The Man Upstairs (short story collection)
The Man Upstairs is a collection of nineteen short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 23 January 1914 by Methuen & Co., London.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Explaining it is a stunt to attract attention to the play, Mifflin upsets the boat, expecting George to drag him to safety.
Later, with George's play a success in London, he is accompanied into his box by a lady... Arthur Welch is a barber at the Hotel Belvoir.
She decides to take advice from Doctor Cupid, who answers questions on Matters of the Heart in the weekly magazine Fireside Chat.
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.
A traveller eating in a restaurant pays no attention to an altercation in progress between a waiter, Jack Roach, and a customer, Lord Percy, at the other end of the room.
He also paints and hopes to sell his masterpiece in order to marry his co-worker Jeanne Le Brocq and buy a cigar shop.
Paul puts an arm part of the way round her waist and talks to her affectionately, but she angrily throws off his hand, saying that he could not support a wife on his salary.
She is mollified when he tells her he is planning to sell his masterpiece, "The Awakening", a woodland scene with a young shepherd stooping to kiss beautiful girl.
At a cafe, the narrator meets a melancholy-looking Frenchman named Jean Priaulx, who dislikes cats and recounts the following story about when he was a young artist in Paris.
He rushes to her side, and after Mr Warden states what Ruth overheard, George explains that he went to the pawn shop to study Gandinot.
McCay tells fellow member Sigsbee that he fears Miss Milsom will be disappointed by Archie's performance at their upcoming competition.
In London, Master Roland Bean, the supercilious, disapproving Miasma, wants his job as office-boy back after being fired by Robert Ferguson.
Ferguson proudly insists he doesn't want cake or cocoa, though this is untrue, and he fears hunger will soon overcome his pride.
The Keiths' dignified butler Keggs advises Martin not to try to stop Elsa from listening to Barstowe read poetry.
Before doing so, Owen enjoys his annual holiday in the Shropshire village where he spent his boyhood, at the house of an old acquaintance Mr Dorman.
A compromise is reached that James will work as an assistant master at Harrow House, a private school run by Mr Blatherwick.
James is excited to learn that the editor of the Universal Magazine accepted his short story, and in his elation, gives a brotherly kiss to Violet, a friendly housemaid.
A young foreigner named Adolf, who works cheaply for the school for the opportunity to learn English, saw James kiss Violet.
George remains in Monte Carlo long enough to send a postcard to Harold, then goes to nearby Roville, a cheaper resort.
Rollo, who is in the third week of his schedule, asks Wilson to buy flowers and deliver them with a note to Marguerite Parker, a chorus girl at the Duke of Cornwall's Theatre.
Clarence's mother, Lady Runnymede, is upset that the family's income has been diminished because her father lost money speculating on wheat.
Several times in the story, the narrator wishes to describe characters in greater detail but is unable due to editorial concerns about brevity.
Rackstraw is certain that Houndsditch Wednesday would have won with "Jones", and to prove this, arranges with Dodson to have the two clubs pay again in a private game.
In the Strand (UK), Joseph Simpson illustrated "When Doctors Disagree",[2] "Rough-Hew Them How We Will",[3] "The Man Who Disliked Cats",[4] "Pots o' Money",[5] "Out of School",[6] "Three From Dunsterville",[7] and "The Goal-Keeper and the Plutocrat".
[37] A story by Wodehouse titled "Ways to Get a Gal" was based on "Ahead of Schedule" and published with illustrations by R. L. S. in Dream World (Chicago, US) in February 1957.
