Part 39 (2/2)
He was still fiddling away at it when Mike returned.
Mike, though Psmith was at first too absorbed to notice it, was agitated.
”I don't wish to be in any way harsh,” said Psmith, without looking up, ”but the man who invented this thing was a blighter of the worst type.
You come and have a shot. For the moment I am baffled. The whisper flies round the clubs, 'Psmith is baffled.'”
”The man's an absolute driveling a.s.s,” said Mike warmly.
”Me, do you mean?”
”What on earth would be the point of my doing it?”
”You'd gather in a thousand of the best. Give you a nice start in life.”
”I'm not talking about your rotten puzzle.”
”What _are_ you talking about?”
”That a.s.s Downing. I believe he's off his nut.”
”Then your chat with Comrade Downing was not of the old-College-chums-meeting-unexpectedly-after-years'-separation type?
What has he been doing to you?”
”He's off his nut.”
”I know. But what did he do? How did the brainstorm burst? Did he jump at you from behind a door and bite a piece out of your leg, or did he say he was a teapot?”
Mike sat down.
”You remember that painting-Sammy business?”
”As if it were yesterday,” said Psmith. ”Which it was, pretty nearly.”
”He thinks I did it.”
”Why? Have you ever shown any talent in the painting line?”
”The silly a.s.s wanted me to confess that I'd done it. He as good as asked me to. Jawed a lot of rot about my finding it to my advantage later on if I behaved sensibly.”
”Then what are you worrying about? Don't you know that when a master wants you to do the confessing act, it simply means that he hasn't enough evidence to start in on you with? You're all right. The thing's a stand-off.”
”Evidence!” said Mike. ”My dear man, he's got enough evidence to sink a s.h.i.+p. He's absolutely sweating evidence at every pore. As far as I can see, he's been crawling about, doing the Sherlock Holmes business for all he's worth ever since the thing happened, and now he's dead certain that I painted Sammy.”
”_Did_ you, by the way?” said Psmith.
”No,” said Mike shortly, ”I didn't. But after listening to Downing I almost began to wonder if I hadn't. The man's got stacks of evidence to prove that I did.”
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