sorrow always dried Mike up and robbed him of the power of speech.
Being naturally sympathetic, he had raged inwardly in many a crisis at
this devil of dumb awkwardness which possessed him and prevented him
from putting his sympathy into words. He had always envied the cooing
readiness of the hero on the stage when anyone was in trouble. He
wondered whether he would ever acquire that knack of pouring out a
limpid stream of soothing words on such occasions. At present he could
get no farther than a scowl and an almost offensive gruffness.

The happy thought struck him of consulting Psmith. It was his hour for
pottering, so he pottered round to the Postage Department, where he
found the old Etonian eyeing with disfavour a new satin tie which
Bristow was wearing that morning for the first time.

'I say, Smith,' he said, 'I want to speak to you for a second.'

Psmith rose. Mike led the way to a quiet corner of the Telegrams
Department.

'I tell you, Comrade Jackson,' said Psmith, 'I am hard pressed. The
fight is beginning to be too much for me. After a grim struggle, after
days of unremitting toil, I succeeded yesterday in inducing the man
Bristow to abandon that rainbow waistcoat of his. Today I enter the
building, blythe and buoyant, worn, of course, from the long struggle,
but seeing with aching eyes the dawn of another, better era, and there
is Comrade Bristow in a satin tie. It's hard, Comrade Jackson, it's
hard, I tell you.'

'Look here, Smith,' said Mike, 'I wish you'd go round to the Cash and
find out what's up with old Waller. He's got the hump about something.