mean?â
âDo your colleagues get their exercise this way?â
âHey, this is my little secret. Can you imagine what theyâd say if they saw me jumping up and down on that thing? But why would anyone take that?â
When they left Izquierdoâs office, the door of Wackâs office was cracked slightly. Phil gestured him out, and on the second invitation Wack emerged.
âI just want to confirm something, Professor.â Phil took Izquierdo to the door of Wackâs office and pointed to the corner. âIs that the sort of thing youâre missing?â
With a cry, Izquierdo sprang into the office. When he came out he was flourishing a pogo stick.
âYou thief!â
âWhat is that? I never saw it before!â
âSo you steal unconsciously?â
Wack took hold of Jimmy Stewartâs sleeve. âHe must have left it there last night. The investigator.â
âWant to show us how that works, Professor?â Phil asked.
This flustered Izquierdo. A door across the hall opened and a lovely young woman appeared. âWhat on earth is going on?â She smiled when she said it.
Introductions all around. But it was the pogo stick that fascinated her.
âI havenât used one of those in years. Can I try it?â
âWatch the ceiling.â
When Phil and Jimmy left, Professor Goessen was hopping up and down, with others who had emerged from their offices applauding the performance.
In the elevator, Jimmy asked, âIs everybody nuts?â
âCompared to what?â
6
At his son Billâs insistence, Fred Fenster had given Roger Knight a call and invited him to lunch at the Morris Inn. The description his son had given him did not prepare him for the apparition that needed both doors opened in order to come into the lobby. A fur cap was pulled down over his ears; he seemed to have several layers of clothing beneath the massive blue parka with NOTRE DAME emblazoned in yellow across the back. His trousers were stuffed into unbuckled galoshes, which made his passage that of a tinkling Santa. His glasses fogged up immediately, and he removed them and looked myopically around. Fred went to his guest and introduced himself.
âFred? But isnât it Manfred?â
âIâm afraid it is. My mother had no sense of humor. Or maybe she did.â
âOf course you wouldnât remember Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog.â
âTom Terrific! Of course I do.â
âSo we must have similar misspent youths.â
Fred helped remove several layers of clothing of his guestâs and pass them over the Dutch door to the attendant. Rogerâs entry into the dining room commanded everyoneâs attention as he maneuvered carefully between the tables, attended by the hostess, several waitresses, and the amused gaze of the assembly. Rogerâs smile seemed meant indifferently for them all. At table Fred mentioned that his mother had mistaken Manfred for Buonconte in the Purgatorio when she named him.
âSaved by a single tear.â
âIt is my hope.â
âThat is the CSC motto, you know. Spes Unica. An anchor and cross. I think the motto has Marian overtones as well. Thatâs clear enough in the universityâs motto. Vita, Dulcedo, Spes. â
âYouâd be surprised how little I know about my university.â He had known what Roger said, but it seemed humble to pretend he didnât.
âNo I wouldnât. Lack of curiosity about the past of the place seems widespread. Maybe we look ahead too exclusively. What do you do, Fred?â
This was always the difficult question. He could say what he was doing at the time, as if it were a profession or a job, but he found he did not want to mislead Roger Knight. He was beginning to understand Billâs devotion to this improbable personage.
âIâm afraid I am one of the idle rich.â
âRetired?â
âWell, you see, I never had to
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