“Well,� said Pierce casually, “as you are so much immersed in mathematics, I’ll leave you. As a matter of fact, I had a message for Professor Green, about Miss Dale at the house where he was lodging; but we mustn’t interrupt scientific studies for a little thing like that.�
Green’s head came up from the papers with great abruptness.
“Message!� he cried eagerly. “What message? Is it really for me?�
“8282.003,� replied Pierce coldly.
“Don’t be offended,� said Blair. “Give the Professor his message and then go if you like.�
“It’s only that she came over to see my wife to find out where you had gone to,� said Pierce. “I told her, so far as it’s possible to tell anybody. That’s all,� he added, but rather with the air of one saying “it ought to be enough.�
Apparently it was, for Green, who was once more looking down upon the precious papers, crumpled one of them in his clenched hand unconsciously, like a man suddenly controlling his feelings.
“Well, I’m off,� said Pierce cheerfully; “got to visit the other dumps.�
“Stop a minute,� said Blair, as the other turned away. “Haven’t you any sort of public news as well as private news? How are things going in the political world?�
“Expressed in mathematical formula,� replied Pierce over his shoulder, “the political news is MP squared plus LSD over U equals L. L let loose. L upon earth, my boy.�