Дживс, вы – гений! / Thank you, Jeeves!

“When did he get back?”

“Last night.”

“Shall we be lunching alone?”

“No.”

“Who’s going to be there?”

“Mother and me and some people.”

“A party? I’d better go back and put on another suit.”

“No.”

“You think this one looks all right?”

“No, I don’t. I think it looks rotten. But there isn’t time.”

Then he gave me some local gossip.

“Mother and I are living at the Hall again.”

“What!”

“Yes. There’s a smell at the Dower House.

“Even though you’ve left it?”

He was not amused.

“You needn’t try to be funny. If you really want to know, I think it’s my mice.”

“Your what?”

“I’ve started breeding mice and puppies. And, of course, they stink a bit. Can you give me five shillings?”

“Five shillings?”

“Five shillings.”

“What do you mean, five shillings?”

“I mean five shillings.”

“But why? We were discussing mice, and you said about five shillings.

“I want five shillings.”

“Maybe. But why should I give it to you?”

“For protection.”

“What!”

“Protection.”

“What from?”

“Just protection.”

“You don’t get any five shillings out of me.”

“Oh, all right.”

He sat silent.

“Something happens to guys that don’t give me their protection money,” he said dreamily.

And on this note of mystery the conversation concluded, for we were moving up the drive of the Hall and on the steps I perceived Chuffy standing.

“Hallo, Bertie,” said Chuffy.

“Welcome to Chuffnell Hall,” I replied. I looked round. The kid had vanished. “I say, Chuffy,” I said, “young blighted Seabury. What about him?”

“What about him?”

“Well, if you ask me, he’s just been trying to get five shillings out of me and babbling about protection.”

Chuffy laughed heartily.

“Oh, that. That’s his latest idea.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s been seeing gangster films.

“He thinks he is a racketeer?”

“Yes. Rather amusing. He goes round collecting protection money from everybody. Makes a good profit. I’d pay up[42 - I’d pay up – я бы заплатил] if I were you. As for me, I gave him some coins.”

I was shocked. Chuffy was exhibiting this attitude of tolerance! Strange. Usually, when you meet him, he is talking about his poor financial situation. I sensed a mystery.