"The Kid has had to leave then?"
"He wants to go into training at once. He very sportingly offered to cancel his match, but of course that would never do. Unless you consider Comrade Maloney equal to the job, I must look around me for some one else. I shall be too fully occupied with purely literary matters to be able to deal with chance callers. But I have a scheme."
"What"s that?"
"It seems to me that we are allowing much excellent material to lie unused in the shape of Comrade Jarvis."
"Bat Jarvis."
"The same. The cat-specialist to whom you endeared yourself somewhat earlier in the proceedings by befriending one of his wandering animals. Little deeds of kindness, little acts of love, as you have doubtless heard, help, etc. Should we not give Comrade Jarvis an opportunity of proving the correctness of this statement?
I think so. Shortly after you--if you will forgive me for touching on a painful subject--have been haled to your dungeon, I will push round to Comrade Jarvis"s address, and sound him on the subject.
Unfortunately, his affection is confined, I fancy, to you. Whether he will consent to put himself out on my behalf remains to be seen.
However, there is no harm in trying. If nothing else comes of the visit, I shall at least have had the opportunity of chatting with one of our most prominent citizens."
A policeman appeared at the door.
"Say, pal," he remarked to Psmith, "you"ll have to be fading away soon, I guess. Give you three minutes more. Say it quick."
He retired. Billy leaned forward to Psmith.
"I guess they won"t give me much chance," he whispered, "but if you see me around in the next day or two, don"t be surprised."
"I fail to follow you, Comrade Windsor."
"Men have escaped from Blackwell"s Island before now. Not many, it"s true; but it has been done."
Psmith shook his head.
"I shouldn"t," he said. "They"re bound to catch you, and then you will be immersed in the soup beyond hope of recovery. I shouldn"t wonder if they put you in your little cell for a year or so."
"I don"t care," said Billy stoutly. "I"d give a year later on to be round and about now."
"I shouldn"t," urged Psmith. "All will be well with the paper. You have left a good man at the helm."
"I guess I shan"t get a chance, but I"ll try it if I do."
The door opened and the policeman reappeared.
"Time"s up, I reckon."
"Well, good-bye, Comrade Windsor," said Psmith regretfully.
"Abstain from undue worrying. It"s a walk-over from now on, and there"s no earthly need for you to be around the office. Once, I admit, this could not have been said. But now things have simplified themselves. Have no fear. This act is going to be a scream from start to finish."
CHAPTER XXIV
A GATHERING OF CAT-SPECIALISTS
Master Maloney raised his eyes for a moment from his book as Psmith re-entered the office.
"Dere"s a guy in dere waitin" ter see youse," he said briefly, jerking his head in the direction of the inner room.
"A guy waiting to see me, Comrade Maloney? With or without a sand-bag?"
"Says his name"s Jackson," said Master Maloney, turning a page.
Psmith moved quickly to the door of the inner room.
"Why, Comrade Jackson," he said, with the air of a father welcoming home the prodigal son, "this is the maddest, merriest day of all the glad New Year. Where did you come from?"
Mike, looking very brown and in excellent condition, put down the paper he was reading.
"Hullo, Psmith," he said. "I got back this morning. We"re playing a game over in Brooklyn to-morrow."
"No engagements of any importance to-day?"
"Not a thing. Why?"
"Because I propose to take you to visit Comrade Jarvis, whom you will doubtless remember."
"Jarvis?" said Mike, puzzled. "I don"t remember any Jarvis."
"Let your mind wander back a little through the jungle of the past.
Do you recollect paying a visit to Comrade Windsor"s room--"
"By the way, where is Windsor?"
"In prison. Well, on that evening--"
"In prison?"
"For thirty days. For slugging a policeman. More of this, however, anon. Let us return to that evening. Don"t you remember a certain gentleman with just about enough forehead to keep his front hair from getting all tangled up with his eye-brows?"
"Oh, the cat chap? _I_ know."
"As you very justly observe, Comrade Jackson, the cat chap. For going straight to the mark and seizing on the salient point of a situation, I know of no one who can last two minutes against you.
Comrade Jarvis may have other sides to his character--possibly many--but it is as a cat chap that I wish to approach him to-day."
"What"s the idea? What are you going to see him for?"
"We," corrected Psmith. "I will explain all at a little luncheon at which I trust that you will be my guest. Already, such is the stress of this journalistic life, I hear my tissues crying out imperatively to be restored. An oyster and a gla.s.s of milk somewhere round the corner, Comrade Jackson? I think so, I think so."
"I was reading _Cosy Moments_ in there," said Mike, as they lunched.
"You certainly seem to have bucked it up rather. Kid Brady"s reminiscences are hot stuff."