He turned to the man next to him. "Got the time?"
"Five to nine."
"That's what I thought. That means the ticket-office opens in five minutes." Hendriks rose on tiptoe and squinted ahead. "There must be five hundred people ahead of us."
"They say the theater holds five thousand."
"I know. And that you get the same effect no matter where you sit. But still, I'd like to be right down there in the front."
The other man nodded. "That goes for all of us."
Hendriks grinned. "You know, this is the first time I ever heard of an opening performance being managed right. I mean, thrown open for public sale instead of being reserved for bigwigs."
"Damned public-spirited," the other agreed.
Suddenly the line began to edge forward.
"They're selling tickets!"