"Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the 6 October 1928 issue of '' Liberty'' and in the United Kingdom in the November 1928 '' The Strand''. Part of the Blandings Castle canon, it features the absent-minded peer Lord Emsworth, and was included in the collection ''

Blandings Castle and Elsewhere ''Blandings Castle and Elsewhere'' is a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United Kingdom on 12 April 1935 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and, as ''Blandings Castle'', in the United States on 20 Septembe ...

'' (1935), although the story takes place sometime between the events of '' Leave it to Psmith'' (1923) and '' Summer Lightning'' (1929). Wodehouse intended to write a sequel, set 8 years after the events of this story.

Plot summary

Despite glorious weather, Lord Emsworth is miserable; it is August

Bank Holiday A bank holiday is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Crown Dependencies. The term refers to all public holidays in the United Kingdom, be they set out in statute, declared by royal proclamation or held ...

, which at Blandings means the annual Blandings Parva School Treat. The precious grounds are to be overrun with fairground rides, tea-tents and other amusements for the throngs (their numbers padded this year by a number of children visiting from London for the fresh air), and Emsworth is forced by his sister Connie to wear a stiff collar and a top hat, despite the warm weather and his strong protests. On top of that, Glaswegian Head Gardener Angus McAllister is making noises on his pet hobby, the project to gravel the famous Yew Alley. Emsworth, fond of its mossy carpet, loathes the idea, but his sister is in favour, and stronger personalities overpower the elderly Earl all too easily. Visiting Blandings Parva, to judge the flower displays in the gardens, Emsworth is frightened by a large dog, but he is rescued by a small girl named Gladys, one of the Fresh Air London children. They chat and become friends, especially when she reveals that, having been spotted picking flowers in the Castle grounds, she hit McAllister in the shin with a stone to stop him chasing her. At the

fête In Britain and some of its former colonies, fêtes are traditional public festivals, held outdoors and organised to raise funds for a charity. They typically include entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments. Village fêtes Village f� ...

, Emsworth is uncomfortable as ever in his

dress clothes Informal wear or undress, also called business wear, corporate/office wear, tenue de ville or dress clothes, is a Western dress code for clothing defined by a business suit for men, and cocktail dress or pant suit for women. On the scale of fo ...

, and dreading the speech he will have to make. In the tea-tent, his top hat is knocked off by a cleverly aimed rock cake, and Emsworth flees, taking refuge in an old shed. In there he finds Gladys, miserable; she has been put there by Connie, for stealing from the tea tent, but it emerges she was only stealing her own tea, going without to provide for her brother Ern, barred from the fête for biting Connie on the leg. Delighted by this family, Emsworth takes Gladys into the house, and has Beach provide a hearty tea. Beach provides a feast to take back to Ern, and Gladys requests some flowers too. Emsworth hesitates, but cannot refuse her; as she is picking her flowers, McAllister rushes up in a fury, but his master, encouraged by Gladys' hand in his, stands up to the man, putting him in his place. Connie approaches, demanding Emsworth return to make his speech; he refuses, saying he's going to put on some comfortable clothes and go and visit Ern.

Publication history

"Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend" was illustrated by James Montgomery Flagg in ''Liberty''. It was illustrated by

Reginald Cleaver Reginald Thomas Cleaver (died 1954) was a British cartoonist notable for his work for ''Punch'' and ''The Daily Graphic ''The Daily Graphic: An Illustrated Evening Newspaper'' was the first American newspaper with daily illustrations. It was ...

in the ''Strand''. The story was published in the ''Family Herald and Weekly Star'' (Montreal, Canada) on 12 June 1935. The story was collected in ''Week-End Wodehouse'' (UK edition), published in May 1939 by Herbert Jenkins, London. It was included in ''Vintage Wodehouse'', a 1978 collection edited by

Richard Usborne Richard Alexander Usborne (16 May 1910 – 21 March 2006) was a journalist, advertising executive, schoolmaster and author. After the publication of his book ''Wodehouse at Work'' in 1961 he became regarded as the leading authority on the works ...

and published by Barrie & Jenkins.

Adaptations

Under the title "Lord Emsworth and the Little Friend", the story was adapted by

C. E. Webber Cecil Edwin Webber (sometimes known by the nickname "Bunny"; 9 April 1909June 1969) was a British television writer and playwright. He is best remembered for his contribution to the creation of the science-fiction series ''Doctor Who'' while wo ...

for BBC Television as a televised play in 1956. The cast included John Miller as Lord Emsworth, Joan Sanderson as Lady Constance, Margaret McCourt as Gladys, John Hall as Ern, Rufus Cruickshank as McAllister, and Raymond Rollett as Beach. The story was adapted for television as an episode of '' The World of Wodehouse'' in 1967. In 1985, it was adapted as the fifth episode of the '' Blandings'' radio series, under the title "Lord Emsworth and the Girlfriend". The BBC adapted "Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend" for television again in 2013, as the fifth episode in the series '' Blandings''.

References

;Notes ;Sources *

External links

* {{Blandings Castle 1926 short stories Short stories by P. G. Wodehouse Works originally published in Liberty (general interest magazine)

Plot summary

Publication history

Adaptations

See also

References

External links