The Episode of the Landlady's Daughter
Encyclopedia
"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
. It was published in book form in the collection A Man of Means
in 1991, and is sometimes referred to by the simplified title "The Landlady's Daughter".
It features Roland Bleke, a young man for whom financial success is always a mixed blessing.
Having informed the family of his unfortunate pay cut, Bleke finds he has won £40,000 in a sweepstake. He plans to flee, but the family find out about his stroke of luck from a newspaper, and every time he tries to run away he finds himself closely guarded.
They all attend an air show, where a French
pilot
is offering rides in his airplane for £5. His rival for Muriel's love urges Bleke to take a ride and prove his courage; Bleke is at first dubious, but is soon persuaded. He bids his farewells, climbs into the airplane, which takes off. The family is left gawping as the planes disappears over the horizon.
Bleke's adventures continue into "The Episode of the Financial Napoleon
".
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 April 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 May 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 simplified title "The Landlady's Daughter".
It features Roland Bleke, a young man for whom financial success is always a mixed blessing.
Plot summary
We first meet Roland Bleke as a clerk in a seed merchants in the provincial town of Bury St. Edwards, where he is pleading with his employer for a pay cut. We learn that Bleke has become engaged to Muriel, daughter of the house in which he lodges, mostly out of an inability to think of anything to say to the girl. Knowing that should his pay reach too high a level the wedding will become inevitable, leaving him in the position of having to support Muriel and her family, including her two unemployed brothers, Bleke arranges to keep his pay low.Having informed the family of his unfortunate pay cut, Bleke finds he has won £40,000 in a sweepstake. He plans to flee, but the family find out about his stroke of luck from a newspaper, and every time he tries to run away he finds himself closely guarded.
They all attend an air show, where a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
is offering rides in his airplane for £5. His rival for Muriel's love urges Bleke to take a ride and prove his courage; Bleke is at first dubious, but is soon persuaded. He bids his farewells, climbs into the airplane, which takes off. The family is left gawping as the planes disappears over the horizon.
Bleke's adventures continue into "The Episode of the Financial Napoleon
The Episode of the Financial Napoleon
"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...
".
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...