plenty of time. This fellow's never against any show much,
unless he takes a notion. You slip 'dolsy far nienty' or
something about Danty or logarithms somewhere into your play,
where it won't delay the action much, and he'll be for you."

Canby nodded and laughed eagerly. Tinker seemed to take it for
granted that "Roderick Hanscom" was to be produced in spite of
"another play I have been considering."

"There aren't any critics, I tell you!" Potter stormed.
"Mounet-Sully!"

"Well," said old Tinker quietly, "I'd like to believe it, but
people making a living that way have ruined a good many million
dollars' worth of property in this town. Some of it was very
good property." He paused, and added: "Some of it was mine,
too."

"Good property?" said the playwright with fresh uneasiness. "You
mean the critics sometimes ruin a good play?"

"How do they know a good play--or good acting?" Tinker returned
placidly. "Every play you ever saw in your life, some people in
the audience said they thought it was good; some said it was
bad. How do critics know any more about it than anybody else?
For instance, how can anybody that hasn't been in the business
tell what's good acting and what's a good part?"

"But a critic--aren't critics in the bus--"