The Girl on the Boat

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 waslooking for a man just like Sir Galahad, and refused to be put off with anyinferior substitute. 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 andhoping, so does the parrot faced young man Bream Mortimer, Sam’s rival.

There is a somewhat hectic series of events at Windles, a country house inHampshire, where Billie’s ideals still block the way and Sam comes on inspite of everything.

Then comes the moment when Billie.... It is a Wodehouse novel in every sense ofthe term.

ONE MOMENT!

Before my friend Mr. Jenkins—wait a minute, Herbert—before myfriend Mr. 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 will kindlyrestrain your impatience.... There is no need to jostle. There will be copiesfor all. Thank you. I shall not detain you long.

I wish to clear myself of a possible charge of plagiarism. You smile. Ah! butyou 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 this volumeis in the hands of the customers, everybody will, of course, have read Mr. J.Storer Clouston’s “The Lunatic at Large Again.” (Those whoare chumps enough to miss it deserve no consideration.) Well, both the hero of“The Lunatic” and my “Sam Marlowe” try to get out of atight corner 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 am innocent,innocent. And, if the word of Northumberland Avenue Wodehouse is notsufficient, let me point out that this story and Mr. Clouston’s appearedsimultaneously in serial form in their respective magazines. This proves, Ithink, that at these cross-roads, at any rate, there has been no dirty work.All right, Herb., you can let ’em in now.

P. G. WODEHOUSE.

Constitutional Club,
    Northumberland Avenue.

Contents