WE GO ON THE AIR
of the cafeteria, and he loaded us with trays, paper napkins
and cutlery, and hoped that we would enjoy our lunch and
come again. We joined the queue filing down the counter
loaded with a great variety of enticing dishes, and we col-
lected salads, milk, strawberry shortcakes and cream cheese
which were all very fresh and exceedingly good. But the
help yourself cafeteria lunch is not so restful as the
" waitered " meal; having all the courses together on the
tray you walk straight through the lot, but with a waiter you
do a little waiting yourself and progress with a better
restraint.
In the afternoon we visited an entertainment agent to
enquire into his working methods. Fifth Avenue was thick
with pedestrians, and sleek cars and taxis, but very few
buses, blocked the road. There was no confusion, but it
took a good time to get across the Avenue, and also some
patience to discover the agent's location on the huge direc-
tory in the hall of a vast building. With incredible speed
we were turned out near the fortieth floor, and as we waited
by an open window came to the conclusion that this was the
right height at which to live in New York. On the street
level you are buried ; anything over the fortieth floor would
be too much above the battle, but at about thirty-five you
are in the centre of things, and the great city opens before
you; you can see where you are in that towering world, and
look between the great buildings to the river and the sea.
The agent was frank and very much to the point. All his
arrangements would be made at least fourteen months in
advance, and he would require a good deposit for advertising.
Hand-puppets, which he knew all about, had been badly
done in America ; there were many good marionette com-
panies and they did good business, but for hand-puppets
clients would expect to pay only about twenty-five dollars
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