ed. He had counted on a running start, and every week of delay
was a vicious handicap. If he had remotely imagined how elastic a
contractor's agreement could be, he would certainly have thought twice
about ordering so many changes--he would have steered a middle course,
and been satisfied with half the improvement--but as it was, he had
put himself in a trap. Now that the work was partly done, it would
have to be completed. There was no way out of it. And from day to day,
as the arrears of labour heaped up, and cost was piled on cost, Henry
began to lose a trifle of his fine buoyancy and optimism.

Also, it was amazing to discover that Anna was much less self-reliant
than he had thought her. Almost every night she displayed some
unsuspected trait of helplessness, so that he simply had to shelve his
worries, and baby her out of her own. He adored her, and therefore he
never questioned her ingenuousness; he didn't see that by monopolizing
his thoughts, and turning them entirely upon herself, she prevented
him from wasting his energy in futile brooding, even if he had
inclined to it.

He planned to open in mid-September, but a strike among the carpenters
added a few days to the time, and, by virtue of a compromise, a few
dollars to the account. The building inspector wouldn't pass the
wiring, and the electricians took a holiday before they condescended
to return. When the last nail was driven, the last brushful of paint
applied, the final item added to the long statement, the day was the
last Friday in the month, and the total bill amounted to more than
nine thousand dollars.

"Anna," said Henry, reflectively, "it's a lucky thing for us this
world was all built before we were born. Know that? Because if they'd
ever started it under _modern_ conditions, there wouldn't be anything
to it yet but the Garden of Eden and Atlantic City and maybe Gopher
Prairie.... Well, I wonder what's next?"

"There won't _be_ any next, dear. Nothing can happen now. And aren't
you glad I've made us economize? Aren't you? Say your prayers!
Say--'bless Anna'!"

"Not Anna--_Polly_anna. Glad we economized! Why don't you say you're
glad it took two months to do two weeks' work because that gave me so
much more time to study the game, and find out how to run the theatre?
No, it goes back farther than that. I'm glad you caught me while I was
so young."

"Henry!"

"What? Don't you remember how you pursued me, and vamped me, and took
away my vo