Jeeves Stories · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Jeeves Stories by P. G. Wodehouse.
Chapter 1
Editor's Preface
The editor explains the variations in P.G. Wodehouse's stories due to adaptations for different audiences, title changes, and revisions for anthologies. It details the specific case of 'Aunt Agatha Makes a Bloomer' and outlines the ordering principle for the collection.
Chapter 2
Jeeves Stories
A collection of stories featuring the gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves, exploring themes of social class, deception, and the comedic mishaps of the British upper class.
Chapter 3
Extricating Young Gussie
Bertie Wooster is roused early by his formidable Aunt Agatha, who orders him to travel to America to rescue his cousin Gussie Mannering-Phipps from making a fool of himself over a woman. Bertie reluctantly agrees and sails to New York, only to find Gussie missing from his hotel. After fortifying himself with a 'lightning whizzer' cocktail, Bertie explores the city and later meets Aunt Julia, who had been a vaudeville performer. He takes her to see Gussie's new career as a music-hall singer, engaged to Ray Denison, and they visit the girl's father to discuss the situation.
Chapter 4
Leave It to Jeeves
Bertie Wooster extols Jeeves's omniscience and recounts how he came to rely on his valet's advice. He then tells the story of his friend Corky Corcoran, an artist who is engaged to Muriel Singer but fears telling his wealthy uncle, Alexander Worple. Bertie calls upon Jeeves to devise a scheme to introduce Miss Singer to Mr. Worple without revealing Corky's involvement.
Chapter 5
The Aunt and the Sluggard
Bertie Wooster recounts the affair of Rockmetteller Todd, a lazy poet whose wealthy aunt from Illinois threatens to cut him off unless he writes lively letters about New York nightlife. Jeeves devises a plan to have himself sent out to observe the cabaret scene and produce notes for Rocky's letters, satisfying the aunt while allowing Rocky to remain idle. The scheme succeeds, bringing contentment to all involved.
Chapter 6
Jeeves Takes Charge
Bertie Wooster recounts how he came to hire Jeeves after firing his previous valet Meadowes for stealing silk socks. The chapter details Jeeves's first morning, where he cures Bertie's hangover with a special concoction, and then follows Bertie's engagement to Florence Craye, who pressures him to destroy his uncle Willoughby's scandalous memoirs. Jeeves discreetly removes the manuscript from Bertie's room to prevent discovery, and later the manuscript is mailed anyway, leading to Florence's anger and the end of the engagement.
Chapter 7
Jeeves and the Unbidden Guest
Bertie Wooster enjoys a morning of independence after asserting himself over Jeeves's fashion advice, but his peace is shattered by the arrival of Lady Malvern and her son Lord Pershore. Lady Malvern, a friend of Aunt Agatha, leaves Pershore in Bertie's care while she tours America. Pershore quickly proves to be a handful, engaging in late-night revelry and ultimately getting arrested for assaulting a policeman. Jeeves cleverly covers up the incident by claiming Pershore is on a religious retreat, saving Bertie from Lady Malvern's wrath. In gratitude, Bertie burns his pink tie, buys the Longacre hat, and rewards Jeeves with a hundred dollars.
Chapter 8
Jeeves and the Hard-Boiled Egg
Bertie Wooster recounts the story of his friend Bicky (Mr. Bickersteth), whose uncle, the Duke of Chiswick, arrives in New York. Bicky is financially dependent on his uncle, but the Duke, impressed by Bicky's apparent success (a ruse orchestrated by Jeeves), decides to cut off his allowance. Jeeves then devises a scheme to sell handshake introductions to the Duke as a source of revenue, but initial efforts fail until Jeeves secures eighty-seven takers from Birdsburg, Missouri.
Chapter 9
Jeeves in the Springtime
Bertie Wooster awakens to a beautiful spring day and receives advice from Jeeves on everything from weather to clothing. His friend Bingo Little reveals he is in love with Mabel, a waitress at a modest tea shop, and seeks Bertie's help. Jeeves devises a plan to influence Bingo's uncle, a gourmet recluse, by having Bingo read romantic novels to him, thereby softening his views on class distinctions and marriage.
Chapter 10
Aunt Agatha Makes a Bloomer
Bertie Wooster is enjoying a period of contentment, having won some bets and with his Aunt Agatha away in France. However, a letter from her summons him to Roville-sur-mer, where she intends to introduce him to a respectable young woman, Miss Hemmingway. Bertie is dismayed but obeys. At Roville, he meets Miss Hemmingway and her brother Sidney, who seem overly pious and dull. Later, Aunt Agatha's pearls are stolen, and she accuses a chambermaid. Bertie, having previously encountered the Hemmingways in London and learned from Jeeves that they are con artists (Sidney is 'Soapy Sid'), produces the pearls, claiming he recovered them from Miss Hemmingway. He scolds Aunt Agatha for her carelessness, scoring a rare victory over her. The chapter also features Bertie's insistence on wearing a loud red cummerbund despite Jeeves's disapproval.
Chapter 11
Scoring Off Jeeves
Bertie overhears Jeeves describing him as 'mentally negligible' to his vacation replacement, which rankles deeply. While brooding at Buck's, he meets Bingo Little, who is tutoring the Glossop kid in Hampshire and has fallen in love with Honoria Glossop. At lunch, Aunt Agatha again pressures Bertie to marry, this time recommending Honoria. Bertie later visits Bingo and devises a scheme to help Bingo impress Honoria by pushing young Oswald into the river so Bingo can rescue him, inspired by what Jeeves would do.
Chapter 12
Sir Roderick Comes to Lunch
Bertie Wooster is engaged to Honoria Glossop, but her father, Sir Roderick Glossop, is a nerve specialist who suspects Bertie may be mentally unstable. During a tense lunch at Bertie's flat, Sir Roderick is alarmed by a series of bizarre incidents: cats in Bertie's bedroom, a fish under the bed, and Bertie accidentally putting on Sir Roderick's stolen hat. The chapter ends with Sir Roderick storming out, taking Jeeves for questioning, leaving Bertie bewildered.
Chapter 13
Jeeves and the Chump Cyril
Bertie Wooster receives a letter of introduction from his Aunt Agatha for Cyril Bassington-Bassington, a chump whose arrival in New York complicates Bertie's life. Cyril is arrested after a misunderstanding with a policeman, and Bertie bails him out. Meanwhile, Jeeves entertains a young boy and his father's valet, leading to awkward encounters. Bertie worries about his responsibility for Cyril and hopes to mend relations with Aunt Agatha.
Chapter 14
Comrade Bingo
Bingo Little, now a member of the 'Sons of the Red Dawn,' pursues Charlotte Corday Rowbotham while competing with Comrade Butt. He orchestrates a scheme involving a threatening letter to his uncle, Lord Bittlesham, to obtain funds for betting on Ocean Breeze. The scheme backfires when his identity is revealed, leading to his retreat to the country and the end of his romantic hopes. Jeeves inadvertently causes the trouble but is rewarded by Bertie.
Chapter 15
The Great Sermon Handicap
Bertie Wooster, feeling restless in the hot London summer, receives a letter from his cousin Eustace inviting him to Twing Hall for a unique betting event: a handicap race on the length of sermons preached by local clergymen. Bertie joins the scheme, which involves Bingo Little, Claude, and Eustace. After the favorite, Rev. Heppenstall, withdraws due to hay fever, the syndicate bets on Rev. G. Hayward, who wins. However, Jeeves secretly had inside information from Heppenstall's butler and placed a bet on the long-shot Rev. Bates, who actually preaches Heppenstall's sermon and wins, leaving Bertie and Bingo astonished.
Chapter 16
The Purity of the Turf
Bertie and Bingo Little scheme to win bets on the village sports day by backing the pageboy Harold in the Choir Boys' Hundred Yards Handicap, based on Jeeves's tip that Harold is a fast runner. They must guard against the villainous Steggles, who may try to nobble the favourite. Bingo's obsessive vigilance leads to comic overreactions, including a disrupted evening service when Harold squeals after being stung.
Chapter 17
The Metropolitan Touch
Bertie receives a telegram from Bingo Little declaring he is in love again, this time with Mary Burgess, and begging Bertie to bring Jeeves to Twing. Jeeves, already informed via his network, advises supporting Bingo as Mary is a good influence. However, the scheming Steggles sabotages Bingo by engineering a disastrous eating contest between Bingo's charge and another boy, leading Mary to break off relations. Jeeves suggests Bingo engage in good works to redeem himself, but Bertie is skeptical.
Chapter 18
The Delayed Exit of Claude and Eustace
Bertie is tasked by Aunt Agatha to host his troublesome cousins Claude and Eustace for one night before they sail to South Africa after being expelled from Oxford. Meanwhile, the twins have been pestering actress Marion Wardour, who complains to Bertie. Jeeves secretly devises a ruse: he suggests Marion tell each twin separately that she is sailing to South Africa for a theatrical engagement, prompting them both to book passage on the same ship. Jeeves also ensures they share a two-berth stateroom. Additionally, Jeeves prevents Bertie's unwanted trip to Harrogate with Uncle George by providing his pick-me-up recipe, and Bertie finally allows Jeeves to burn his detested spats.
Chapter 19
Bingo and the Little Woman
Bertie runs into Bingo Little at the Senior Liberal Club, where Bingo falls in love with a waitress. Bingo asks Bertie to help him reconcile with his uncle to restore his allowance, but Jeeves ultimately resolves the situation by convincing Bingo's uncle that Bertie is insane.
Chapter 20
The Rummy Affair of Old Biffy
Bertie Wooster recounts the predicament of his friend Biffy, who has become engaged to Honoria Glossop and desperately wants to escape. Biffy recalls a rummy incident where Jeeves advised him to visit the Palace of Beauty, but he forgets the reason. At the amusement park, Biffy is captivated by a girl in the Palace of Beauty, leading to a discussion about his engagement. Bertie tries to help by suggesting a scheme involving Sir Roderick Glossop, but Jeeves initially refuses to assist. Bertie devises a plan using a squirting flower gadget, but Jeeves's lack of sympathy puzzles him. Biffy eventually seeks Jeeves's help directly, hoping to replicate Bertie's earlier escape from Honoria.
Chapter 21
Without the Option
Bertie Wooster is fined five pounds in police court for his behavior on Boat-Race Night, while his friend Sippy is sentenced to thirty days for assaulting a police officer. To escape his Aunt Agatha's wrath and fulfill Sippy's obligation to visit the Pringles, Bertie impersonates Sippy at Cambridge, only to find the Pringle household includes Heloise Pringle, a cousin of Honoria Glossop, who begins to show a predatory interest in him.
Chapter 22
Fixing It for Freddie
Bertie takes his heartbroken friend Freddie Bullivant to Marvis Bay for a change of scene, hoping Jeeves will devise a plan to reunite him with Elizabeth Vickers. The holiday is strained by Freddie's gloom and the unexpected arrival of a troublesome child, but Jeeves eventually reveals a film-inspired scheme.
Chapter 23
Clustering Round Young Bingo
Bertie finishes an article for Aunt Dahlia's magazine, clashing with Jeeves over soft silk shirts. He then encounters Rosie M. Banks, who invites him to dinner. Bingo Little later persuades Bertie to burgle Rosie's study to retrieve a manuscript cylinder, but the plan goes awry when a rug turns out to be a sleeping person.
Chapter 24
Bertie Changes His Mind
Jeeves reflects on his motto of 'Resource and Tact' and recounts the episode where Bertie Wooster, recovering from influenza and feeling lonely, contemplates adopting a child or having his sister's three daughters live with him. Jeeves, fearing matrimony or domestic upheaval, subtly orchestrates a visit to a school for young ladies in Brighton. There, Bertie is subjected to a terrifying ordeal of giving a speech to the students, which cures him of his domestic ambitions. The chapter ends with Bertie contentedly returning to his bachelor routine, appreciating the soothing monotony of Jeeves's service.
Chapter 25
The Inferiority Complex of Old Sippy
Bertie visits his friend Sippy, the editor of The Mayfair Gazette, and discovers that Sippy is in love with Miss Gwendolen Moon but feels too inferior to propose, partly due to his past and partly due to the intimidating presence of his old head master, Mr. Waterbury, who still dominates him. Bertie tries to cheer Sippy up and later discusses the problem with Jeeves, eventually devising a plan to cure Sippy's inferiority complex by making him see Waterbury in an undignified light.
Chapter 26
Jeeves and the Impending Doom
Bertie Wooster dreads a three-week visit to his Aunt Agatha's country house, suspecting a sinister motive. Upon arrival, he discovers she wants him to impress Cabinet Minister Mr. Filmer, forcing him to abstain from smoking and drinking. He also finds his friend Bingo Little there, tutoring Bertie's young cousin Thomas under threat of losing his job if Bertie is caught smoking. Bingo reveals he stole Filmer's boat to impress his wife Rosie, and Jeeves devises a plan: he convinces Filmer that Bertie stole the boat, which saves Bingo's job and also thwarts Aunt Agatha's scheme to make Bertie Filmer's private secretary. Bertie escapes via a water pipe.
Chapter 27
Jeeves and the Yuletide Spirit
Bertie Wooster receives an invitation to spend Christmas at Skeldings with Lady Wickham, despite Jeeves's disappointment at the change of plans. Aunt Agatha calls to warn him that Sir Roderick Glossop will be present, still suspicious of Bertie's sanity. Bertie reveals his true motives for going: to exact revenge on Tuppy Glossop for a prank involving a swimming-bath challenge, and to pursue Roberta Wickham, with whom he is in love. Jeeves expresses reservations about Miss Wickham as a suitable match. On Christmas Eve, Bertie executes his revenge plan by sneaking into Tuppy's room to puncture his hot-water bottle with a darning needle, but the plan goes awry when Tuppy wakes up.
