# No Wedding Bells for Him explained — Ukridge Stories

> Chapter companion for Ukridge Stories by P. G. Wodehouse.

## What happens

Ukridge and the narrator encounter a creditor while riding in a borrowed car, leading Ukridge to move into the narrator's lodgings. Ukridge then devises a scheme inspired by a novelette plot to avoid marrying Mabel Price by pretending to have a fatal illness.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Manipulation

Ukridge plans to deceive Mabel Price by pretending to have a fatal illness, inspired by a novelette plot, to avoid marriage.

### Poverty and Impecunity

Ukridge's constant evasion of creditors and his reliance on the narrator's hospitality underscore his financial desperation.

## Character check-ins

### Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge

Ukridge flees his lodgings after a creditor confrontation, moves in with the narrator, and later hatches a scheme to avoid marrying Mabel Price by feigning a fatal illness.

### Corky

The narrator accompanies Ukridge during the car ride, witnesses the creditor incident, and reluctantly hosts Ukridge as a guest.

### Bowles

Bowles welcomes Ukridge's arrival with solemn joy, broods over him at dinner, and later inspires Ukridge's scheme by sharing the plot of a novelette.

### Mabel Price

Mabel Price is the girl nearly hit by the car; Ukridge later plans to avoid his honourable obligations to her by pretending to be dying.

### Frederick

Frederick is the chauffeur of the borrowed car, a pal of Ukridge from a pub, who drives them and later is addressed by Ukridge as 'Frederick'.

## Key lines

> To Ukridge, as might be expected from one of his sunny optimism, the whole affair has long since come to present itself in the light of yet another proof of the way in which all things in this world of ours work together for good.

Ukridge, ever the optimist, sees the entire incident as evidence that everything happens for the best.

_This introduces Ukridge's characteristic optimism and his tendency to reinterpret events favorably._

> I think, laddie, I think, laddie, that at last I have hit the bull’s-eye and rung the bell. Hats off to Bowles, without whom I would never have got the idea.

Ukridge claims he has finally found the perfect solution, crediting Bowles for the inspiration.

_Ukridge reveals his scheme to the narrator, showing his reliance on others for ideas._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ukridge_stories_se/chapters/no-wedding-bells-for-him
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ukridge_stories_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ukridge_stories_se/chapters