Henry was a trifle dizzy, but he retained his perspective. "Yes, but who'd want to keep open for charity?"
She gave a little cry of exultation. "But that's _exactly_ what we want to do! That's what we _are_ going to do. And they can't prevent us, either. We're going to keep open for a high, noble purpose, and not charge a cent. And the more I thought, and Mr. Mix bragged, the more I ... so I wrote it all down on the back of that blank the man gave me--and there it is--and _I_ think it's perfectly gorgeous--even if it _is_ mine. _Now_ who's Methuselah's wife?"
On the back of the blank there was written, in shaky capitals, what was evidently intended as the copy for an advertisement. She watched Henry eagerly as he read it, and when at first she could detect no change in his expression, her eyes widened, and her lips trembled imperceptibly. Then Henry, half-way down the page, began to grin: and his grin spread and spread until his whole face was abeam with joy. He came to the last line, gasped, looked up at Anna, and suddenly springing towards her, he caught her in his arms, and waltzed her madly about the living-room.
When he released her, her hat was set at a new and rakish angle, and she had lost too many hair-pins, but to Henry she had never looked half so adorable.
"Of course," he panted, "everybody else'll do it too, as soon as we've showed 'em how--"
"What--what difference does _that_ make?"
"That's right, too...." He fairly doubled himself with mirth. "Can't you just see Mix's face when he sees _this_ writing on the wall--of the Orpheum?"
"I--I've been seeing it all afternoon. When can we start?"
"Right away. _Now._" He stopped, rigid. "No, we won't either. No we _won't_. First, we've got to see the Judge--we've got to make sure there's no flaw in it. And _then_--we won't _let_ anybody copy us!"
Henry was electric. "What's a movie theatre worth on Sunday? When they can't give a show anyway? I'll rent every house in town for every Sunday from now 'till August! I'll have to go slow, so nobody'll suspect. It may take a month, or _two_ months, but what do we care? We'll play it sure. It won't cost too much, and we've got the cash in the bank. We've--" He paused again, and looked down at her, and his voice fell a semi-tone. "I don't know where I get all this _we_ stuff. _I_'d have spent two-thirds of it by this time. You're the one that's saved it--and earned it too, by gosh!" He lifted her hands, and while she watched him, with shining eyes, he deliberately kissed the tip of each of her ten fingers. "_That's_ where the money's come from," said Henry, clearing his throat. "Out of dish-water. Only tonight we're going out to a restaurant and eat ourselves logy, and you won't wash a damn dish. It's my party."