Comics

Comics Index

Leave It to Psmith - External Turning Tool - Indexable Milling Cutters

Plot introduction

Although the main character is Psmith (here called Ronald Eustace rather than Rupert as in previous books), the bulk of the story takes place at Blandings Castle and involves various intrigues within the extended family of Lord Emsworth, the absent-minded elderly Earl.

The plot is a typical Wodehouse romance, with Psmith inveigling himself into the idyllic castle, where there are the usual crop of girls to woo, crooks to foil, imposters to unmask, haughty aunts to baffle and valuable necklaces to steal. Among the players is Psmith's good friend Mike, married to Phyllis and in dire need of some financial help; the ever-suspicious Rupert Baxter is on watch as usual.

The item which the plot revolves around is the necklace. (Nearly all Blandings plots revolve around an item which needs to be recovered.)

Plot summary

Down at Blandings, Lord Emsworth is dismayed to hear from Baxter that he is expected to travel to London to collect the poet Ralston McTodd, invited to the castle by his sister Connie, a keen supporter of the Arts; another poet, Aileen Peavey is already installed at the castle.

Joe Keeble tries to persuade his imperious wife to let him give money to his beloved stepdaughter Phyllis, but is bullied out of it, and when Emworth's feckless younger son Freddie suggests stealing Connie's necklace to free up some cash, Keeble is taken with the idea. Freddie, not keen on doing the job himself, sees Psmith's advert in the paper, and tags along to London with Lord Emsworth.

Meanwhile in the metropolis, we learn that Mike, having married Phyllis on the assumption that his job as estate manager for Psmith's father would be secure, found on Mr Smith's death that the old man was bankrupt, and is working as a poorly-paid schoolmaster. Psmith worked for a time for an uncle in the fish business, but could stand the fish no longer and quit.

Phyllis meets some old school friends, including Eve Halliday, an assertive young girl who pities the once-rich Phyllis, believing her too soft to cope with penury. Eve, we learn, is a friend of Freddie Threepwood, and on his encouragement has taken a post cataloguing the Blandings library, while another friend, Cynthia, has been abandoned by her husband, famous poet Ralston McTodd.

Later, Psmith sees Eve sheltering from the rain opposite the Drones, and chivalrously runs out to give her the best umbrella from the club's umbrella rack. They later meet once more at an employment agency, where Psmith has come seeking work and Eve is visiting an old friend. Psmith meets up with Freddie Threepwood, who describes his scheme to steal Connie's necklace, but dashes off without revealing his name.

Soon after, Psmith runs into Lord Emsworth at the Senior Conservative Club, where the Earl is dining with Ralston McTodd. The poet is annoyed by Emsworth's absent-mindedness, especially when the old man potters across the street to inspect a flower shop, and leaves in a rage. When Emsworth returns, he mistakes Psmith for his guest, and when Psmith sees Eve Halliday meeting Lord Emsworth, he decides to visit Blandings, posing as McTodd.

Welcomed at the castle, especially by fellow poet Peavey, he is nevertheless suspected by the ever-vigilant Baxter, the real McTodd having telegrammed to cancel his visit. Eve arrives and Psmith begins his wooing with some success, despite her belief that he is McTodd and has jilted her friend. Freddie, worried that one of the maids is a detective, is advised by Psmith to kiss her, and judge by her response whether she is a real maid; Psmith and Eve run into him just as he is embracing the girl.

One day, a stranger arrives at the house claiming to be McTodd, but Psmith turns him politely away. The man, Edward Cootes, runs into Aileen Peavey on his way back to the station, and we learn they are both crooks, estranged lovers both after the diamonds. Cootes returns to the castle, and forces Psmith to help him get in, which Psmith does, passing him off as his valet. He arranges the use of a small cottage, in case he needs to hide the jewels from Cootes.

Cootes and Peavey make a plan to steal the necklace during a poetry-reading, while Eve, having heard from Freddie that Joe Keeble plans to give him money, questions Keeble about why he isn't helping out her friend; he enrols her as a helper in the diamond-stealing plot. As Psmith begins his reading of McTodd's poems, Cootes turns off the lights and Peavey grabs the necklace, flinging out of the window to where Eve is standing; she hides it in a flowerpot. Returning later to fetch it, she wakes the vigilant Baxter, but evades him, leaving him locked out and stashing her flowerpot on a windowsill.

Baxter, locked out of the house in his lemon-coloured pyjamas, throws flowerpots through a window to awake Lord Emsworth, who assumes he is mad and calls in Psmith to help appease him. Next morning, Baxter is fired from his job, and Eve finds the flowerpot empty at Psmith's cottage. Enlisting Freddie's help, she searches the place, but finds nothing; Psmith enters and explains his motives, his friendship with Mike and Phyllis. Cootes and Peavey appear, armed, and threaten to escape with the necklace, but Psmith takes advantage of Freddie's leg falling through the ceiling to overpower Cootes and retrieve the jewels.

Keeble gives Mike the funds he requires to buy his farm, and gives Freddie enough to get him into a bookmaking business. Psmith and Eve get engaged, and Psmith persuades Lord Emsworth to take him on as Baxter's replacement.

Characters in Leave it to Psmith

Clarence Threepwood, 9th Earl of Emsworth, master of Blandings

Hon. Freddie Threepwood, his younger son

Lady Constance Keeble, Emsworth's imperious sister

Joseph Keeble, Connie's husband.

Phyllis Jackson, Joe Keeble's stepdaughter

Michael "Mike" Jackson, her husband

Rupert Baxter, Lord Emsworth's very efficient secretary

Sebastian Beach, head butler at the castle

Eve Halliday, hired to catalogue the library, an old friend of Phyllis

Ronald Psmith, an adventurer who falls for Eve, an old friend of Mike

Ralston McTodd, a Canadian poet invited to the castle

Cynthia, his wife, an old friend of Eve and Phyllis

Ada Clarkson, an old teacher of Eve and Phyllis, now running an employment agency

Aileen Peavey (a.k.a. Smooth Lizzie), an American poetess

Edward Cootes, a card-sharp, in love with Aileen Peavey

See also

A full list of the Blandings stories.

External links

The Russian Wodehouse Society's page, with photos of book covers and a list of characters

Fantastic Fiction's page, with details of published editions, photos of book covers and links to used copies

A "Five Best" of comic novels, including Leave it to Psmith, from OpinionJournal.com

Details of the play, from theatrical publishers Samuel French

References

^ Cerebral Proclivity: The Golden Era

Categories: Novels by P. G. Wodehouse | 1923 novels | British novels | Comedy novels | English-language novels

About the Author

We are high quality suppliers, our products such as External Turning Tool , Indexable Milling Cutters for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Grooving Tool.

What texts (quotes from comics are acceptable) can be used to prove the existence of Superman?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Apoi.5eDpRwok8TjcKpa.H3d7BR.?qid=20070830022803AAauyAt
Saint Lucifer: I admit I did. That quote has been brought up many times before (by several users), but I thought that it was finally time to ask the question.

Is it a plane?
Leaps tall buildings.

Oh, do your own research, but keep the FAITH. (Very important)

DC Comics iPad App Review