"Oh, damned," agreed Mr. Twist, going solemn again. And there came over him in a flood the clear perception of what it would mean,--the sheer disaster of it, the horrible situation those helpless Annas would be in. What a limitless fool he must have been in his conduct of the whole thing. His absorption in the material side of it had done the trick. He hadn't been clever enough, not imaginative enough, nor, failing that, worldly enough to work the other side properly. When he found there was no Dellogg he ought to have insisted on seeing Mrs. Dellogg, intrusion or no intrusion, and handing over the twins; and then gone away and left them. A woman was what was wanted. Fool that he was to suppose that he, a man, an unmarried man, could get them into anything but a scrape. But he was so fond of them. He just couldn't leave them. And now here they all were, in this ridiculous and terrible situation. "There are two things you can do," said the lawyer. "Two?" said Mr. Twist, looking at him with anxious eyes. "For the life of me I can't see even one. Except running amoke in slander actions--" "Tut, tut," said the lawyer, waving that aside. "No. There are two courses to pursue. And they're not alternative, but simultaneous. You shut down the inn--at once, to-morrow--that's Saturday. Close on Saturday, and give notice you don't re-open--now pray let me finish--close the inn as an inn, and use it simply as a private residence. Then, as quick as may be, marry those girls." "Marry what girls?" "The Miss von Twinklers." Mr. Twist stared at him. "Marry them?" he said helplessly. "Marry them who to?" "You for one." Mr. Twist stared at him in silence. Then he said, "You've said that to me before." "Yep. And I'll say it again. I'll go on saying it till you've done it." "'Well, if that's all you've got to offer as a suggestion for a way out--" But Mr. Twist wasn't angry this time; he was too much battered by events; he hadn't the spirits to be angry. "You've--got to--marry--one--of--those--girls," said the lawyer, at each word smiting the table with his open palm. "Turn her into an American. Get her out of this being a German business. And be able at the same time to protect the one who'll be your sister in-law. Why, even if you didn't want to, which is sheer nonsense, for of course any man would want to--I know what I'm talking about because I've seen them--it's your plain duty, having got them into this mess." "But--marry which?" asked Mr. Twist, with increased helplessness and yet a manifest profound anxiety for further advice. For the first time the lawyer showed impatience "Oh--either or both," he said. "For God's sake don't be such a--" He pulled up short. "I didn't quite mean that," he resumed, again calm. "The end of that sentence was, as no doubt you guess, fool. I withdraw it, and will substitute something milder. Have you any objection to ninny?"