# Elizabeth — Short Fiction character guide

> Elizabeth in Short Fiction by P. G. Wodehouse.

**Role:** major

**First appearance:** 0000-when-papa-swore-in-hindustani

## Snapshot

A friendly, spirited young woman whose quiet life is upended when she adopts an imperious stray cat named Joseph, then must retrieve him from a neighboring flat.

## Who they are

Elizabeth lives alone in an old, creaking building where the loose boards and scratching sounds make her grateful for any company, and Joseph the cat quickly becomes the autocratic center of her world. When he vanishes and turns up on the balcony of a young man named James Renshaw Boyd, she marches over to reclaim him, only to find herself face to face with a distinctly good-looking neighbor. Her mix of warmth, nerve, and humor sets the story's romantic machinery in motion.

## Relationships

### [James Renshaw Boyd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters/james_renshaw_boyd)

_romantic_

Elizabeth and James Renshaw Boyd are romantically linked, with a deep emotional connection.

### [James Renshaw Boyd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters/james_renshaw_boyd)

_romantic_

Elizabeth and James Renshaw Boyd are romantically linked, with a deep emotional connection.

### [James Renshaw Boyd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters/james_renshaw_boyd)

_romantic_

Elizabeth and James Renshaw Boyd are romantically linked, with a deep emotional connection.

## In the story

### [The Good Angel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/chapters/the-good-angel)

Elsa Keith; the object of Martin's affection, initially drawn to Barstowe's poetry but later resentful after being stranded.

### [Sir Agravaine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/chapters/sir-agravaine)

Yvonne's sister, mentioned as part of the family scheme to marry off daughters.

### [Black for Luck](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/chapters/black-for-luck)

A struggling writer who adopts a black cat for luck and forms a deep friendship with James Boyd.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters/elizabeth
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters