I stared at the man, astounded. I was deeply moved. Well, I mean, wouldn’t any chap who had been going about thinking that the old feudal spirit was dead and then suddenly found it wasn’t have been deeply moved?

“Jeeves,” I said, “I am touched.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Touched and gratified.”

“Thank you very much, sir.”

“But what caused this change of heart?”

“I chanced to encounter Mr. Fink-Nottle in the garden, sir, while you were still in bed, and we had a brief conversation.”

“And you came away feeling that he needed a bracer?”

“Very much so, sir. His attitude struck me as defeatist.”

I nodded.