Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-15

lay AS Shakespeare says If you're going to do
y thing, you might just as well pop right at it
and get it over. The man would be dsappoint-
ed of course, and possibly even chagrined but,
dash it all, spot of disappointment here and
there does fellow good. Makes him realize
that life is stern and life is earnest.
"Oh Jeeves" said.
"Sir?"
1--WE have here communication from Lady
Wickham inviting me to SEEDLINGS for the fes-
tivities. We repair thither on the 23d. We
shall be there some little time expect"
There was pause. could feel he was di-
Tecting frosty gaze at me.
ct thought understood you to say. sir, that
you proposed to visit Monte Carlo Immediately
after Christmas"
ct know. But that's all of. Plans changed"
At this point the telephone bell rang, tiding
over very nicely what had threatened to be an
awkward moment. JeeveS unlocked the re-
ceiver.
eyes? Yes, madam. Very good,
madam. Here is Mr.. wooster" He handed
me the instrument. MRS. Spenser Gregsor,
sir"
You know, every now and then can't help
feeling that Jeeves is losing his grip. In his
prime it would have been with him the work Of
a moment to have told my Aunt Agatha that
was not at home. gave him one of those re-
proachful glances, and took the machine.
"Hullo?" I said. Eyes? Yes? Yes? BERTHE
speaking. Hullo? Hul1o? Hullo?"
Don't keep on saying hullo," yipped the old
relative in her customary curt manner. You're
not parrot. Sometimes wish you were be-
cause then you might have little sense
Quite the wrong tone, of course, but what can
one do?
"Bertie, Lady Wickham tells me she has in
vited you to SEEDLINGS for Christmas. Are you
going?"
Rather"
"well, behave yourself Lady wickham is an
old friend of mine"
'I shall naturally endeavor. Aunt Agatha"
replied stif1y, Ito conduct myself in a manner
betting an English gentleman paying o
visit"
"what did you say9 Speak up. can't hear"
ct said right-ho."
WOH9 Well, mind you do And there's an
other reason why particularly wish you to
be as little of an inbecile as you can manage
while at SEEDLINGS. Sir Roderick Glossop will
be there"
"What?"
"Don't below like that"
"Did you say Sir Roderick Glossop?"
at did"
"You don't mean Tuppy Closeup"
II mean Sir Roderick Glossop. Which was
my reason for saying Sir Roderick Glossop
Now, BERTHE, want you to listen to me atten-
lively. Are you there?"
eyes. Still here"
''Wen then, listen. have at last succeeded
after incredible difficulty and in face of all the
evidence, in almost persuading Sir Roderick
that you are not actually insane. He is pre-
pared to suspend Judgment until he has seen
you once more. On your behavior at SEEDLINGS.
therefore"
But I had hung up the receiver. Shaken.
That's what was.
This Glossop was formidable old bird with
o bald head and OUTSIDE eyebrows, by profess
sion a loony-doctor How it happened, I
couldn't tell you to this day, but I once got
engaged to his daughter Honoria, CHASTITY
dynamic exhibit who read Nietzsche and had a
laugh like waves breaking on stern and rock
bound coast The fixture was scratched owing
to events occurring which convinced the old
boy that was off my napper, and since then
he has always had my name at the top of his
list of Loonies Have Lunched With.
"Jeeves," said all of a twitter, "do you
know what? Sir Roderick GloSsop is going to
be at Lady Wickhams."
Every good, sir. If you have finished break
fast, will clear away
Cold and naughty. No sympathy. None of
the rallying round spirit which one likes to see.
AS had anticipated Jeeves had been looking
forward to little hutter at the tables We
Woosters can wear the mask I ignored his
lack Of decent feeling.
'Do so, Jeeves," said proudly.
Going down to SEEDLINGS on the 23d, Jeeves
was aloof and reserved. And before dinner on
the first night of my visit he put the studs in
my dress shirt in what can only call marked
manner. The whole thing was extremely pain
full, and it seemed to me, as lay in bed on the
morning of the gath, that the only step to take
was to put the whole facts of the before
him and trust to his native good sense to effect
an understanding.
MY hostess, Lady Wickham, was beaky
female, built far too closely on the line of my
Aunt Agatha for comfort, but daughter Roberta
had welcomed me with warmth which, I'm
bound to say, had set the old heartstrings hut-