Psmith in the City

New Asiatic Bank; and he was to enter upon his duties, whatever they might be, on the Tuesday of the following week. It was short notice, but banks have a habit of swal

restive, but I was firm. We parted rather with the Distant Stare than the Friendly Smile. But I shall persevere. In many ways the casual observer would say that he was hopeless. He is a poor performer at Bridge, as I was compelled to hint to him on Saturday night. His eyes have no animated sparkle of intelligence. And the cut of his clothes jars my sensitive soul to its foundations. I don't wis

im of the disaster which had befallen the house of Jackson. Mike wished he could have told him in person, for Psmith had a way of treating unpleasant situations as if he were merely playing at them fo

sed the Rubicon. The occasion was too serious for him to feel the same helplessly furious feeling with which he had embarked on life at Sedleigh. It was possible to look on Sedleigh with quite a personal enmity. London was too big to be angry with. It took no notice of him. It did not care whether he was glad to be there or

ondon, he was under the impression that rooms anywhere inside the four-mile radius were very expensive, but principally because there was a school at Dulwich, and i

e College, he came out into Acacia Road. There is something about Acacia Road which inevitably sugges

e first door over

ss of engaging furnished apartments. Those who let furnished apartments see

abandon of Mr George Robey. Her voice she had modelled on the gramophone. Her most recent occupation seemed to have been something with a good deal of yellow soap in it. As a matter of fact-t

, and regarded Mike with an eye which would hav

anything?

f manner to back gracefully away and disappear, so he said that t

me dame. Which Mike interpreted

came to a door. The pantomime dame opened this, and shu

s. To Mike, used to the comforts of his bedroom at home and the cheerful simplicity of a school dormi

Then he said: 'Yes.' There d

obable that it ever would be a nice room. But it looked cheap. That was the great thing. Nobody could have the assurance to charge much for a room like

at the bank would be about four pounds ten a month, to begin with, and his father was allowing

ld 'do' it at seven and sixpence per week 'for him'-giving him to understand, presumably, that, if the Shah of Persia or Mr Carnegie ever applied for a night's r

nder the bed, after the manner of a professional Associati

ld be all right. The pantomim

'll be wanting breakfast. Bac

d he sup

e said. 'And dinner? A

ht of fancy. A chop or a nice steak

the pantomime dame in her

the railway bridge was not locked. He went in, and walked slowly across the turf towards the big clump of trees which marked the division between the cricket and football fields. It was all very pleasant and soothing after the pantomime dame and her stuffy bed-sitting room. He sat down on a bench beside the second eleven telegraph-board, and looked across the ground at the pavilion. For the first time that day he began to feel really home-sick. Up till now the excitement of a strange venture had borne him up; but the crick

r, but Mike sat on, thinking. It was quite late when he got up, and bega