The boot became the centre of attraction, the cynosure of all eyes.

　　Mr. Downing fixed it with the piercing stare of one who feels that hisbrain is tottering. The headmaster looked at it with a mildly puzzledexpression. Psmith, putting up his eyeglass, gazed at it with a sortof affectionate interest, as if he were waiting for it to do a trickof some kind.

　　Mr. Downing was the first to break the silence.

　　"There was paint on this boot," he said vehemently. "I tell you therewas a splash of red paint across the toe. Smith will bear me out inthis. Smith, you saw the paint on this boot?""Paint, sir!""What! Do you mean to tell me that you did _not_ see it?""No, sir. There was no paint on this boot.""This is foolery. I saw it with my own eyes. It was a broad splashright across the toe."The headmaster interposed.

　　"You must have made a mistake, Mr. Downing. There is certainly notrace of paint on this boot. These momentary optical delusions are,I fancy, not uncommon. Any doctor will tell you----""I had an aunt, sir," said Psmith chattily, "who was remarkablysubject----""It is absurd. I cannot have been mistaken," said Mr. Downing. "I ampositively certain the toe of this boot was red when I found it.""It is undoubtedly black now, Mr. Downing.""A sort of chameleon boot," murmured Psmith.

　　The goaded housemaster turned on him.

　　"What did you say, Smith?""Did I speak, sir?" said Psmith, with the start of one coming suddenlyout of a trance.

　　Mr. Downing looked searchingly at him.

　　"You had better be careful, Smith.""Yes, sir.""I strongly suspect you of having something to do with this.""Really, Mr. Downing," said the headmaster, "that is surelyimprobable. Smith could scarcely have cleaned the boot on his way tomy house. On one occasion I inadvertently spilt some paint on a shoeof my own. I can assure you that it does not brush off. It needs avery systematic cleaning before all traces are removed.""Exactly, sir," said Psmith. "My theory, if I may----?""Certainly, Smith."Psmith bowed courteously and proceeded.

　　"My theory, sir, is that Mr. Downing was deceived by the light andshade effects on the toe of the boot. The afternoon sun, streaming inthrough the window, must have shone on the boot in such a manner as togive it a momentary and fictitious aspect of redness. If Mr. Downingrecollects, he did not look long at the boot. The picture on theretina of the eye, consequently, had not time to fade. I rememberthinking myself, at the moment, that the boot appeared to have acertain reddish tint. The mistake----""Bah!" said Mr. Downing shortly.

　　"Well, really," said the headmaster, "it seems to me that that is theonly explanation that will square with the facts. A boot that isreally smeared with red paint does not become black of itself in thecourse of a few minutes.""You are very right, sir," said Psmith with benevolent approval. "MayI go now, sir? I am in the middle of a singularly impressive passageof Cicero's speech De Senectute.""I am sorry that you should leave your preparation till Sunday, Smith.

　　It is a habit of which I altogether disapprove.""I am reading it, sir," said Psmith, with simple dignity, "forpleasure. Shall I take the boot with me, sir?""If Mr. Downing does not want it?"The housemaster passed the fraudulent piece of evidence to Psmithwithout a word, and the latter, having included both masters in akindly smile, left the garden.

　　Pedestrians who had the good fortune to be passing along the roadbetween the housemaster's house and Mr. Outwood's at that moment sawwhat, if they had but known it, was a most unusual sight, thespectacle of Psmith running. Psmith's usual mode of progression was adignified walk. He believed in the contemplative style rather than thehustling.

　　On this occasion, however, reckless of possible injuries to the creaseof his trousers, he raced down the road, and turning in at Outwood'sgate, bounded upstairs like a highly trained professional athlete.

　　On arriving at the study, his first act was to remove a boot from thetop of the pile in the basket, place it in the small cupboard underthe bookshelf, and lock the cupboard. Then he flung himself into achair and panted.

　　"Brain," he said to himself approvingly, "is what one chiefly needs inmatters of this kind. Without brain, where are we? In the soup, everytime. The next development will be when Comrade Downing thinks itover, and is struck with the brilliant idea that it's just possiblethat the boot he gave me to carry and the boot I did carry were notone boot but two boots. Meanwhile----"He dragged up another chair for his feet and picked up his novel.

　　He had not been reading long when there was a footstep in the passage,and Mr. Downing appeared.

　　The possibility, in fact the probability, of Psmith having substitutedanother boot for the one with the incriminating sp............