P. G. Wodehouse

Name: The Man Upstairs and Other Stories — The Man, The Maid, and the Miasma
Author: P. G. Wodehouse

The Man Upstairs and Other Stories… (1914)

Summary

“The Man Upstairs and Other Stories — The Man, The Maid, and the Miasma”, published in 1914, is a work by P. G. Wodehouse. It explores elements such as Master Bean, Ferguson and Blaythwayt.

Quotes from The Man Upstairs and Other Stories… (P. G. Wodehouse)

P. G. Wodehouse, The Man Upstairs and Other Stories… (1914)

“ Mr Ferguson did not answer. His twitching nostrils were drinking in a familiar aroma.
'Were you asleep? May I come in? I've brought you some cake and cocoa.'
He took the rich gifts from her in silence. There are moments in a man's life too sacred for words. The wonder of the thing had struck him dumb. An instant before and he had had but a desperate hope of winning these priceless things from her at the cost of all his dignity and self-respect. ”

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Source: Wikisource

P. G. Wodehouse, The Man Upstairs and Other Stories… (1914)

“ A syndicate of Galahad, Parsifal, and Marcus Aurelius might have done it, but to an ordinary erring man, conscious of things done which should not have been done, and other things equally numerous left undone, he was too oppressive. One conscience is enough for any man. The employer of Master Bean had to cringe before two. Nobody can last long against an office-boy whose eyes shine with quiet, respectful reproof through gold-rimmed spectacles, whose manner is that of a middle-aged saint, and who obviously knows all the Plod and Punctuality books by heart and orders his life by their precepts. ”

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Source: Wikisource

P. G. Wodehouse, The Man Upstairs and Other Stories… (1914)

“ Perhaps a sudden rush—he shot out with the tense concentration of one moving towards the refreshment-room at a station where the train stops three minutes.
'Good evening, sir!' was the watcher's view-hallo.
'Ah, Bean,' said Mr Ferguson, flitting rapidly, 'you still here? I thought you had gone. I'm afraid I cannot stop now. Some other time—'
He was almost through.
'I fear, sir, that you will be unable to get out,' said Master Bean, sympathetically. 'The building is locked up.'
Men who have been hit by bullets say the first sensation is merely a sort of dull shock. So it was with Mr Ferguson. ”

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Source: Wikisource

P. G. Wodehouse, The Man Upstairs and Other Stories… (1914)

“ The answer to that was easy: 'Tell him I'm busy.' Master Bean's admirably dignified reply was that he understood how great was the pressure of Mr Ferguson's work, and that he would wait till he was at liberty. Liberty! Talk of the liberty of the treed possum, but do not use the word in connexion with a man bottled up in an office, with Roland Bean guarding the only exit.
Mr Ferguson kicked the waste-paper basket savagely. The unfairness of the thing hurt him. A sacked office-boy ought to stay sacked. ”

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Source: Wikisource

P. G. Wodehouse, The Man Upstairs and Other Stories… (1914)

“ Mr Ferguson digested this.
'I am no longer in your employment, sir,' said Master Bean, respectfully, 'but I hope that in the circumstances you will permit me to remain here during the night.'
'During the night!'
'It would enable me to sleep more comfortably than on the stairs.'
'But we can't stop here all night,' said Mr Ferguson, feebly.
He had anticipated an unpleasant five minutes in Master Bean's company. Imagination boggled at the thought of an unpleasant thirteen hours. He collapsed into a chair. ”

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Source: Wikisource

P. G. Wodehouse, The Man Upstairs and Other Stories… (1914)

“ Have you ever had to face someone who is simply incarnate Saintliness and Disapproval, who—'
'Are you forgetting that I was engaged to you for several weeks?'
He was too startled to be hurt. The idea of himself as a Roland Bean was too new to be assimilated immediately. It called for meditation. ”

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Source: Wikisource

P. G. Wodehouse, The Man Upstairs and Other Stories… (1914)

“ He dashed from the room and raced up the dark stairs. And as he arrived at the next floor his eye was caught by a thin pencil of light which proceeded from a door on the left.
No shipwrecked mariner on a desert island could have welcomed the appearance of a sail with greater enthusiasm. He bounded at the door. He knew to whom the room belonged. It was the office of one Blaythwayt; and Blaythwayt was not only an acquaintance, but a sportsman. Quite possibly there might be a pack of cards on Blaythwayt's person to help pass the long hours. ”

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Source: Wikisource

P. G. Wodehouse, The Man Upstairs and Other Stories… (1914)

“ The Purpose and Tenacity books insist on it. That's how you Catch your Employer's Eye. One morning the boss suddenly wants to know how many horsehair sofas there are in Brixton, the number of pins that would reach from London Bridge to Waterloo. You tell him, and he takes you into partnership. Later you become a millionaire. But I haven't thanked you for the cocoa. It was fine.'
He waited for the retort, but it did not come. A pleased wonderment filled him. Could these things really be thus? ”

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Source: Wikisource

P. G. Wodehouse, The Man Upstairs and Other Stories… (1914)

“ Master Bean was a walking edition of Stepping-Stones to Success, Millionaires who Have Never Smoked, and Young Man, Get up Early. Galahad, Parsifal, and Marcus Aurelius, as I say, might have remained tranquil in his presence, but Robert Ferguson found the contract too large. ”

P. G. Wodehouse

Summary

Quotes from The Man Upstairs and Other Stories… (P. G. Wodehouse)

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