IX

I took up Carpenter’s lunch at one o’clock, and discovered, to my dismay, that he had not tasted his breakfast.  I ventured to speak to him; but he sat on a chair, gazing ahead of him and paying no attention to me, so I left him alone.  At six o’clock in the evening I took up his dinner, and discovered that he had not touched either breakfast or lunch; but still he had nothing to say, so I took back the dinner, and went downstairs, and said to T-S:  “We’ve got ourselves in for a hunger strike!”

Needless to say, under the circumstances we did not very heartily enjoy our own dinner.  And T-S, neglecting his important business, stayed around; getting up out of one chair and walking nowhere, and then sitting down in another chair.  I did the same, and after we had exchanged chairs a dozen times—­it being then about eight o’clock in the evening—­I said:  “By the way, hadn’t you better call up the morning papers and persuade them to be decent.”  So T-S seated himself at the telephone, and asked for the managing editor of the Western City “Times,” and I sat and listened to the conversation.

It began with a reminder of the amount of advertising space which Eternal City consumed in the “Times” in the course of a year, and also the amount of its payroll in the community.  It wasn’t often that T-S asked favors, but he wanted to ask one now; he wanted the “Times” to let up on this prophet business, and especially about the prophet’s connection with the moving picture industry.  Everything was quiet now, the prophet wasn’t bothering anybody—­

Suddenly, at the height of his eloquence, T-S stopped; and it seemed to me as if he jumped a foot out of his chair.  “VOT!” And then, “Vy man, you’re crazy!” He turned upon me, his eyes wide with dismay.  “Billy!  Dey got a report—­Carpenter is shoost now speakin’ to a mob on de steps of de City Hall!”

The magnate did not wait to see me jump out of my chair or to hear my exclamations, but turned again to the telephone.  “My Gawd, man!  Vot do I know about it?  De feller vas up in his room two hours ago ven we took him his dinner!  He vouldn’t eat it, he vouldn’t speak—­”

That was the last I heard, having bolted out of the room, and upstairs.  I found Carpenter’s door locked; I opened it, and rushed in.  The place was empty!  The bird had flown!

How had he got out?  Had he climbed through the window and slid down a rain-spout in his prophetic robes?  Had he won the heart of some servant?  Had some newspaper reporter or agent of our enemies used bribery?  I rushed downstairs, and got my car from the garage; and all the way to the city I spent my time in such futile speculations.  How Carpenter, having escaped from the house, had managed to get into town so quickly—­that was much easier to figure out; for our highways are full of motor traffic, and almost any driver will take in a stranger.