“’Pon my word! How long have you been at it?”
“This is my fifth day.”
“Business good?” The manager’s eyes twinkled. Jarvis smiled gravely.
“I have been wishing it would rain,” he confessed.
“When do you write?”
“At night, now. But this is only temporarily.”
“What do you think of my idea of another play?”
“The idea is all right, if you will only take it when I’ve done it.”
“How long have you been at this play writing?”
“Three years.”
“How long do you suppose it took me to learn to be a manager?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, nearer three times ten than three years, and I am still learning. You writing fellows never want to learn your trade like other people. You talk about inspiration and uplifting the public, and all that, and you want to do it in six months. You go to work on this new idea, and come back here when you’ve finished it. Then it will be time enough to talk about my end of it.”
Jarvis rose.
“I am obliged to you, sir. I shall do it.”
