OUR COUNTRY LIFE 



"moving the pier!' If the Constant Improver had 

 casually said that he thought of moving the house I 

 could not have been more surprised. 



"Are you really going to move the pier?" I asked. 

 "Where to? And why?" 



"Well, I 'm not going to do it right away," so he 

 temporized, this was in September, "but it cer 

 tainly would improve the looks of this shore very much 

 to have the pier away." 



No one could deny that. "But where will you put 

 it?" I persisted. "We must have one, you know." 

 For I am always dreading the moment when the Con 

 stant Improver's strong sense of the beautiful will 

 overcome his practical ideas. 



"I think it will go the other side of the island and 

 be entirely out of the way." 



"But the distance from the house?" I began. 



"It is very little longer," he interrupted, "and that 

 will bring all guests whether arriving by boat or motor 

 to the front door." 



As usual he was right. In January the heavy 



148 



