Read by Jonathan Cecil

PG. Wodehouse's best stories are invariably those that involve the butler
Jeeves helping the scatterbrained and easy-living Bertie Wooster escape
from the fickle hand of fate and his own pranks. "Aunts Aren't Gentlemen"
focuses on Bertie being at the wrong place at the wrong time and being
constantly in the soup because of what others do. He valiantly launches
forward and needs less help than usual to remain the carefree bachelor
about town. It all starts off innocently enough as Bertie finds himself
with disturbing pink spots on his chest. Seeking out a physician's counsel,
Bertie gets more than he bargained for when he bumps into Vanessa Cook
(who had turned down his marriage proposal the year before) and O.J. (Orlo)
Porter (former dorm mate at Oxford who favored left-wing causes) as they
lead a protest march that stalls Bertie's car. Porter hops in the car to
escape the Bobbies and sells Bertie some life insurance. Porter turns out
to be in love with Ms. Cook and is very jealous of anyone who might have
an interest in her. At the doctor's office, Bertie runs into Major Plank
who had once tried to have Bertie arrested. Fortunately, Plank cannot
remember who he is . . . but it's a narrow escape. The doctor tells Bertie
the spots will go away, but Bertie's health needs are not being met.
He suggests a trip to someplace quiet in the country. Naturally, Bertie
thinks of his Aunt Dahlia and the wonderful meals he always enjoys when
he visits her. But she's off visiting elsewhere. She does offer to take
a cottage for Bertie so he can visit with her. Once there, things go badly
downhill. Naturally, Bertie does it to himself to some extent. Ignoring
Jeeves's advice, he takes a wrong turn and ends up with a nasty scare.
From there, the complications build to their humorous conclusion as cat
thieves, bettors, lovers, churchmen and angry horsemen blunder about in
silly circles that provide much delight to the reader. Naturally, Bertie's
always at the wrong place at the wrong time . . . but at the right place
at the right time to make us laugh! One of the special charms of this story
is that Bertie tries very hard to do the right thing . . . and finds it
exceptionally difficult to do so. As the book ends, Bertie notes that the
problems with the world boil down to the comment that "Aunts Aren't
Gentlemen."

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