The Man Upstairs
Encyclopedia
The Man Upstairs is a collection of short stories
by P. G. Wodehouse
, first published in the United Kingdom
on 23 January 1914 by Methuen & Co., London
. Most of the stories had previously appeared in magazines, generally Strand Magazine
in the UK and Cosmopolitan or Collier's Weekly
in the United States
. Although the book was not published in the U.S., many of the stories were eventually made available to U.S. readers in The Uncollected Wodehouse
(1976) and The Swoop! and Other Stories
(1979)
It is a miscellaneous collection, not featuring any of Wodehouse's regular characters; most of the stories concern love and romance.
Plot
Annette Brougham, a quick-tempered female composer and music-teacher, is disturbed by a knocking on her ceiling. She visits the flat above to complain, but despite her initial feelings of anger towards him, she soon finds herself drawn to "Alan Beverley", the modest and charming struggling artist she finds there.
Reginald Sellers, another resident of the building, a pompous and self-important painter, criticizes Alan's work harshly, and Annette defends him, but regrets her cruelty towards Reginald. The boorish Sellers finds some success with his art, selling several paintings to a Glasgow millionaire named Bates, and continues to lord it over his less high-achieving neighbour.
Annette publishes a waltz she has written, and that too begins to sell surprisingly well. She is happy, but disappointed that her friend has yet to sell his work, and upset that Sellers still criticises him.
She answers the communal telephone one day, and takes a message from a friend of "Beverley" who is borrowing his flat, and hears that large quantities of printed music and several bad paintings have been delivered there. She confronts "Beverley", who reveals that his real name is Bill Bates, a Glasgow millionaire. He has been in love with Annette since he first saw her in the street, and took the flat in her building to be near her, banging on the floor to get her attention; he now wants her to marry him.
She berates him for tricking her and treating her like a child, and he counters by revealing that he knows she has bought his one and only painting, a mediocre portrait of a Child and a Cat, through in intermediary. He repeats his proposal of marriage, and she tells him to go away. She hears him pacing around in his room above, and taking a broom, bangs three times on her ceiling.
Plot
Sally Preston, a London girl born and bred, is found to be an aficionado of the movies by her father, who disapproves of such entertainments, and is sent to stay with an aunt at a small, sleepy seaside village in Hampshire. She tells her story to Tom Kitchener, a simple young gardener next door, who promptly falls in love with her. So too do most of the other young men of the village, who begin to visit the house in increasing numbers.
Tom, too shy to visit and jealous of the men who do, decides to shower her with gifts; it being autumn and all the flowers gone, all he has to shower with are vegetables, which he proceeds to give generously. Her aunt's husband warns him off, but he rebels, proposes to her awkwardly, and is amazed to find himself accepted.
Tom buys her a puppy, and she soon finds herself in trouble with the local constable, for failing to put a collar on the dog. Trying to persuade Tom to take revenge on the man for her, she reveals that she has accepted proposals of marriage from several other local men, in a scheme to force her father to take her back to London, but she is worried by Tom's quiet responses.
He takes her along to the first of her other suitors, and fights him. Tom wins, despite the other man's greater size, and Sally is moved. He takes her along to the second, and fights him. Tom wins, despite the other's greater skill; Sally is smitten by Tom. He takes her along to the third, who denounces Sally. Tom tells her she will marry him, and she concurs. The story ends with Sally comparing the day's events with a movie she is fond of.
Sally's father appears to be a neighbour of Bowles, also an ex-butler turned landlord in London's Ebury Street.
Plot
George Barnert Callender, playwright and an excellent swimmer, is at Marvis Bay for the production of his play Fate's Footballs, shortly to be put on there. He is on the pier, dwelling on the play's troubles, particularly its star Arthur Mifflin, when he sees a very attractive girl in the water. Straining to follow her as she swims beneath him, he falls from the pier, and is just about to swim off when she grasps him and begins to drag him to shore. He lets her do this, hoping to form an acquaintanceship, and on the shore they meet and she offers to teach him to swim.
They meet again later, and he learns her name is Mary Vaughan, staying at the same hotel as George with an aunt. Next day, the troupe arrive to perform George's play, and Mifflin, full of ideas to promote the piece, heads out on a boat trip with George. Explaining it is a stunt to attract attention to the play, Mifflin upsets the boat, expecting George to drag him to safety. George refuses, however, as it would spoil things with Mary, and makes Mifflin to pretend to be the rescuer.
Mary's suspicions are aroused by the repeat rescuing, and recalls having seen George before, swimming strongly at another resort. She is furious with him, but Mifflin explains George's initial gallantry and reluctance to repeat the act, and all is forgiven.
Later, with George's play a success in London, he is accompanied into his box by a lady...
Plot
Arthur Welch is a barber at the Hotel Belvoir. He is engaged to Maud Peters, who is a manicurist at the same hotel. While she takes care of her customers' hands, Maud thinks, as part of her profession, that she must chat gaily with them. But Arthur, who is extremely jealous, thinks otherwise. And it bothers Maud to have Arthur frowning over her head every time she smiles to a customer's joke.
She decides to take advice from Doctor Cupid, who holds the Matter of the Heart "Consulting Room" in the weekly magazine Fireside Chat. Dr Cupid advises her to try to pique her fiancé. And this is what she does with a very enterprising young American pugilist, known as 'Skipper" Shute. But, very surprisingly, Arthur does not seem to care a bit about the gay badinage going on between his fiancée and the pugilist. More, when Mr Shute invites Maud to spend one evening with her in White City, Arthur thinks it an excellent idea. From this unexpected reaction, Maud deduces that Arthur does not love her anymore.
Arthur even takes Maud, after the shop is closed, to the White City himself. There they meet Mr Shute, who succeeds in losing Arthur and finding himself alone with Maud. When he tries to kiss her, Arthur, who has come back, provokes Mr Shute into a fight. He even gives him a blow on the head, causing Mr Shute's silk top hat to fall on the ground. Mr Shute runs after his hat, but, when he comes back with it, ready to show Arthur what a real pugilist is, a very large constable has appeared on the scene, and ask the contestants to stop creating trouble on the street.
While they move away, fully reconciled with each other, Arthur shows Maud a paper clipping, from the magazine "Home Moments", where, in answer to his request, "The Heart Specialist" has written that Arthur should show no resentment to her fiancée, whenever he sees her flirting with other men.
"The Matrimonial Sweepstakes", the version of "The Good Angel" as printed in Cosmopolitan in the U.S., features the first appearance in print of the name of Lord Emsworth
.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
, first published in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on 23 January 1914 by Methuen & Co., London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Most of the stories had previously appeared in magazines, generally Strand Magazine
Strand Magazine
The Strand Magazine was a monthly magazine composed of fictional stories and factual articles founded by George Newnes. It was first published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950 running to 711 issues, though the first issue was on sale well before Christmas 1890.Its immediate...
in the UK and Cosmopolitan or Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Although the book was not published in the U.S., many of the stories were eventually made available to U.S. readers in The Uncollected Wodehouse
The Uncollected Wodehouse
The Uncollected Wodehouse is a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. First published in the United States on November 9, 1976 by Seabury, New York, it contains 14 short stories, five of which had appeared in the United Kingdom in the 1914 collection The Man Upstairs. All had previously...
(1976) and The Swoop! and Other Stories
The Swoop! and Other Stories
The Swoop! and Other Stories is a collection of early short stories and a novella by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on April 11, 1979 by The Seabury Press, New York, four years after Wodehouse's death....
(1979)
It is a miscellaneous collection, not featuring any of Wodehouse's regular characters; most of the stories concern love and romance.
The Man Upstairs (short story)
- UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
: StrandStrand MagazineThe Strand Magazine was a monthly magazine composed of fictional stories and factual articles founded by George Newnes. It was first published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950 running to 711 issues, though the first issue was on sale well before Christmas 1890.Its immediate...
, March 1910 (UK Setting) - USUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
: Cosmopolitan, March 1910 (US Setting)
Plot
Annette Brougham, a quick-tempered female composer and music-teacher, is disturbed by a knocking on her ceiling. She visits the flat above to complain, but despite her initial feelings of anger towards him, she soon finds herself drawn to "Alan Beverley", the modest and charming struggling artist she finds there.
Reginald Sellers, another resident of the building, a pompous and self-important painter, criticizes Alan's work harshly, and Annette defends him, but regrets her cruelty towards Reginald. The boorish Sellers finds some success with his art, selling several paintings to a Glasgow millionaire named Bates, and continues to lord it over his less high-achieving neighbour.
Annette publishes a waltz she has written, and that too begins to sell surprisingly well. She is happy, but disappointed that her friend has yet to sell his work, and upset that Sellers still criticises him.
She answers the communal telephone one day, and takes a message from a friend of "Beverley" who is borrowing his flat, and hears that large quantities of printed music and several bad paintings have been delivered there. She confronts "Beverley", who reveals that his real name is Bill Bates, a Glasgow millionaire. He has been in love with Annette since he first saw her in the street, and took the flat in her building to be near her, banging on the floor to get her attention; he now wants her to marry him.
She berates him for tricking her and treating her like a child, and he counters by revealing that he knows she has bought his one and only painting, a mediocre portrait of a Child and a Cat, through in intermediary. He repeats his proposal of marriage, and she tells him to go away. She hears him pacing around in his room above, and taking a broom, bangs three times on her ceiling.
Something to Worry About
- UK: Strand, February 1913
- US: MetropolitanMetropolitan MagazineMetropolitan Magazine can refer to:*The Metropolitan Magazine, a London monthly published 1831–1850*Metropolitan Magazine...
, March 1913
Plot
Sally Preston, a London girl born and bred, is found to be an aficionado of the movies by her father, who disapproves of such entertainments, and is sent to stay with an aunt at a small, sleepy seaside village in Hampshire. She tells her story to Tom Kitchener, a simple young gardener next door, who promptly falls in love with her. So too do most of the other young men of the village, who begin to visit the house in increasing numbers.
Tom, too shy to visit and jealous of the men who do, decides to shower her with gifts; it being autumn and all the flowers gone, all he has to shower with are vegetables, which he proceeds to give generously. Her aunt's husband warns him off, but he rebels, proposes to her awkwardly, and is amazed to find himself accepted.
Tom buys her a puppy, and she soon finds herself in trouble with the local constable, for failing to put a collar on the dog. Trying to persuade Tom to take revenge on the man for her, she reveals that she has accepted proposals of marriage from several other local men, in a scheme to force her father to take her back to London, but she is worried by Tom's quiet responses.
He takes her along to the first of her other suitors, and fights him. Tom wins, despite the other man's greater size, and Sally is moved. He takes her along to the second, and fights him. Tom wins, despite the other's greater skill; Sally is smitten by Tom. He takes her along to the third, who denounces Sally. Tom tells her she will marry him, and she concurs. The story ends with Sally comparing the day's events with a movie she is fond of.
Sally's father appears to be a neighbour of Bowles, also an ex-butler turned landlord in London's Ebury Street.
Deep Waters (short story)
- US: Collier's WeeklyCollier's WeeklyCollier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
, May 28, 1910 - UK: Strand, June 1910
Plot
George Barnert Callender, playwright and an excellent swimmer, is at Marvis Bay for the production of his play Fate's Footballs, shortly to be put on there. He is on the pier, dwelling on the play's troubles, particularly its star Arthur Mifflin, when he sees a very attractive girl in the water. Straining to follow her as she swims beneath him, he falls from the pier, and is just about to swim off when she grasps him and begins to drag him to shore. He lets her do this, hoping to form an acquaintanceship, and on the shore they meet and she offers to teach him to swim.
They meet again later, and he learns her name is Mary Vaughan, staying at the same hotel as George with an aunt. Next day, the troupe arrive to perform George's play, and Mifflin, full of ideas to promote the piece, heads out on a boat trip with George. Explaining it is a stunt to attract attention to the play, Mifflin upsets the boat, expecting George to drag him to safety. George refuses, however, as it would spoil things with Mary, and makes Mifflin to pretend to be the rescuer.
Mary's suspicions are aroused by the repeat rescuing, and recalls having seen George before, swimming strongly at another resort. She is furious with him, but Mifflin explains George's initial gallantry and reluctance to repeat the act, and all is forgiven.
Later, with George's play a success in London, he is accompanied into his box by a lady...
When Doctors Disagree
- UK: Strand, December 1910
Plot
Arthur Welch is a barber at the Hotel Belvoir. He is engaged to Maud Peters, who is a manicurist at the same hotel. While she takes care of her customers' hands, Maud thinks, as part of her profession, that she must chat gaily with them. But Arthur, who is extremely jealous, thinks otherwise. And it bothers Maud to have Arthur frowning over her head every time she smiles to a customer's joke.
She decides to take advice from Doctor Cupid, who holds the Matter of the Heart "Consulting Room" in the weekly magazine Fireside Chat. Dr Cupid advises her to try to pique her fiancé. And this is what she does with a very enterprising young American pugilist, known as 'Skipper" Shute. But, very surprisingly, Arthur does not seem to care a bit about the gay badinage going on between his fiancée and the pugilist. More, when Mr Shute invites Maud to spend one evening with her in White City, Arthur thinks it an excellent idea. From this unexpected reaction, Maud deduces that Arthur does not love her anymore.
Arthur even takes Maud, after the shop is closed, to the White City himself. There they meet Mr Shute, who succeeds in losing Arthur and finding himself alone with Maud. When he tries to kiss her, Arthur, who has come back, provokes Mr Shute into a fight. He even gives him a blow on the head, causing Mr Shute's silk top hat to fall on the ground. Mr Shute runs after his hat, but, when he comes back with it, ready to show Arthur what a real pugilist is, a very large constable has appeared on the scene, and ask the contestants to stop creating trouble on the street.
While they move away, fully reconciled with each other, Arthur shows Maud a paper clipping, from the magazine "Home Moments", where, in answer to his request, "The Heart Specialist" has written that Arthur should show no resentment to her fiancée, whenever he sees her flirting with other men.
- "By Advice of Counsel"
- UK: Strand, July 1910
- US: Pictorial ReviewPictorial ReviewPictorial Review is a magazine which first appeared in September, 1899. The magazine was originally designed to showcase dress patterns of William Paul Ahnelt's American Fashion Company. By the late 1920s it was one of the largest of the "women's magazines"....
, September 1910
- "Rough-Hew Them How We Will"
- UK: Strand, April 1910 (UK Setting)
- US: Cosmopolitan, August 1910 (US Setting)
- "The Man Who Disliked Cats"
- UK: Strand, May 1912
- US: Ladies Home Journal, January 1916 (as "The Fatal Kink in Algernon")
- "Ruth in Exile"
- UK: Strand, July 1912
- US: Ainslee's, August 1912
- "Archibald's Benefit"
- UK: Pearson'sPearson's MagazinePearson's Magazine was an influential publication which first appeared in Britain in 1896. It specialised in speculative literature, political discussion, often of a socialist bent, and the arts. Its contributors included Upton Sinclair, George Bernard Shaw, Maxim Gorky and H. G...
, July 1909 (as "Reginald's Record Knock", slightly different version) - US: Collier's Weekly, March 19, 1910
- UK: Pearson's
- "The Man, the Maid and the Miasma"
- UK: GrandThe Grand MagazineThe Grand Magazine was the first British pulp magazine. It was published monthly between February 1905 and April 1940. Published by George Newnes, it initially emulated Newnes's highly successful Strand Magazine, featuring a mix of fiction and non-fiction...
, February 1910 - US: Cosmopolitan, June 1910
- UK: Grand
- "The Good Angel"
- UK: Strand, February 1910 (UK Setting)
- US: Cosmopolitan, February 1910 (as "The Matrimonial Sweepstakes") (US Setting)
- "Pots O' Money"
- UK: Strand, December 1911
- "Out of School"
- US: Ainslee's, September 1909
- UK: Strand, October 1910
- "Three From Dunsterville"
- UK: Strand, August 1911
- US: Pictorial Review, August 1912
- "The Tuppenny Millionaire"
- UK: Strand, October 1912
- "Ahead of Schedule"
- UK: Grand, November 1910
- US: Collier's Weekly, January 28, 1911
- "Sir Agravaine"
- US: Collier's Weekly, June 29, 1912
- UK: Pearson's, December 1912
- "The Goal-Keeper and the Plutocrat"
- US: Collier's Weekly, September 24, 1910 (as "The Pitcher and the Plutocrat", slightly rewritten)
- UK: Strand, January 1912
- "In Alcala"
- UK: London MagazineLondon MagazineThe London Magazine is a historied publication of arts, literature and miscellaneous interests. Its history ranges nearly three centuries and several reincarnations, publishing the likes of William Wordsworth, William S...
, December 1911
- UK: London Magazine
"The Matrimonial Sweepstakes", the version of "The Good Angel" as printed in Cosmopolitan in the U.S., features the first appearance in print of the name of Lord Emsworth
Lord Emsworth
Clarence Threepwood, 9th Earl of Emsworth, or Lord Emsworth, is a recurring fictional character in the Blandings stories by British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse. He is the amiable and somewhat absent-minded head of the large Threepwood family...
.
See also
- A categorised list of Wodehouse's short stories
External links
- The Russian Wodehouse Society's page, with numerous 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
- Free eBook of The Man Upstairs at Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
- An alphabetical list of Wodehouse's shorts, with first publishing dates and appearances in collections