at the wonder of it.
"What? Do what?" said Mr. Twist, still more breathlessly.
"I--always did," whispered Anna-Rose.
"What did you always did?" gasped Mr. Twist, hardly able to believeit, and yet--and yet--there on her little face, on her littletransfigured face, shone the same look.
"Oh--love you," sighed Anna-Rose, nestling as close as she could get.
* * * * * * *
It was Mr. Twist himself who got on a ladder at five minutes past fourthat afternoon and pasted a strip of white paper obliquely across thesign of The Open Arms with the word.
SHUT
on it in big letters. Li Koo held the foot of the ladder. Mr. Twist hadonly remembered the imminence of four o'clock and the German inrush afew minutes before the hour, because of his being so happy; and when hedid he flew to charcoal and paper. He got the strip on only just intime. A car drove up as he came down the ladder.
"What?" exclaimed the principal male occupant of the car, pointing,thwarted and astonished, to the sign.
"Shut," said Mr. Twist.
"Shut?"
"Shut."
THE END.
* * * * * * * * * * * *