SAT閱讀文章（文學作品）第15篇

佩勒姆·G·伍德豪斯爵士（Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse，1881年10月15日－1975年2月14日），英國幽默小說家，七十多年的寫作生涯，受到無數讀者的歡迎，至今他的作品還廣為流傳。雖然他的一生經歷了社會動蕩和政治運動，而且很長一段時間是在法國和美國度過，伍德豪斯作品的主要背景還是一戰前英國的上流社會。這和他的個人經歷有關，他生長於斯，在這裡接受教育，並開始早期的寫作生涯。

除了最負盛名的《Jeeves》系列和《布蘭丁斯城堡》系列小說及短篇小說外，伍德豪斯當過編劇，參與創作了15部劇本，還給三十幾個歌舞喜劇片寫過250首歌詞。比如1934年，他與科爾·波特合作過歌舞劇《雙圓爭輝》 。作曲家傑羅姆·克恩 、蓋伊·博爾頓也常與他合作，例如他給傑羅姆·克恩的《畫航璇宮》（1927）中的熱門歌曲《Bill》寫了歌詞，給格什溫 與龍伯格的歌舞劇《羅莎莉》（1928）作詞，與魯道夫·弗里姆爾合寫了改編自《三個火槍手》的歌舞劇（1928年）。

Extricating Young Gussie is a short story by British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse (1881–1975), being the first appearance of two of his most popular characters, the ingenious valet Jeeves and his master Bertie Wooster. It was first published in the U.S. in the 18 September 1915 issue of The Saturday Evening Post, and in the UK in the January 1916 edition of The Strand Magazine. It was included in the collection The Man with Two Left Feet (1917).

Extricating Young Gussie features the first appearance of some of Wodehouses most popular and enduring characters – valet extraordinaire Jeeves (whose role in this debut story is very small) and his master Bertie Wooster (whose surname is not actually mentioned). Berties imperious Aunt Agatha also appears.

The first meeting of Jeeves and Bertie would be chronicled one year later, in the November 1916 short story Jeeves Takes Charge.

Some elements of the plot of "Extricating Young Gussie" were later incorporated by Wodehouse into a 1918 Jeeves story, "Jeeves and the Chump Cyril."

Aunt Agatha drags Bertie out of bed "in the small hours [around] half past eleven". She is most distressed that her nephew, and Berties cousin Gussie Mannering-Phipps "has lost his head over a creature", a chorus-girl in New York City that he may marry, so she demands that Bertie head over there and stop him.

Arriving at Gussies New York hotel, Bertie is surprised to find no sign of his cousin. Out in the bustling street he runs into Gussie, now going by the name of "George Wilson", who is about to appear on the music-hall stage in order to please his girls ex-pro father. Bertie, worried by this, telegraphs his Aunt Julia (Gussies mother) for help.

After some rehearsals, Gussies first show rolls round, and Bertie finds himself sat next to a very pretty girl. Gussie has stage-fright and starts badly, but halfway through his second song the girl beside Bertie joins in, bucking Gussie up and getting a big round from the audience. It turns out she is the girl Gussie loves.

Aunt Julia arrives, and Bertie takes her to see Gussie and his girl in their respective shows. They then pay a call on the girls father, Mr Joe Danby, who turns out to have known and loved Julia in her music-hall days. Julia tells him her son has inherited her talent; he demands she stay with him where she belongs.

Meeting Gussie soon after, Bertie hears Julia and Danby are to be married, as are Gussie and Danbys daughter. After he received a telegram from Aunt Agatha asking if she should come and help, Bertie puts her off, and resolves to avoid England for some time, "about ten years."

This passage is adapted from P.G. Wodehouse, 「Extricating Young Gussie.」 Originally published in 1917.

She sprang it on me before breakfast. There in seven words you have a complete character sketch of my Aunt Agatha. I could go on indefinitely about brutality and lack of consideration. I merely say that she routed me out of bed to listen to her painful story somewhere in the small hours. It cant have been half past eleven when Jeeves, my man, woke me out of the dreamless and broke the news:

Mrs Gregson to see you, sir.

I thought she must be walking in her sleep, but I crawled out of bed and got into a dressing-gown. I knew Aunt Agatha well enough to know that, if she had come to see me, she was going to see me. Thats the sort of woman she is.

She was sitting bolt upright in a chair, staring into space. When I came in she looked at me in that darn critical way that always makes me feel as if I had gelatine where my spine ought to be. Aunt Agatha is one of those strong-minded women. I should think Queen Elizabeth must have been something like her. She bosses her husband, Spencer Gregson, a battered little chappie on the Stock Exchange. She bosses my cousin, Gussie Mannering-Phipps. She bosses her sister-in-law, Gussies mother. And, worst of all, she bosses me. She has an eye like a man-eating fish.

I dare say there are fellows in the world—men of blood and iron, dont you know, and all that sort of thing—whom she couldnt intimidate; but if youre a chappie like me, fond of a quiet life, you simply curl into a ball when you see her coming, and hope for the best. My experience is that when Aunt Agatha wants you to do a thing you do it.

Hello, Aunt Agatha! I said.

Bertie, she said, you look a sight. You look perfectly dissipated.

I was feeling like a badly wrapped brown-paper parcel. Im never at my best in the early morning. I said so.

Early morning! I had breakfast three hours ago, and have been walking in the park ever since, trying to compose my thoughts. I am extremely worried, Bertie. That is why I have come to you.

And then I saw she was going to start something, and I bleated weakly to Jeeves to bring me tea. But she had begun before I could get it.

What are your immediate plans, Bertie?

Well, I rather thought of tottering out for a bite of lunch later on, and then I might trickle off to Walton Heath for a round of golf.

『I am not interested in your totterings and tricklings. I mean, have you any important engagements in the next week or so?

I scented danger.

Rather, I said. Heaps! Millions! Booked solid!

What are they?

I—er—well, I dont quite know.

I thought as much. You have no engagements. Very well, then, I want you to start immediately for America.

America!

Do not lose sight of the fact that all this was taking place on an empty stomach, shortly after the rising of the lark.

Yes, America. I suppose even you have heard of America? But why America?

Because that is where your Cousin Gussie is. He is in New York, and I cant get at him.

Whats Gussie been doing?

『Gussie is making a perfect idiot of himself.

To one who knew young Gussie as well as I did, the words opened up a wide field for speculation.

In what way?

He has lost his head over a creature.

On past performances this rang true. Ever since he arrived at mans estate Gussie had been losing his head over creatures. Hes that sort of chap. But, as the creatures never seemed to lose their heads over him, it had never amounted to much.

I imagine you know perfectly well why Gussie went to America, Bertie. He is not clever, but he is very good-looking, and, though he has no title, the Mannering-Phippses are one of the best and oldest families in England. He had some excellent letters of introduction, and when he wrote home to say that he had met the most charming and beautiful girl in the world I felt quite happy. He continued to rave about her for several mails, and then this morning a letter has come from him in which he says, quite casually as a sort of afterthought, that he knows we are broadminded enough not to think any the worse of her because she is on the vaudeville stage.

Oh, I say!