The Episode of the Financial Napoleon
Encyclopedia
"The Episode of the Financial Napoleon" is a short story
by P. G. Wodehouse
and C. H. Bovill, which first appeared in the United Kingdom
in the May 1914 issue of the Strand
, and in the United States
in the June 1916 Pictorial Review
. It was published in book form in the collection A Man of Means
in 1991, and is sometimes referred to by the title "The Bolt for the Blue".
It is the second of six stories to feature Roland Bleke, a young man for whom financial success is always a mixed blessing.
" lands in the garden of the Sussex
home of one Geoffrey Windlebird, financier of somewhat dubious standing. A perpetual juggler of near-bankrupt companies, Windelbird is on the edge of bankruptcy and scandal as a mining claim he has heavily oversold is about to be exposed. Bleke knows him by reputation, and he, having been shown Bleke's picture in the newspaper by his wife, knows of Bleke's recent windfall.
Bleke, sick after his cold flight, is taken in by the Windlebirds. Worried that his fiancee may object to his disappearance, he arranges with Windelbird to have her paid off, a deal on which Windelbird takes a handsome profit. Windelbird then talks Bleke into investing much of his fortune in his Wild-Cat Reef mining venture, selling him shares he says are owned by a friend.
Next day, Bleke finds Mrs Windlebird in a state of anxiety. The Wild-Cat Reef, she says, has dropped sharply in value, and her husband feels terrible for having persuaded Bleke to throw away his money. She will, she offers, buy back his shares with her small savings, that he may not be left totally penniless. Bleke, touched by her kindness, generously refuses the offer.
The newspapers arrive, and Bleke sees that Wild-Cat has become a huge success, being compared to Klondike
. His shares have quadrupled in value overnight; he feels sorry, he says, for Mr Windelbird's friend, who had so recently sold his stock...
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
and C. H. Bovill, which first appeared in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the May 1914 issue of the Strand
Strand Magazine
The Strand Magazine was a monthly magazine composed of fictional stories and factual articles founded by George Newnes. It was first published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950 running to 711 issues, though the first issue was on sale well before Christmas 1890.Its immediate...
, and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the June 1916 Pictorial Review
Pictorial Review
Pictorial Review is a magazine which first appeared in September, 1899. The magazine was originally designed to showcase dress patterns of William Paul Ahnelt's American Fashion Company. By the late 1920s it was one of the largest of the "women's magazines"....
. It was published in book form in the collection A Man of Means
A Man of Means
A Man of Means is a collection of six short stories written in collaboration by P. G. Wodehouse and C. H. Bovill. The stories first appeared in the United Kingdom in the Strand in 1914, and in the United States in Pictorial Review in 1916...
in 1991, and is sometimes referred to by the title "The Bolt for the Blue".
It is the second of six stories to feature Roland Bleke, a young man for whom financial success is always a mixed blessing.
Plot
The aeroplane which flew Roland Bleke to freedom at the end of "The Episode of the Landlady's DaughterThe Episode of the Landlady's Daughter
"The Episode of the Landlady's Daughter" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse and C. H. Bovill, which first appeared in the United Kingdom in the April 1914 issue of the Strand, and in the United States in the May 1916 Pictorial Review...
" lands in the garden of the Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
home of one Geoffrey Windlebird, financier of somewhat dubious standing. A perpetual juggler of near-bankrupt companies, Windelbird is on the edge of bankruptcy and scandal as a mining claim he has heavily oversold is about to be exposed. Bleke knows him by reputation, and he, having been shown Bleke's picture in the newspaper by his wife, knows of Bleke's recent windfall.
Bleke, sick after his cold flight, is taken in by the Windlebirds. Worried that his fiancee may object to his disappearance, he arranges with Windelbird to have her paid off, a deal on which Windelbird takes a handsome profit. Windelbird then talks Bleke into investing much of his fortune in his Wild-Cat Reef mining venture, selling him shares he says are owned by a friend.
Next day, Bleke finds Mrs Windlebird in a state of anxiety. The Wild-Cat Reef, she says, has dropped sharply in value, and her husband feels terrible for having persuaded Bleke to throw away his money. She will, she offers, buy back his shares with her small savings, that he may not be left totally penniless. Bleke, touched by her kindness, generously refuses the offer.
The newspapers arrive, and Bleke sees that Wild-Cat has become a huge success, being compared to Klondike
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
. His shares have quadrupled in value overnight; he feels sorry, he says, for Mr Windelbird's friend, who had so recently sold his stock...
External links
- Free eBook of A Man of Means at Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...