Summary: Much to the annoyance of his neighbours, Bertie Wooster has taken up the banjolele. In fact, the noise is so unpleasant that even Jeeves has deserted him, seeking employment with Bertie's friend Chuffy. Driven out of his apartment and accompanied by a new servant, Bertie retires to the country, where he is shocked to encounter a "segment of the dead past"--a number of people whom he would rather avoid. Chief among these is a certain Pauline Stoker, to whom Bertie once proposed marriage a fortnight after they met, but whose father (unsurprisingly) resisted the attachment.
Jeeves' change of employer does not prevent him from confiding in Bertie, and the two of them are soon plotting to foster a romance between Pauline Stoker and Chuffy. Left to his own devices, Bertie's plans soon come unstuck, but Jeeves (as ever) discretely saves the day. Highlights include Bertie's imprisonment on board a yacht and some nocturnal antics which fall foul of the long (and somewhat stupid) arm of the law. A few rather dubious scenes, which see Bertie "blacking up" to mingle with a group of minstrels, do not mar another wonderful tale of upper-class foolishness, brilliantly read by Simon Callow. --John Oates