“Well, sure, I say let's take it.”
“I don't know,” said Trina, hesitating. “Wouldn't it be lovely to have a house all to ourselves? But let's not decide until to-morrow.”
The next day the owner of the house called. Trina was out at her morning's marketing and the dentist, who had no one in the chair at the time, received him in the “Parlors.” Before he was well aware of it, McTeague had concluded the bargain. The owner bewildered him with a world of phrases, made him believe that it would be a great saving to move into the little house, and finally offered it to him “water free.”
“All right, all right,” said McTeague, “I'll take it.”
The other immediately produced a paper.
“Well, then, suppose you sign for the first month's rent, and we'll call it a bargain. That's business, you know,” and McTeague, hesitating, signed.
“I'd like to have talked more with my wife about it first,” he said, dubiously.
“Oh, that's all right,” answered the owner, easily. “I guess if the head of the family wants a thing, that's enough.”
McTeague could not wait until lunch time to tell the news to Trina. As soon as he heard her come in, he laid down the plaster-of-paris mould he was making and went out into the kitchen and found her chopping up onions.
“Well, Trina,” he said, “we got that house. I've taken it.”