u
what his reason in this case will be: that the thing was practically a
failure, and that he would have lost money if he had kept it on."

"Is that what is worrying you? I don't believe it was a failure. I think
from all that the papers say, and the worst that they say, the piece was
a distinct success. It was a great success with nice people, you can
see that for yourself, and it will be a popular success, too; I know it
will, as soon as it gets a chance. But you may be sure that Godolphin
has some scheme about it, and that if he doesn't give it again in
Midland, it's because he wants to make people curious about it, and hold
it in reserve, or something like that. At any rate, I think you ought to
wait for his letter before you denounce him."

Maxwell laughed again at these specious arguments, but he could not
refuse to be comforted by them, and he had really nothing to do but to
wait for Godolphin's letter. It did not come the next mail, and then his
wife and he collated his dispatch with the newspaper notices, and tried
to make up a judicial opinion from their combined testimony concerning
the fate of the play with the audience. Their scrutiny of the telegram
developed the fact that it must have been sent the night of the
performance, and while Godolphin was still warm from his recalls and
from the congratulations of his friends; it could not have reached them
so soon as it did in the morning if it had been sent to the office then;
it was not a night message, but it had probably lain in the office over
night. In this view it was not such valuable testimony to the success of
the play as it had seemed before. But a second and a third reading of
the notices made them seem friendlier than at first. The Maxwells now
perceived that they had first read them in the fever of their joy from
Godolphin's telegram, and that their tempered approval had struck cold
upon them because they were so overheated. They were really very
favorable, after all, and they witnessed to an interest in the play
which could not be ignored. Very likely the interest in it was partly
from the fact that Godolphin had given it, but apart from this it was
evident that the play had established a claim of its own. The mail,
which did not bring a letter from Godolphin, brought another copy of
that evening paper which had printed the anticipatory interview with
him, and this had a long and careful consideration of the play in its
editorial columns, apparen