Produced by Martin Pettit and the Online DistributedProofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
THE GIRL ON THE BOAT
BY
P. G. WODEHOUSE
HERBERT JENKINS LIMITED3 YORK STREET LONDON S.W.1
A HERBERT JENKINS BOOK]
_Tenth printing, completing 95,781 copies_
Printed in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner Ltd., Frome and London
WHAT THIS STORY IS ABOUT
It was Sam Marlowe's fate to fall in love with a girl on the R.M.S."Atlantic" (New York to Southampton) who had ideals. She was looking fora man just like Sir Galahad, and refused to be put off with any inferiorsubstitute. A lucky accident on the first day of the voyage placed Samfor the moment in the Galahad class, but he could not stay the pace.
He follows Billie Bennett "around," scheming, blundering and hoping, sodoes the parrot faced young man Bream Mortimer, Sam's rival.
There is a somewhat hectic series of events at Windles, a country housein Hampshire, where Billie's ideals still block the way and Sam comes onin spite of everything.
Then comes the moment when Billie.... It is a Wodehouse novel in everysense of the term.
ONE MOMENT!
Before my friend Mr. Jenkins--wait a minute, Herbert--before my friendMr. Jenkins formally throws this book open to the public, I should liketo say a few words. You, sir, and you, and you at the back, if you willkindly restrain your impatience.... There is no need to jostle. Therewill be copies for all. Thank you. I shall not detain you long.
I wish to clear myself of a possible charge of plagiarism. You smile.Ah! but you don't know. You don't realise how careful even a splendidfellow like myself has to be. You wouldn't have me go down to posterityas Pelham the Pincher, would you? No! Very well, then. By the time thisvolume is in the hands of the customers, everybody will, of course, haveread Mr. J. Storer Clouston's "The Lunatic at Large Again." (Those whoare chumps enough to miss it deserve no consideration.) Well, both thehero of "The Lunatic" and my "Sam Marlowe" try to get out of a tightcorner by hiding in a suit of armour in the hall of a country-house.Looks fishy, yes? And yet I call on Heaven to witness that I aminnocent, innocent. And, if the word of Northumberland Avenue Wodehouseis not sufficient, let me point out that this story and Mr. Clouston'sappeared simultaneously in serial form in their respective magazines.This proves, I think, that at these cross-roads, at any rate, there hasbeen no dirty work. All right, Herb., you can let 'em in now.
P. G. WODEHOUSE.Constitutional Club, Northumberland Avenue.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. A DISTURBING MORNING 11
II. GALLANT RESCUE BY WELL-DRESSED YOUNG MAN 27
III. SAM PAVES THE WAY 56
IV. SAM CLICKS 69
V. PERSECUTION OF EUSTACE 95
VI. SCENE AT A SHIP'S CONCERT 104
VII. SUNDERED HEARTS 111
VIII. SIR MALLABY OFFERS A SUGGESTION 126
IX. ROUGH WORK AT A DINNER TABLE 144
X. TROUBLE AT WINDLES 159
XI. MR. BENNETT HAS A BAD NIGHT 180
XII. THE LURID PAST OF JOHN PETERS 193
XIII. SHOCKS ALL ROUND 207
XIV. STRONG REMARKS BY A FATHER 217
XV. DRAMA AT A COUNTRY HOUSE 227
XVI. WEBSTER, FRIEND IN NEED 242
XVII. A CROWDED NIGHT 257
THE GIRL ON THE BOAT