Little wonder, then, that Gussie’s statement that Madeline made him sick smote me like a ton of bricks and had me indoors and bellowing for Jeeves before you could say What ho. As had so often happened before, I felt that my only course was to place myself in the hands of a higher power.
‘Sir?’ he said, manifesting himself.
‘A ghastly thing has happened, Jeeves! Disaster looms.’
‘Indeed, sir? I am sorry to hear that.’
There’s one thing you have to give Jeeves credit for. He lets the dead past bury its d. He and the young master may have had differences about Alpine hats with pink feathers in them, but when he sees the y.m. on the receiving end of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, he sinks his dudgeon and comes through with the feudal spirit at its best. So now, instead of being cold and distant and aloof, as a lesser man would have been, he showed the utmost agitation and concern. That is to say, he allowed one eyebrow to rise perhaps an eighth of an inch, which is as far as he ever goes in the way of expressing emotion.
‘What would appear to be the trouble, sir?’
I sank into a chair and mopped the frontal bone. Not for many a long day had I been in such a doodah. ‘I’ve just seen Gussie Fink-Nottle.’
‘Yes, sir. Mr. Fink-Nottle was here a moment ago.’
‘I met him outside. He was in a cab. And do you know what?’
‘No, sir.’
‘I happened to mention Miss Bassett’s name, and he said – follow this closely, Jeeves – he said – I quote – “Don’t talk to me about Madeline. Madeline makes me sick.” Close quotes.’
‘Indeed, sir?’
‘Those are not the words of love.’
‘No, sir.’
‘They are the words of a man who for some reason not disclosed is fed to the front teeth with the adored object. I hadn’t time to go into the matter, because a moment later he was off like a scalded cat to Paddington, but it’s pretty clear there must have been a rift in the what-d’you-call-it. Begins with an l.’
‘Would lute be the word for which you are groping, sir?’
‘Possibly. I don’t know that I’d care to bet on it.’
‘The poet Tennyson speaks of the little rift within the lute, that by and by will make the music mute and ever widening slowly silence all.’
‘Then lute it is. And we know what’s going to happen if this particular lute goes phut.’
We exchanged significant glances. At least, I gave him a significant glance, and he looked like a stuffed frog, his habit when being discreet. He knows just how I’m situated as regards M. Bassett, but naturally we don’t discuss it except by going into the sig-glance-stuffed-frog routine. I mean, you can’t talk about a thing like that. I don’t know if it would actually come under the head of speaking lightly of a woman’s name, but it wouldn’t be seemly, and the Woosters are sticklers for seemliness. So, for that matter, are the Jeeveses.
‘What ought I to do, do you think?’
‘Sir?’
‘Don’t stand there saying “Sir?” You know as well as I do that a situation has arisen which calls for the immediate coming of all good men to the aid of the party. It is of the essence that Gussie’s engagement does not spring a leak. Steps must be taken.’
‘It would certainly seem advisable, sir.’
‘But what steps? I ought, of course, to hasten to the seat of war and try to start the dove of peace going into its act – have a bash, in other words, at seeing what a calm, kindly man of the world can do to bring the young folks together, if you get what I mean.’
‘I apprehend you perfectly, sir. Your role, as I see it, would be that of what the French call the raisonneur?
‘You’re probably right. But mark this. Apart from the fact that the mere thought of being under the roof of Totleigh Towers again is one that freezes the gizzard, there’s another snag. I was talking to Stinker Pinker just now, and he says that Stiffy Byng has something she wants me to do for her. Well, you know the sort of thing Stiffy generally wants people to do. You recall the episode of Constable Oates’s helmet?’