devote himself to the drama. He devoted to it, I mean to say, all
the time he could spare from the improving of Peach Orchard.

Those days, the first of our prosperity and the first of our
housekeeping in a real house, were the happiest we had ever known.
Susan had been persuaded to let the place for a term of years with an
option to buy, so we felt as if we owned it already. But that is a
peculiarity of the Jardines.

We tore out the old plumbing, we put in two new bathrooms. We made a
laundry out of the storeroom. We cut doors and threw rooms together
which never had associated before, and we turned all the windows which
gave upon the porches into doors, so that we could step out-of-doors at
will. We ordered our porch screened entirely, and planned to furnish
it as a study for Aubrey. We put paper-hangers, painters, gas,
telephone, and electric men at work all over the house, and made them
promise, yea, even swear, to finish their work by a certain time.

But, having, as we thought, learned wisdom by experience, we put no
faith in their promises, but engaged Mr. Close in person to go every
day to superintend things.

As the day drew near to move we became most agitated as to ways and
means. It seemed a gigantic task to crate and barrel everything and
move from one town to another, and while we discussed hiring a car,
Mary interrupted.

"Excuse me, Boss and Missis dear, for putting in my two cents, but you
surely aren't thinking of sending all the furniture by freight, when
vans are so much more convenient?"

"Vans?" we cried. "Will vans move us thirty miles?"

"Fifty, if you like," said Mary, promptly.

"From one town to another?"

"From one State to another, and without taking the pins out of the
cushions or the sugar out of the bowls."

At once the idea of the sugar-bowls and pincushions fascinated me. I
begged Aubrey to investigate, and he agreed with enthusiasm to do it
the very next day.

"If I might suggest," said Mary again, "all Boss will have to do is to
telephone to two or three different companies to come and estimate the
cost. He won't have to run after 'em any farther than the telephone."

We followed her suggestion, and to our delight discovered that all she
said was true and more. They agreed to insure against breakage,
thieves, and fire; to pack all the stuff in vans one day, take them to
their warehouse for the early part of the night, and start at one
o'clock for Clovertown