Obelists at Sea (1932) by C. Daly King

Author:C. Daly King [King, C. Daly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penzler Publishers
Published: 2023-03-27T00:00:00+00:00

PART FIVE

PROFESSOR KNOTT COE MITTLE: MIDDLE GROUNDING

‘Yes, sir,’ said Drake, ‘if you’ll believe it, sir, he was in the swimming pool all the time.’

‘And why shouldn’t he be?’ the captain demanded. ‘The man can’t be expected to finish his swim in five minutes, after all.’

‘But he wasn’t swimming.’

‘He wasn’t swimming? Oh, I see; he was exercising in the gymnasium.’

‘No, sir, nor that either. He was writing his address for the Convention.’

‘Eh?’ asked the startled captain. ‘Writing his address, did you say? And where was he writing it, pray? On the walls? Or in the water?’

‘No, sir,’ grinned the executive officer. ‘The chief steward and I found him sitting on a camp stool banging away at his typewriter, all got up in his bathing suit, right at the edge of the pool. Books piled up all around him in the wet.’

‘He must be looney, Drake.’

‘Not at all, sir. Trifle unconventional, perhaps. He explained to me that he bothered no one down there, and was undisturbed himself. He says he likes to get away from people when he composes his papers, and also for some reason, he is fond of looking out over water. I believe he tried the sun deck but found it too windy. Papers blew about or something. It all seemed reasonable enough when he explained it. He’ll be up presently, when he’s dressed.’

Captain Mansfield still appeared somewhat mystified when Mann opened the door and admitted Professor Mittle, but turned to other topics. ‘Ah, Professor, there you are. I hope I didn’t interrupt your address? I didn’t mean you to come up at once if you were busy.’

‘Not at all, Captain Mansfield. I had finished, in fact. And it wasn’t my address; it was a short paper upon the word association test, as used recently by Dr. Plechs. There were some unusual features. I thought I would note them down, for the future.’

‘Oh,’ Drake put in, ‘then I informed the captain incorrectly. But I’m glad to hear you are interested in our investigations. Captain Mansfield wants to obtain your opinion on them.’

Mansfield confirmed the executive’s statement, but the professor’s interest seemed to have been fully satisfied by his late notes. ‘I am afraid,’ he began, ‘that it is useless to ask my opinion. While I should be happy to assist, very happy indeed, Captain, I do not quite see what I can do. The other gentlemen have tried their methods, but I judge that they have not succeeded, if the question is still undecided. And to tell you the truth, the matter seems to me to be outside our province. I would really not care to make any claims about it at all.’

‘No, no, Professor, you have mistaken my intention.’ Captain Mansfield smiled reassuringly. ‘I do not expect you to say, “Here is your criminal,” or to advocate anyone’s immediate arrest. But, as we have not yet succeeded in solving this serious problem, despite everyone’s efforts, I thought perhaps you would be willing to help us. Maybe regarding the methods we have so far employed.

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