# Psmith Receives Guests explained — Leave It to Psmith

> Chapter companion for Leave It to Psmith by P. G. Wodehouse.

## What happens

As Blandings Castle prepares for the County Ball, Eve Halliday, furious at having been deceived by Psmith, walks on the terrace. Freddie Threepwood joins her, and they discuss the necklace. Psmith arrives, and after a tense exchange, Eve learns that Psmith is a friend of Phyllis Jackson and is also working to retrieve the necklace for Mr. Keeble. Psmith reveals the necklace hidden in a stuffed bird, but they are interrupted by Edward Cootes and Aileen Peavey, who take the necklace at gunpoint. Psmith attempts to stall them with conversation, but the pair prepare to leave.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Manipulation

Eve feels deceived by Psmith's false identity and story; Psmith and Freddie both conceal their true motives regarding the necklace.

### The Absurdity of High Society

The frantic preparations for the County Ball contrast with the tense, criminal undercurrent involving the necklace theft.

## Character check-ins

### Eve Halliday

Furious at Psmith's deception, she walks on the terrace and later confronts him about the necklace.

### Freddie Threepwood

Dressed for the ball, he joins Eve on the terrace and reveals he is also trying to retrieve the necklace for Mr. Keeble.

### Psmith

Reveals his friendship with Phyllis Jackson and his role in the necklace plot; retrieves the necklace from a stuffed bird before being interrupted by Cootes and Peavey.

### Edward Cootes

Enters with a pistol borrowed from Miss Peavey, threatens Psmith and Eve, and takes the necklace.

### Aileen Peavey

Enters in a black and silver dress, gathers the necklace, and rebukes Cootes for his clumsiness.

## Key lines

> A hot wave of humiliation made her writhe as she remembered the infantile guilelessness with which she had accepted the preposterous story he had told her in explanation of his presence at Blandings in another man’s name.

Eve felt deeply embarrassed recalling how naively she had believed Psmith's absurd excuse for being at Blandings under a false name.

_Eve's anger at being fooled by Psmith's imposture._

> I must confess that, when I found him here just now standing like Marius among the ruins of Carthage (the allusion is a classical one, and the fruit of an expensive education), I jumped—I may say, sprang—to the conclusion that he was endeavouring to double-cross both myself and the boss by getting hold of the necklace with a view to retaining it for his own benefit.

Psmith admits he initially suspected Freddie of trying to steal the necklace for himself, but now realizes he was wrong.

_Psmith's humorous classical allusion and his mistaken suspicion of Freddie._

> I am your best friend’s best friend and we both have a taste for stealing other people’s jewellery. I cannot see how you can very well resist the conclusion that we are twin-souls.

Psmith jokes that he and Eve are destined for each other because they share a mutual friend and a penchant for jewel theft.

_Psmith's playful attempt to win Eve over despite the tension._

## Links

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- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leave_it_to_psmith_se/chapters