“America!”
Do not lose sight of the fact that all this was taking place on an empty stomach, shortly after the rising of the lark.
“Yes, America. I suppose even you have heard of America?”
“But why America?”
“Because that is where your Cousin Gussie is. He is in New York, and I can’t get at him.”
“What’s Gussie been doing?”
“Gussie is making a perfect idiot of himself.”
To one who knew young Gussie as well as I did, the words opened up a wide field for speculation.
“In what way?”
“He has lost his head over a creature.”
On past performances this rang true. Ever since he arrived at man’s estate Gussie had been losing his head over creatures. He’s that sort of chap. But, as the creatures never seemed to lose their heads over him, it had never amounted to much.
“I imagine you know perfectly well why Gussie went to America, Bertie. You know how wickedly extravagant your Uncle Cuthbert was.”
She alluded to Gussie’s governor, the late head of the family, and I am bound to say she spoke the truth. Nobody was fonder of old Uncle Cuthbert than I was, but everybody knows that, where money was concerned, he was the most complete chump in the annals of the nation. He had an expensive thirst. He never backed a horse that didn’t get