"O yes, easy!"

Alas! ingratitude is not confined to republics. We thought it a most
kind and judicious thing to grant nine days, when but three or
four--six at the most--had been asked. Worldly wisdom would have said,
"No, sir; three days you can't have; it must all be done to-morrow
night." But we are not worldly-wise; innocent, confiding, and
rejoicing, we went our way,--went our way to the plumber.

"O good plumber!" quoth we, "how long will it take you to complete the
work you have begun so well?"

"How long? 'Twon't take no time. Just as soon as the copper comes for
the tank, I shall finish it all up. There ain't much of it, anyhow;
it's all done but that."

"And when is the aforesaid copper coming?"

"When is't a coming? Any time. Shouldn't be surprised if 'twas here
now."

"You can finish it then surely within a week."

"Within a week? I sh'd think likely,"--the last remark backed up by
such a smile as made further question impossible.

Once more we pursued our investigating tour, saying to the prompt
proprietor of the centrifugal-stove store, "Is that new furnace that
is to make June of January, that never does what it ought not to do or
leaves undone what ought to be done, that asks a mere handful of coal
every twenty-four hours and runs itself, ready for its trial trip?"

"It is, sir."

"Registers all set and--"

"Well, no; the registers can't be set till everything else is out of
the way."

"Ah, yes, of course; but 't won't take long to do that?"

"They shall all be set in the twinkling of an eye, at a moment's
notice."

And now it only remained to hie away to the painter. So we hied and
hailed him.

"Tell us, O man of many hues! how much time will you need to paint and
stain and grizzle and grain and tint and stripe and fill and shellac
and oil and rub and scrub and cut and draw and putty and sand-paper
and size and distemper and border and otherwise exalt and glorify the
walls and woodwork of our house, after the other workmen are through,
making allowance for what you have already done and will be able to do
while they are still at work?"

"I tell you what it is, Mr. Architect, it shall be done just as soon
as possible. The fact is, we've got the heft of it done now. We shall
follow the carpenters up sharp, and get through almost as soon as they
do."

Outwardly serene, but smiling triumphantly within, we went to our
daily roast-beef, and in the sweet simplicity of a blissful ignora