To all appearances we are in a fairly tight place. It all depends on how big Comrade Spiller's gang will be. I don't like rows, but I'm prepared to take on a reasonable number of assailants in defense of the home."
Mike intimated that he was with him on the point. "The difficulty is, though," he said, "about when we leave this room. I mean, we're all right while we stick here, but we can't stay all night."
"That's just what I was about to point out when you put it with such admirable clearness. Here we are in a stronghold; they can only get at us through the door, and we can lock that."
"And jam a chair against it."
"_And_, as you rightly remark, jam a chair against it. But what of the nightfall? What of the time when we retire to our dormitory?"
"Or dormitories. I say, if we're in separate rooms we shall be in the cart."
Psmith eyed Mike with approval. "He thinks of everything! You're the man, Comrade Jackson, to conduct an affair of this kind--such foresight! such resource! We must see to this at once; if they put us in different rooms we're done--we shall be destroyed singly in the watches of the night."
"We'd better nip down to the matron right off."
"Not the matron--Comrade Outwood is the man. We are as sons to him; there is nothing he can deny us. I'm afraid we are quite spoiling his afternoon by these interruptions, but we must rout him out once more."
As they got up, the door handle rattled again, and this time there followed a knocking.
"This must be an emissary of Comrade Spiller's," said Psmith. "Let us parley with the man."
Mike unlocked the door. A light-haired youth with a cheerful, rather vacant face and a receding chin strolled into the room, and stood giggling with his hands in his pockets.
"I just came up to have a look at you," he explained.
"If you move a little to the left," said Psmith, "you will catch the light-and-shade effects on Jackson's face better."
The newcomer giggled with renewed vigor. "Are you the chap with the eyeglass who jaws all the time?"
"I _do_ wear an eyeglass," said Psmith; "as to the rest of the description--"
"My name's Jellicoe."
"Mine is Psmith--P-s-m-i-t-h--one of the Shropshire Psmiths. The object on the skyline is Comrade Jackson."
"Old Spiller," giggled Jellicoe, "is cursing you like anything downstairs. You _are_ chaps! Do you mean to say you simply bagged his study? He's making no end of a row about it."
"Spiller's fiery nature is a byword," said Psmith.
"What's he going to do?" asked Mike, in his practical way.
"He's going to get the chaps to turn you out."
"As I suspected," sighed Psmith, as one mourning over the frailty of human nature. "About how many horny-handed assistants should you say that he would be likely to bring? Will you, for instance, join the glad throng?"
"Me? No fear! I think Spiller's an ass."
"There's nothing like a common thought for binding people together. _I_ think Spiller's an ass."
"How many _will_ there be, then?" asked Mike.
"He might get about half a dozen, not more, because most of the chaps don't see why they should sweat themselves just because Spiller's study has been bagged."
"Sturdy common sense," said Psmith approvingly, "seems to be the chief virtue of the Sedleigh character."
"We shall be able to tackle a crowd like that," said Mike. "The only thing is we must get into the same dormitory."
"This is where Comrade Jellicoe's knowledge of the local geography will come in useful. Do you happen to know of any snug little room, with, say, about four beds in it? How many dormitories are there?"
"Five--there's one with three beds in it, only it belongs to three chaps."
"I believe in the equal distribution of property. We will go to Comrade Outwood and stake out another claim."
Mr. Outwood received them even more beamingly than before. "Yes, Smith?" he said.
"We must apologize for disturbing you, sir--"
"Not at all, Smith, not at all! I like the boys in my house to come to me when they wish for my advice or help."
"We were wondering, sir, if you would have any objection to Jackson, Jellicoe and myself sharing the dormitory with the three beds in it. A very warm friendship ..." explained Psmith, patting the gurgling Jellicoe kindly on the shoulder, "has sprung up between Jackson, Jellicoe and myself."
"You make friends easily, Smith. I like to see it--I like to see it."
"And we can have the room, sir?"
"Certainly--certainly! Tell the matron as you go down."
"And now," said Psmith, as they returned to the study, "we may say that we are in a fairly winning position. A vote of thanks to Comrade Jellicoe for his valuable assistance."
"You _are_ a chap!" said Jellicoe.
The handle began to revolve again.
"That door," said Psmith, "is getting a perfect incubus! It cuts into one's leisure cruelly."
This time it was a small boy. "They told me to come up and tell you to come down," he said.
Psmith looked at him searchingly through his eyeglass.
"Who?"
"The senior day room chaps."
"Spiller?"
"Spiller and Robinson and Stone, and some other chaps."
"They want us to speak to them?"
"They told me to come up and tell you to come down."
"Go and give Comrade Spiller our compliments and say that we can't come down, but shall be delighted to see him up here. Things," he said, as the messenger departed, "are beginning to move. Better leave the door open, I think; it will save trouble. Ah, come in, Comrade Spiller, what can we do for you?"
Spiller advanced into the study; the others waited outside, crowding in the doorway.
"Look here," said Spiller, "are you going to clear out of here or not?"
"After Mr. Outwood's kindly thought in giving us the room? You suggest a black and ungrateful action, Comrade Spiller."
