# A Gentleman of Leisure — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for A Gentleman of Leisure by P. G. Wodehouse.

- [Dedication](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/dedication.md): The author dedicates the novel to Douglas Fairbanks, who portrayed the character Jimmy in a stage adaptation of the story.
- [A Gentleman of Leisure](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/a-gentleman-of-leisure.md): Jimmy Pitt, a young man with a comfortable inheritance, finds himself bored with the idle life of a gentleman. After a chance encounter with a burglar named Spike Mullins, Jimmy bets that he could successfully burgle a h
- [I: Jimmy Makes a Bet](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/i-jimmy-makes-a-bet.md): In the smoking room of the Strollers' Club in New York, actors and theatre professionals discuss the success of a new play featuring a criminal hero. The conversation turns to Jimmy Pitt, a popular and wealthy young Engl
- [II: The New Pyramus and Thisbe](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/ii-the-new-pyramus-and-thisbe.md): Jimmy Pitt and Arthur Mifflin walk home after Mifflin's successful stage debut. Mifflin teases Jimmy about a mysterious girl he met on the Mauretania, though they never spoke. Jimmy confesses his infatuation and his unce
- [Mr. McEachern](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/iii-mr-mceachern.md): This chapter introduces John McEachern, a Captain of Police with a hidden past and grand ambitions. Born John Forrest, an English gentleman, he changed his name and joined the New York police force, climbing the ranks th
- [IV: Molly](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/iv-molly.md): Molly McEachern returns home to her father, John McEachern, late at night. They share a tender conversation in which McEachern reveals his plan to leave the police force, move to England, and use his recent financial suc
- [V: A Thief in the Night](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/v-a-thief-in-the-night.md): Jimmy wakes to find a burglar in his room. He subdues the intruder, Spike Mullins, but instead of calling the police, he engages him in conversation about burglary techniques. Jimmy impresses Spike with tales of his own 
- [An Exhibition Performance](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/vi-an-exhibition-performance.md): Jimmy, feeling the flatness of wealthy life, eagerly embraces the challenge of burgling a house. He recruits Spike, offering to coach him, and they set out to a house Spike knows. After breaking in, they are alarmed by b
- [Getting Acquainted](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/vii-getting-acquainted.md): Jimmy and Spike break into a house during a storm, only to discover it belongs to a police captain. Spike explains he was tricked by a Swede into burgling the place. The police captain, initially hostile, becomes interes
- [At Dreever](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/viii-at-dreever.md): The chapter introduces Dreever Castle, now a comfortable country house under the nominal rule of the young Earl of Dreever (Spennie) but actually controlled by his uncle and aunt, Sir Thomas and Lady Julia Blunt. Sir Tho
- [IX: A New Friend and an Old One](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/ix-a-new-friend-and-an-old-one.md): Jimmy Pitt, still haunted by the memory of the girl he met on the Mauretania a year ago, is dining alone at the Savoy in London. He observes a young man in distress and offers him money to cover his bill. The young man i
- [X: Jimmy Adopts a Lame Dog](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/x-jimmy-adopts-a-lame-dog.md): Jimmy reunites with Spike Mullins in London, learning that the house they burgled in New York belonged to a police captain named McEachern. Jimmy reveals he has retired from crime and insists Spike stay with him, hoping 
- [At the Turn of the Road](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xi-at-the-turn-of-the-road.md): Lord Dreever visits Jimmy's flat and invites him to Dreever Castle, mentioning private theatricals and that he can bring his man. Jimmy decides to bring Spike, who arrives in a loud tweed suit. They travel by train, and 
- [Making a Start](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xii-making-a-start.md): Jimmy Pitt, lost in the snow while trying to reach Dreever Castle, unexpectedly encounters Molly McEachern. Their conversation reveals Jimmy's growing feelings for her and his discomfort at being just an acquaintance. Mo
- [Spike's Views](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xiii-spike-s-views.md): Jimmy dresses for dinner in an exalted mood, feeling optimistic about his future with Molly despite the obstacles. Spike enters and reports seeing Mr. McEachern, which leads to a discussion about McEachern's presence and
- [Check, and a Countermove](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xiv-check-and-a-countermove.md): Mr. McEachern confronts Jimmy and Spike in Jimmy's room, suspecting them of plotting together after their past burglary in New York. He threatens to expose Jimmy and orders him to leave Dreever Castle, but Jimmy stands h
- [Mr. McEachern Intervenes](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xv-mr-mceachern-intervenes.md): Jimmy struggles with the chaos of amateur theatricals at Dreever Castle, feeling isolated from Molly as rehearsals consume everyone's time. He grows increasingly frustrated as he notices Sir Thomas Blunt and Mr. McEacher
- [XVI: A Marriage Has Been Arranged](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xvi-a-marriage-has-been-arranged.md): After Jimmy leaves the terrace, Molly and her father have a tense conversation. McEachern, disturbed by news from Sir Thomas Blunt, questions Molly about Jimmy and later reveals his disapproval of Jimmy, calling him 'cro
- [Jimmy Remembers Something, and Hears Something Else](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xvii-jimmy-remembers-something-and-hears-something-else.md): Jimmy observes Lord Dreever's sudden shift from despair to high spirits after a billiard game, then learns from Dreever that he is now engaged to Molly McEachern at his uncle's insistence, despite Dreever's own reluctanc
- [XVIII: The Lochinvar Method](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xviii-the-lochinvar-method.md): Jimmy resolves to win Molly by bold action rather than passive romance, comparing himself to Lochinvar. Spike reveals that Mr. Galer is a detective hired by McEachern to spy on them, and that Sir Thomas's valet is also a
- [XIX: On the Lake](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xix-on-the-lake.md): Jimmy takes Molly out on the lake in a canoe, determined to win her love despite her engagement to Lord Dreever. They shelter from a storm in a boathouse, where Jimmy confesses his love and kisses her. Molly reveals her 
- [A Lesson in Piquet](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xx-a-lesson-in-piquet.md): Lord Dreever, brooding over his forced engagement to Molly and his lack of independence, seeks shelter from rain in a summerhouse where he finds Hargate playing patience. To pass the time, he teaches Hargate piquet and l
- [Loathsome Gifts](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xxi-loathsome-gifts.md): Jimmy, now engaged to Molly, is in high spirits as he prepares for dinner, extolling the virtues of domesticity to Spike. Spike, however, reveals that he has stolen Lady Julia Blunt's diamond necklace from Sir Thomas's d
- [XXII: How Two of a Trade Did Not Agree](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xxii-how-two-of-a-trade-did-not-agree.md): Spike proudly shows Jimmy the diamond necklace he has stolen, expecting praise, but Jimmy is horrified. Spike explains that two detectives—Galer and Sir Thomas's valet—mistook each other for thieves, fought, and one arre
- [Family Jars](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xxiii-family-jars.md): Lord Dreever is in distress after Molly breaks off their engagement, leaving him unable to pay a gambling debt to Hargate. He tries to conceal the letter from his uncle Sir Thomas Blunt, but Sir Thomas discovers the trut
- [XXIV: The Treasure-Seeker](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xxiv-the-treasure-seeker.md): Lord Dreever, desperate for money to pay a gambling debt, considers stealing from Sir Thomas Blunt. After failing to borrow enough, he decides to burgle Sir Thomas's room during the theatricals. He retrieves the banknote
- [XXV: Explanations and an Interruption](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xxv-explanations-and-an-interruption.md): Jimmy, caught in Lady Julia's dressing room with the necklace, explains to Molly and Lord Dreever that he was returning it, not stealing it. He recounts the origin of his involvement in burglary, stemming from a bet made
- [XXVI: Stirring Times for Sir Thomas](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xxvi-stirring-times-for-sir-thomas.md): Sir Thomas catches Jimmy in the dressing room holding the necklace, leading to a tense confrontation. Jimmy, rather than explaining his innocent intentions, adopts a debonair persona and pretends to have a gun (actually 
- [XXVII: A Declaration of Independence](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xxvii-a-declaration-of-independence.md): Jimmy reveals to Sir Thomas that the diamond necklace is a fake made of white jargoon, which shocks Sir Thomas into a confession that he knew. Lord Dreever then confronts Sir Thomas, demanding an allowance, a diplomatic 
- [XXVIII: Spennie's Hour of Clear Vision](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xxviii-spennie-s-hour-of-clear-vision.md): After the amateur theatricals, Spennie Dreever takes a cigarette break in the billiard room, where he encounters Mr. McEachern. McEachern expects an announcement of Spennie's engagement to Molly, but Spennie reveals it i
- [XXIX: The Last Round](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xxix-the-last-round.md): Mr. McEachern is confronted by a detective who claims to have caught a burglar, but the detective mistakenly handcuffs McEachern himself. Jimmy Pitt arrives, reveals that the supposed burglar is actually a detective hire
- [XXX: Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_gentleman_of_leisure_se/chapters/xxx-conclusion.md): Jimmy Pitt and Spike Mullins watch passengers board the St. Louis at Southampton. Spike decides to return to America, feeling he has no place in England now that Jimmy is married. Jimmy reveals that the necklace was past

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