as he resumed his favouriteposition against

"One moment, Spiller," said Psmith. "There is just one other matter,if you could spare the time, sir.""Certainly, Smith. What is that?""Would there be any objection to Jackson and myself taking Simpson'sold study?""By all means, Smith. A very good idea.""Yes, sir. It would give us a place where we could work quietly in theevenings.""Quite so. Quite so.""Thank you very much, sir. We will move our things in.""Thank you very much, sir," said Mike. 　　"Please, sir," shouted Spiller, "aren't I to have it? I'm next on thelist, sir. I come next after Simpson. Can't I have it?""I'm afraid I have already promised it to Smith, Spiller. You shouldhave spoken before.""But, sir----"Psmith eyed the speaker pityingly. 　　"This tendency to delay, Spiller," he said, "is your besetting fault. 　　Correct it, Edwin. Fight against it."He turned to Mr. Outwood. 　　"We should, of course, sir, always be glad to see Spiller in ourstudy. He would always find a cheery welcome waiting there for him. 　　There is no formality between ourselves and Spiller.""Quite so. An excellent arrangement, Smith. I like this spirit ofcomradeship in my house. Then you will be with us on Saturday?""On Saturday, sir.""All this sort of thing, Spiller," said Psmith, as they closed thedoor, "is very, very trying for a man of culture. Look us up in ourstudy one of these afternoons." Chapter 34 Guerilla Warfare "There are few pleasures," said Psmith, as he resumed his favouriteposition against the mantelpiece and surveyed the commandeered studywith the pride of a householder, "keener to the reflective mind thansitting under one's own roof-tree. This place would have been wastedon Spiller; he would not have appreciated it properly."Mike was finishing his tea. "You're a jolly useful chap to have by youin a crisis, Smith," he said with approval. "We ought to have knowneach other before.""The loss was mine," said Psmith courteously. "We will now, with yourpermission, face the future for awhile. I suppose you realise that weare now to a certain extent up against it. Spiller's hot Spanish bloodis not going to sit tight and do nothing under a blow like this.""What can he do? Outwood's given us the study.""What would you have done if somebody had bagged your study?""Made it jolly hot for them!""So will Comrade Spiller. I take it that he will collect a gang andmake an offensive movement against us directly he can. To allappearances we are in a fairly tight place. It all depends on how bigComrade Spiller's gang will be. I don't like rows, but I'm prepared totake on a reasonable number of bravoes in defence 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 allright 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 suchadmirable clearness. Here we are in a stronghold, they can only get atus 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 whatof 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 thecart."Psmith eyed Mike with approval. "He thinks of everything! You're theman, Comrade Jackson, to conduct an affair of this kind--suchforesight! such resource! We must see to this at once; if they put usin different rooms we're done--we shall be destroyed singly in thewatches 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 hisafternoon by these interruptions, but we must rout him out once more."As they got up, the door handle rattled again, and this time therefollowed a knocking.