Ukridge Stories · Chapter
Buttercup Day explained
Ukridge meets Corky in Piccadilly and laments his lack of capital, hindered by his aunt Julia's refusal to give him money.
What happens
Ukridge meets Corky in Piccadilly and laments his lack of capital, hindered by his aunt Julia's refusal to give him money. They encounter flag-sellers, and later at a bazaar, a curate exposes a fraudulent 'Buttercup Day' collection run by a girl Ukridge is involved with. Corky tries to warn the girl but is intercepted by Miss Julia Ukridge, who returns home unexpectedly. Corky attempts to delay her, but she discovers Ukridge asleep in the study, leading to a tense confrontation.
Themes in this chapter
Get-Rich-Quick Schemes
Ukridge's constant pursuit of capital through speculative bets and fraudulent charity collections, highlighting his desperation for quick wealth.
Deception and Manipulation
The fraudulent Buttercup Day scheme, where a girl collects money under false pretenses, and Ukridge's attempts to evade creditors and his aunt.
Social Class and Appearances
Ukridge's expensive clothes create a false impression of wealth, complicating his efforts to borrow money, and the tension between his aunt's respectability and his schemes.
Characters to notice
- Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge
Meets Corky in Piccadilly, complains about lack of capital and his aunt's control, panics at flag-sellers, and is involved in the fraudulent Buttercup Day scheme.
- Corky
Narrator and friend of Ukridge, helps Ukridge by trying to warn the girl about the curate, and attempts to delay Miss Julia Ukridge.
- Julia Ukridge
Ukridge's wealthy aunt, returns home unexpectedly from a postponed lecture, confronts Corky, and discovers Ukridge asleep in the study.
- Dora Mason
Implied to be the girl selling paper buttercups for the fake Buttercup Day, though not explicitly named in the excerpt.
Key passages
“Laddie, I need capital, old horse—need it sorely.”
Ukridge tells Corky he urgently needs money.
Ukridge opens the conversation with his perennial financial need.
“How can a man amass a huge fortune if there is this constant drain on his resources?”
Ukridge complains that frequent charity donations prevent him from saving money.
Ukridge bemoans the cost of flag days as an obstacle to wealth.
“Buttercup Day is the flag-day of the National Orthopaedic Institute, and is not to take place for some weeks. This young person is deliberately cheating the public.”
The curate exposes the girl's Buttercup Day collection as a fraud.
The curate reveals the scheme is illegitimate, causing Ukridge to panic.