Jack and Lorene were to leave on their honeymoon the next day. That afternoon he announced his intention of going to the bargain basement and lodging a complaint.
"That suit and shirt I had on were clothes I bought there," he said. "If their stuff's going to disintegrate like that, it's not worth even what little I paid for it. After that trouble with the television set.... Say, what happened to the television set? I'll bet Ken took it with him!"
"And to think I almost married him!" shuddered Lorene.
On the way to the bargain basement, Jack explained to Lorene what Ken had told him: how the bargain basement existed in the future, and the door to it was a fault in time.
They passed Wing Fan's laundry and turned into the alley. They went down the steps to the basement door and opened it.
A blank wall of raw earth met their eyes.
"What in blazes!" exclaimed Jack.
There were footsteps in the alley above them. Old man Caswell came down the steps with a policeman in tow.
"My basement!" Caswell was complaining bitterly, almost shouting. "I was going to rent it today, and somebody fills it up with dirt. Why, I ask you, why? Why would anybody want to fill my basement with dirt?"
He caught sight of Jack and Lorene standing to one side.