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Short Fiction · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Short Fiction by P. G. Wodehouse.

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  1. Chapter 1

    When Papa Swore in Hindustani

    Colonel Reynolds threatens to shoot his daughter Sylvia's pug, Tommy, for destroying his carnations. Sylvia loves the dog because it was a gift from Reginald Dallas, whom the colonel refused to let her marry after Dallas outshot him during a hunt. When the colonel eventually shoots Tommy, nineteen young neighbors each send a replacement pug, hoping to win Sylvia's favor. The colonel, furious, forces the removal of the dogs and, impressed by Dallas's absence from the scheme, finally consents to Sylvia marrying him.

  2. Chapter 2

    Tom, Dick, and Harry

    Tom Ellison and Dick Henley, both in love with Dolly Burn, agree to let a village cricket match decide who gets to propose to her first. They persuade the curate, Rev. Henry Drew, to let them bat together. Both score exactly 54 runs, leaving the contest unresolved. After the innings, the curate reveals that Dolly is already engaged to Harry.

  3. Chapter 3

    In Alcala

    The chapter follows the intertwined lives of several characters in the Alcala district, exploring themes of love, ambition, and social maneuvering. Key events include George Balmer's romantic encounter on the promenade and the arrival of George Barnert Callender at Marvis Bay, setting the stage for comedic misunderstandings and romantic entanglements.

  4. Chapter 4

    I

    Captain John Gunner is found dead in his room at the Excelsior Boardinghouse. Mrs. Pickett and Constable Grogan discover the body, and a young doctor suspects poisoning, though the cause remains uncertain. Mrs. Pickett is more concerned about the stain on her boardinghouse's reputation than the death itself.

  5. Chapter 5

    II

    Mr. Paul Snyder assigns the mysterious case of a man found dead from cobra bite in a locked room at a Southampton boardinghouse to his ambitious but inexperienced assistant, Elliot Oakes, who is eager to prove his detective skills.

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  1. Chapter 6III
  2. Chapter 7IV
  3. Chapter 8V
  4. Chapter 9VI
  5. Chapter 10Out of School
  6. Chapter 11Ahead of Schedule
  7. Chapter 12By Advice of Counsel
  8. Chapter 13Deep Waters
  9. Chapter 14Misunderstood
  10. Chapter 15Rough-Hew Them How We Will
  11. Chapter 16The Goalkeeper and the Plutocrat
  12. Chapter 17The Good Angel
  13. Chapter 18The Man Upstairs
  14. Chapter 19The Man, the Maid, and the Miasma
  15. Chapter 20When Doctors Disagree
  16. Chapter 21Pots O'Money
  17. Chapter 22Absent Treatment
  18. Chapter 23The Best Sauce
  19. Chapter 24Disentangling Old Duggie
  20. Chapter 25Three from Dunsterville
  21. Chapter 26Ruth in Exile
  22. Chapter 27Sir Agravaine
  23. Chapter 28The Man Who Disliked Cats
  24. Chapter 29The Tuppenny Millionaire
  25. Chapter 30Something to Worry About
  26. Chapter 31Crowned Heads
  27. Chapter 32Death at the Excelsior
  28. Chapter 33I
  29. Chapter 34II
  30. Chapter 35III
  31. Chapter 36IV
  32. Chapter 37V
  33. Chapter 38VI
  34. Chapter 39VII
  35. Chapter 40One Touch of Nature
  36. Chapter 41At Geisenheimer's
  37. Chapter 42Bill the Bloodhound
  38. Chapter 43Black for Luck
  39. Chapter 44Concealed Art
  40. Chapter 45The Making of Mac's
  41. Chapter 46The Mixer
  42. Chapter 47I: He Meets a Shy Gentleman
  43. Chapter 48II: He Moves in Society
  44. Chapter 49The Romance of an Ugly Policeman
  45. Chapter 50The Test Case
  46. Chapter 51Wilton's Holiday
  47. Chapter 52The Man with Two Left Feet
  48. Chapter 53A Sea of Troubles
  49. Chapter 54Mister Potter Takes a Rest Cure
  50. Chapter 55Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best