As it happens, right now my wife and I are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our second child. In fact, the little chap / lady was due on Tuesday, so is already three days late as I write this. Anyway, the reason I mention this personal detail is that after finishing Pride and Prejudice and considering what to read next, I decided that a short, light-hearted yarn was in order; something to help me relax and take my mind off the seemingly endless waiting. (My wife, having similar thoughts, is currently enjoying the latest Bridget Jones instalment.)

And what could be better under such circumstances, I asked myself, than a P. G. Wodehouse novel?

In the past, I watched and thoroughly enjoyed the Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry television series of Jeeves and Wooster, but I had not, before now, ever read one of the books.

I cannot quite remember…