Ch 16. Brenda arrives. Florence tells her about suspecting Jeff but having no proof. Brenda advises her to apply to Dame Daphne. She does so and gets identification. She then goes to Gally and we play the scene p 86 to 88.
Ch 17. I haven’t quite decided on the order in which events come, but I will put down a tentative sequence. I think that after leaving Gaily Florence go to Brenda and tell her what has happened. Brenda is distrait. She says about theft of her necklace, from jewel case left in hail. ‘You can’t let this man leave house. He’s got my necklace.’
Ch 18. Vicky tells Gally she stole necklace to prevent Jeff leaving house. Have them consulting Beach as to whether this in only for murder. Gally says he will put necklace in Lord E’s study.
Ch 19. Φ C. Lord consults Beach as to where people in tec stories hide things. On top of [?wardrobe?]
Continue the scene between Brenda and Florence. Florence says Jeff must have stolen necklace. They decide that Jeff’s room must be searched. By whom? Brenda suggests Claude. Claude sent for. Φ
Ch 20. Gally goes to Ld E. Tells him that Florence has fired Jeff. Ld E furious. Ld E says he will go and see Jeff and assure him that he won’t have to leave. Where is Jeff? he is probably in his room. ‘When you have a job like painting the Empress, you have to do a lot of deep thinking.’ They go to Jeff’s room. As they reach it, they hear a crash from inside. Ld E thinks Jeff may have met with an accident. They go in and find Claude. Gally is stern with Claude. He makes him confess why he is there. He says Brenda told him to search the room for stolen necklace. Ld E furious at this slur on Jeff, rushes off to tackle Brenda. Gally is left to talk to Claude. Tells him he must expect this sort of thing at Blandings. Use the stuff about meek men?
Ld E returns, says he has properly ticked Brenda off. And, now, he says, to tick Florence off for firing Jeff. Claude left, stunned.
Ch 21. They go to F’s suite, Gally with Ld E to render moral support. Brenda is there. (No, I don’t think she need be). F. says Ld E has grossly insulted Brenda. (Yes, I think the scene wd play better without Brenda) . F says Unless Ld E apologizes, Brenda will leave, and if B leaves she, F, will leave. Ld E refuses to apologize and F says she will leave tomorrow morning.
+ X from cupboard. He ticks Ld E off for wanting pig in gallery)
The meek men stuff might fit. They go out together, G praising Ld E. The meek men stuff might fit in better here.
Ch 22. Gally goes to his hammock. Plus Piper, who says he was just going to propose when Murchison came up with rain coat, saying the sky looked threatening. G says Beach has told him that Murch loves maid, and he will keep him away while Piper proposes.
G goes off to tackle Murch. Succeeds. Goes back to hammock. Plus Piper says he is engaged. G gets him to give Jeff job of painting his portrait, — and you know hundreds of rich people, you can recommend Jeff to them. P agrees. Ø Ø + Ld E with necklace. —Ld E.
G sees car draw up at door. Florence comes out and stands waiting for Brenda. G. goes to her, tells her that Piper has given Jeff portrait job for princely sum, all his pals in Cabinet will have their portraits painted by Jeff for princely sum, Ld E will pay him highly for Empress and Beach will add his bit as a wedding present. ? Beach is J’s uncle. ? F gets into car without a word.
End with Gally chatting with Beach.
THE END
*
At a very early stage, perhaps back in 1973, Wodehouse felt he had two conflicting novels jostling towards Blandings to be born. In the next sequence of our transcription, which Wodehouse has headed “Novel A” we see the exciting possibility of Bertie Wooster, Jeeves and Stiffy Byng turning up to set the plots at the castle.
*
NOVELA
Start :— Probably the best account of the fire at X Hall, which is about a mile from Blandings Castle, was in the X, with which is incorporated etc. For some reason the Times, the etc and the other national newspapers did not cover it, but the X did it proud.
Lord E read it while breakfasting. Felt that X, the owner of the Hall, whom he disliked, had been asking for something like this for years.
Lady X tells him they must take X and Co in.
Not using the fire (or possibly using it) try this
1. Hero and heroine engaged. They have a row. (What about?)
2. To keep hero from leaving house, heroine steals necklace. (Whose?)
3. Investigations start. Heroine fears she will be found with necklace. (Why?)
4. She gives it to someone to hide. (Who? Her brother?)
See below)
5. Reconciliation. Heroine asks brother (G) to return necklace. He refuses. (Why? Could make big comic character, Eg a playwright, who wants to keep necklace to finance his play.
6. Big comic sequence with hero trying to steal necklace from brother. (How end?)
Try this. It would be much more plausible if heroine goes to ‘brother’ and says hero is leaving and she will have no time to get reconciled, and brother suggests the stealing of necklace and says he will do it.
Good X)
Then, instead of refusing to return necklace, ‘brother’ has accident and loses his memory and so we get a situation as in Money In The Bank with brother— uncle?— hero & heroine combining to try to find necklace (This makes ‘brother’ not crooked, a great improvement).
Good)
Could wife who owns necklace suspect her husband of having stolen it?
*
NovelA
Hero is an artist.
Start with some comic scene with heroine.
She goes with him to his studio.
It is humble and his pictures bad. She thinks he is poor.
Ld E wants pig’s portrait. She recommends hero.
Then all the incidents which end in them getting engaged.
*
She says it will be like Bohemian, artistic poverty.
He reveals that he has had a comic strip running in America for years. It has now reached stage where other artists do the drawing.
Good)
Try this. Have a Character (whom Ld E dislikes?) who turns out to be a famous animal painter who is eager to paint Empress.
End. Hero, engaged to heroine, goes to London to buy ring. He meets the man who was engaged to heroine, who has been thinking it over and decided to marry her. Make him very patronizing about her, says he has no doubt she will resume engagement. After all, who is she? (Who isshe? Parson’s daughter? or niece of [?] woman?) . Hero says he can see only one objection, that she is going to marry him.
Good)
What Characters have I got?
1. Hero
2. Heroine
3. Heroine’s fiancé.
4. Lord Emsworth
Only four!
Problems
1. What does fiancé quarrel with heroine about?
Ch 1. Hero and heroine meet. They have known each other as kids. ‘What are you doing now?’ — I’m secty to Lady X at Blandings.
*
NovelA
Try this. Make owner of jewel an important character. (Query. Old flame of Ld E?). Ld E reluctantly in danger of marrying her. Φ
She finally gets engaged to man who has been staying at ‘fire’ house, and he turns not to be big animal painter who wants to paint Empress.
This will give me six characters.
Good)
Problem. Who is heroine? Φ
Φ Try this. Ld E’s sister Dora is at Blandings. She insists on ‘fire’ lot being taken in and wants Ld E to marry ‘jewel’ woman.
Heroine is her secretary.
So now I have seven characters.
Good)
Can I make the man who gets engd to jewel woman the cabinet minister with detective dogging him. He confides his problem to Ld E, who does something (like giving tec Mickey Finn which puts him out of action. He goes off to propose and comes back and tells Ld E he is engaged.
(If I was this, I either scrap idea of big painter and pig or else have him tell Ld E
he knows painter who wants to paint pig.
Good)
To ask somebody. What does an artist of a successful comic strip get, and how much when he hands over the strip to other hack artists?
*
NOVEL A
Try it as a Jeeves story.
1. Bertie is staying at Blandings. A niece of Lord Emsworth’s is there, and she and Bertie are great pals.
Note: Bertie cd propose to her, using that idea of trying to persuade girl by saying she wd have a husband she cd tell stories about. And she tells him she is engaged to a man he knows who lives in the neighbourhood.
2. Girl comes to him in tears and says she has quarrelled with man and engt broken.
3. Man’s house has fire. The inhabitants are asked to stay at Blandings. Make this plausible. Ld E wd object strongly, so heroine’s mother ought to be his sister Dora from Pigs Have Wings, and she over-rules him. So hero comes to Blandings.
4. Hero has to leave. Then jewel is stolen. (Whose?)
5. Heroine comes to Bertie — says she stole jewel to keep hero from leaving house. Lands B with it.
Good so far but no part yet for Jeeves or Ld E and pig.
I don’t believe it’s a Jeeves story. I think man heroine loves goes to London, as residents aren’t compelled to stay, and run of story is heroine falling for chap she gives jewel to: (This wd make the first man a rotter of some kind.
Work on this)
Heroine steals her mother’s jewel. If caught she will get sent to her Grandmother in Bexhill.
X)
Title: Lord Emsworth Entertains.
*
Novel A
If a Blandings story, Bertie goes out at night with Ld E to see pig, Φ who has not been well.
Φ Ld E wants him to
see pig by moonlight.
They come back, Ld E in lead. He absent mindedly shuts front door, leaving B locked out.
Good)
B. climbs in through a window and is seen by detective and becomes a suspect (OR climbs in and meets heroine Φ and proposes. She says she is engaged to neighbour.
Φ ‘Will you marry me. Not immediately of course. When we have had time to assemble a clergyman or two.)
Try this. Stiffy is at Blandings. Also heroine. Stiffy wants to steal pig ùit has become such an obsession with Ld E. (get some stronger motive) . Heroine wants to get hero to stay on.
I don’t know if the man afraid of being knighted wd come into Novel A, but a good solution wd be if some acquaintance of him and his wife’s got made a Lord, and she tells him on no account to accept a knighthood.
XX)
Sequence
1. Fire. Man comes to Blandings.
2. He & heroine have row.
3. Girl steals jewels, gives them to hero to keep.
4. Hero gives them to Ld E.
5. Man leaves. The company haven’t been told to stay.
6. Hero asks Ld E for the package he gave him. Ld E either has forgotten and denies having any package or has lost his memory.
7. Hero searches Ld E’s study. Is he caught? By Bertie. Φ
Φ If they both search study, something cd happen eg clap of thunder, which causes heroine to fall into hero’s arms. (c.f. Uneasy Money).
This might be good)
*
For six pages of notes (undated, so they may have been made on six separate days, before the pages dated December 20th and December 30th) Wodehouse wondered who this man, ‘X’ or Kevin, was who was going, by sudden domination, to earn his return to Lady Florence’s respect and love. Husband? Divorced husband? Fiancé? And/or butler Beach’s nephew? we have transcribed four of these pages.
*
Husband
Clipped moustache. V. military. Appearance misleading, as he was a v. wild man. Very gib and strong.
Vegetarian. F. disapproved. Ridiculous fad! (He has become a vegn).
Gally says I was a vegn for a while many years ago because I cd not afford not to be, meat costing so much. (My investments on the turf
Kevin: Dt you think there is any hope of a reconciliation?
Gally: It depends what the row was about. If you have been preferring blondes.
K: Good heavens, no.
G: Then what was the trouble?
K: I became converted to vegetarianism and F called it a ridiculous fad.
G: You didn’t try to convert her to veg.
K: Certainly not.
G tells K to hide in F’s suite and jump out at her. Drink G. Ovens beer.
*
Florence’s husband
He is Beach’s nephew, an actor, or playwright? (need he be B’s nephew?)
Gally meets him in Ch. 2. F. has chucked him, if engaged or insisted on a divorce if married, & he has gone to B’s pantry for consolation & port. (Gally does not know his father) . (Husband is leaving, chucked out)
Problem, why have—call him ‘husband’—& F split? Φ And how does their reconciliation affect Jeff? Φ It looks as if they aren’t married. Qy. Shall he have already alienated F? by getting her to put up money to star him if an actor or finance his play, if playwright.
His appearance (1) in Ch2 (2) At Emsworth Arms after Piper has left & G is alone. (2) In big scene. (In 2 G. has advised him to stoke up on G. Ovens beer)
Φ They are only engaged. Can they have split ù she told him to go and make Ld E give up idea of pig in portrait gallery? In big scene he reveals that he has got Ld E to agree to have the pig in study. Φ
Φ I can see good comedy with him reasoning with Ld E, — which wd make F. melt to him.
In Ems Arms scene ‘husband’ tells G all abt his quarrel with F.
In G-F F merely says he was weak.
X)
G and X at Ems Arms. G advises X to stoke up on G’s port & hide.
Big Scene.
Start with Ld E and G entering.
Row. Don’t have F saying she will leave. Work up to where F. says something abt pig being in portrait gallery.
X comes out of cupboard.
‘I wd like to say a few words on that subject.’
X reasons with Lord E.
Ld E convinced. Goes off to break it to Jeff that his portrait won’t be in gallery. He will be disappointed
X and F reconciled.
X says Let’s get married and go to USA. Put on my play there.
F says you won’t mind V being with us. Can’t leave her here with Jeff.
X and F go off, leaving Gally.
Gally muses. Plug snag of Jeff and V being parted.
Enter Piper, wanting smelling salts for Brenda. G. tells what has hapd. G. says abt Ld E furious. Use meek man stuff
Piper complains of Murchison G. offers to get M out of way. Meet me at my hammock if all goes well. G & Murch. G to hammock + Piper. He is engaged. G. gets commission for portrait from P.
G. goes off to tell Jeff the news
Qy scene J, V & G. Tells them to elope, they say no money, G says abt commission, & he is going to see Ld E for more.
*
Ch 16
Try this. 1. B arrives. B & F. B says she met ‘husband’ on train. Says No. Begs F to take him back. F says too weak.
No. B is a hard character.
She says Kevin is weak.
(B says he is at E. Arms. B to her room.
2. Cut to Gally, G & Ld E. G. to Ems Arms. Φ G and husband. G advises him to stoke up with G. Ovens ale & hide in F’s suite and come out and dominate F.
2 isn’t right)
3. B comes to F, report loss of jewel.
4. V. tells G she stole jewel.
(THIS IS RIGHT
Φ G goes to Ems Arms ù after his scene with Ld E he goes to hammock and Beach tells him husband rang up fr Ems Arms wanting to speak to Gally.
This makes it all right.)
In 1 F tells B she has to be dominated by her man
2. Qy. Shall I cut architect idea and have Gally tell Piper to have Jeff paint his portrait as a present to Diana? Says J i
s doing excellent job with Empress Good)
Can I work it so that everything happens in one day?
In Gally’s first scene with Ld E, make G’s reason for staying in London because he had to console his old pal X. who is F’s husband.
V. good X)
For title. Something about women being hard to handle.
Qy. Women are Peculiar.
X)
plate full
grateful
*
In the Preface to his 1929 Blandings novel Summer Lightning Wodehouse wrote:
A certain critic — for such men, I regret to say, do exist — made the nasty remark about my last novel that it contained ‘all the old Wodehouse characters under different names’. He has probably now been eaten by bears, like the children who made a mock of the prophet Elisha: but if he still survives he will not be able to make a similar charge against Summer Lightning. With my superior intelligence, I have out-generalled the man this time by putting in all the old Wodehouse characters under the same names. Pretty silly it will make him feel, I rather fancy …
Seven Blandings novels (eight with Sunset at Blandings) and nine short stories came after Summer Lightning. One of the difficulties in multi-volumed saga-writing is to know how much introductory explanation you’ve got to give to an old character in a new novel. When the eighth Blandings novel hits the bookstalls, for how many of its readers will it be their first visit to the castle? And how do you explain Lord Emsworth to these first-time readers without boring your old faithfuls?
Sunset at Blandings Page 13
