Henry explained the genesis, exodus, and vicissitudes of Love in Babylon, and Mr. Snyder stretched out an arm and idly turned over a few leaves of the manuscript as it lay before its author.
'Who's your amanuensis?' he demanded, smiling.
'My aunt,' said Henry.
'Ah yes!' said Mr. Snyder, smiling still, 'It's too short, you know,' he added, grave. 'Too short. What length is it?'
'Nearly three hundred folios.'
'None of your legal jargon here,' Mr. Snyder laughed again. 'What's a folio?'
'Seventy-two words.'
'About twenty thousand words then, eh? Too short!'
'Does that matter?' Henry demanded. 'I should have thought——'
'Of course it matters,' Mr. Snyder snapped. 'If you went to a concert, and it began at eight and finished at half-past, would you go out satisfied with the performers' assurance that quality and not quantity was the thing? Ha, ha!'