Evening star., 1925-05-31
R p. g.. Wodehouse

| later I was up in the drawing room
/ shaking hands with the fattest man !
have ever seen In my life.
| The motto Of the Little family was
| evidently variety" Young Bingo is
long and thin and hasn't had q super-
ffuous ounce on him since we frst
| met; but the uncle restored the aver
age and a bit over. The hand which
grasped mine wrapped it round and
enfolded It till I began to wonder II
Ia ever get it out without excavatfng
machinery.
'Mr. Wooster. I am gratified--I am
proud am honored"
1t seemed TO me that young Bingo
must have boosted me to some pur-
pose.
"Oh, ah!" said.
He stepped back bit, still hang
ing on to the good right hand.
You are very young to have ac
complished so much"
/ couldn't follow the train OF
thought. The family, especially my
Aunt Agatha, who has savaged me
necessarily from childhood up. have
always rather made a paint of the
fact that mine is a wasted life, and
that, since won the prize at my
first school for the best collection
of wild flowers made during the Sum
mer holidays, 1 haven't done q thing
to land me on the nations scroll OF
fame. ] was wondering II he couldn't
have got me mixed up with some.
| one else. when the telephone bell rang
outside in the hall. and the maid came
| in TO say that I was wanted I bug.
zed down, and found 1t was young
Bingo.
''Hsllo"' said Young Bingo. go
you've got there? Good man, I
knew could rely on you I say.
old crumpet, did my uncle seem
pleased TO see you?"
Absolutely all over me. l can't
make 1t out"
"Oh, that's all right. I just rang
up to explain. The fact is, old man,
| know you won't mind. but I told
him that you we're the author OF those
books I've been reading to him
WHAT
Yes, / said that Rosie M. Banks
| was your penname, and you didn't
want II generally known. because you
| were modest, retiring sort OF chap.
He'll listen to you now. Absolutely
hang on your words. A brightish
idea, what? ! doubt II Jeeves in per.
son could have thought up a better
one than that. Well, pitch IT strong.
old lad; and keep steadily before you
the fact that l must have my allow.
ance raised. / can't possibly marry
on what I've got now II this film
is to end with the slow-fade-out on
the embrace. at least double is in
dicated. Well, that's that. Cherio!"
And he rang off. At that moment
the gong sounded. and the genial host
came tunbling downstairs like the de-
livery Of a ton OF Goals.
II *
ALWAYS look back to that lunch
with a sort OF aching regret. II
was the lunch of a lifetime, and I
wasn't in a At state to appreciate it.
Subconsciously, II you know what I
mean, l could see It was pretty spe-
cial. but had got the wind up to such
frightful extent over the ghastly
situation in which young Bingo had
landed me that its deeper meaning
never really penetrated Most OF the
time I might have been eating saw
dust for all the good 1t did me-
Old Little struck the literary note
right from the start.
My nephew has probably told you
that / have been making a close
study Of your books of late?" he be-
gan.
"Yes. He did mention It. Hover
how did you like the bally things?"
lie gazed reverently at me.
Mr.. wooster, am not ashamed to
o@J hiAoN tAiC lcai INTO my eyes
as / listened TO them. II arr,azes me
that man as young as you can have
been able to plumb human nature so
surely to its depth: to play with so
unerring a hand on the ouiverinp
heartstrings OF your reader: to write
novels SO true, so human, SO moving,
so vital"'
"Oh, it's just a knack," I said.
The good old persp. was bedewing
my forehead by this time In a pretty
lavish manner. I don't know when !
have been SO ratified.
DO you md the room a trtfe
warm?"
oh: no, no, rather not. Just
right"
Then it's the pepper. II my cook
has fault-which am not prepared
to admft-it is that she is inclined TO
stress the pepper a trifie in her made
dishes. BY the way. do you like her
cooking?"
was SO relieved that we had got off
the subject of my literary output
that shouted approval in a ringing
baritone.
II am delighted to hear it, Mr..