1. In the short story “Company for Gertrude” first collected in Blandings Castle Lord Emsworth had a sleepless night when a lotion provided by his young guest Popjoy failed to provide relief for a sprained ankle.

2. This was Chimp Twist, (C), bringing his business colleague Soapy Molloy, (B), up to date on the previous night’s activities in which the only proceeds from their carefully planned burglary of Rudge Hall amounted to an extremely uncomfortable night and a nasty cold in the head for Dr Twist, who had been compelled to hide in a water barrel when caught in the act by Hugo Carmody, (D), and the dog Emily, (E). From Chapter Seven of Money For Nothing.

3. The activities of members of the New York Police Department interrupted the repose of Psmith, (F), and his friend Comrade Windsor in Chapter 23 of Psmith, Journalist.

4. What appeared to be the happy ending in Chapter 27 of Joy in the Morning would take another two chapters to achieve due to the fatheadedness of Boko Fittleworth, (H), who had inadvertently locked his fiancée’s guardian Lord Worplesdon, (G), in his garage overnight.

5. Wodehouse recalled his friend and colleague Jerome Kern, (I), whose “idea of a quiet home evening was to sit at the piano, composing, till about five in the morning” in this piece, which appeared in a 1962 article in Punch magazine and in book form in Author! Author!, the 1962 American rewrite of the 1953 British book Performing Flea.

6. The title character in “Welch’s Record Mile”, first collected in Tales of Wrykyn and Elsewhere, gave up his night’s sleep for a good cause – to fetch the doctor to treat his house master’s 10-year-old daughter for diphtheria.

Round 342 - 22 January 2008

1. In Chapter 25 of Sam the Sudden (US title: Sam in the Suburbs) the title character Sam Shotter, (A), won an argument with Lord Tilbury, (B), by using one or two expressions he picked up while listening to a discussion between two crewmates on a tramp steamer.

2. Freddie Rooke, (C), the scales at last having fallen from his eyes, gives Sir Derek Underhill, (D), the bird in Chapter 20 (sub-titled ’Derek loses one bird and secures another’) of Jill the Reckless (US title: The Little Warrior).

3. In Chapter 19 of Jeeves in the Offing (US title: How Right You Are, Jeeves) an inflamed redhead named Roberta Wickham became quite possibly the first person in history to address that Prince of Stinkers, the Rev. Aubrey Upjohn with a curt “Listen, Buster” and carried on from there in a phone conversation that left the former Malvern House headmaster a pale shadow of his former self.

4. Sir Mugsy Bostock’s, (F’s), reign of terror at Ashenden Manor came to an end in Chapter 13 of Uncle Dynamite when his nephew Bill Oakshott, (E), threw off the shackles and took command. Major Plank, (G) was an enthusiastic cheer-leader.

5. We’re back to Lord Tilbury again, now known as (I) but still much preoccupied about his trousers. In this scene from Chapter Nine of Frozen Assets (US title: Biffen’s Millions) Tilbury’s former employee Percy Pilbeam, (H), casts off the shackles with a vengeance.

6. In Chapter 6 of The Old Reliable Wilhelmina “Bill” Shannon used the threat of a fistful of worms down the back to get her sister Adela Shannon Cork to play ball.

Round 343 - 30 January 2008

1. In Chapter 13 of Summer Lightning (US title: Fish Preferred) Percy Pilbeam, (A), did his famous impersonation of an eel to elude the leopard-like advance of Ronnie Fish, (B).

2. After jumping in a river to retrieve a girl’s frock (long story; too complicated to go into now) Freddie Widgeon, (D), broke into a nearby cottage to steal some dry clothes, but had the bad luck to select a cottage occupied by a jealous love-rival named Captain Bradbury, (C). For further details, refer to “Trouble Down at Tudsleigh”, which was first collected in the British edition of Young Men in Spats and the American edition of Eggs, Beans and Crumpets.

3. The narrator, Ukridge, was a gratified witness when an innocent dog took umbrage after a bent bookie named Joe the Lawyer, (E), threw a stone at it. Joe’s hasty, undignified and expensive retreat from the attentions of the aggrieved hound came at the climax of the short story “The Level Business Head”, which was first collected in the UK in Lord Emsworth and Others and in the US in Eggs, Beans and Crumpets.

4. In Chapter Five of Bill the Conqueror by moving with the speed of a cannon-ball Roderick Pyke, (K), was just able to avoid the retribution planned by a ravening wolf named Bill West, (L).

5. Former big-game hunter Colonel Sir Francis Pashley-Drake, (M), learned the hard way that the fascination of shooting as a sport depends almost wholly on whether you are at the right or wrong end of the gun. From the short story “Unpleasantness at Bludleigh Court”, which was first collected in Mr Mulliner Speaking .

6. We learned earlier in Summer Lightning (US: Fish Preferred) that Ronnie Fish as a boy had placed tin-tacks on his Uncle Galahad’s chair. The upshot of that incident was revealed to us in Chapter 7 of Heavy Weather where we learn that a whangee-wielding Gally chased Ronnie twenty-seven times around a chimney-stack on the roof of the Blandings West Tower.

Round 344 - 7 February 2008

1. Oofy Prosser, (A), had little or no difficulty spotting the flaw in (B), Bingo Little’s campaign to pry a tenner out of his, Oofy’s, wallet in the short story “Sonny Boy” from Eggs, Beans and Crumpets.

2. After listening to Psmith, (C), moaning about the indignity of being compelled to ride in a tram to escape from a Clapham Common riot (something that really could have been included in last week‘s “Exit, Pursued by a Bear” Quiz), Mike Jackson, (D), came up with a brainy alternate scheme: “You can always get off, you know.” From Chapter 16 of Psmith in the City.

3. Archie Moffam, (E), put his finger on the one saving grace of an otherwise disastrous day in Chapter 15 of Indiscretions of Archie.

4. After being clouted on the head by a tobacco jar wielded by a female crook, Jeff Miller, (F), barely noticed his headache when he regained consciousness to discover his prostrate form was being kissed by the previously haughty Anne Benedick. The happy ending was achieved in Chapter 28 of Money in the Bank.

5. The happy ending was achieved in Chapter 23 of Right Ho, Jeeves but, unlike the previous example, this happy ending did not leave the hero engaged to the leading lady. Quite the opposite, much to the relief of Bertie Wooster, since the leading lady was none other than Madeline Bassett.

6. This was Duane Stottlemeyer, a young New York department store executive, pointing out the fatal flaw in Homer Pyle’s plan to have his sister, who, judging by the available evidence, was a shop-lifting kleptomaniac, accompany him on a forthcoming jaunt to Brussels. From Chapter One of The Girl in Blue.

Round 345 - 15 February 2008

1. Lord Biskerton is engaged to Ann Moon and Kitchie Valentine (and to complicate matters further, Ann is also engaged to Berry Conway). (Big Money, Chapter 9)

2. Adrian Peake is engaged to Jane Abbott and Heloise, the Princess von und zu Dwornitzchek. (Summer Moonshine, Chapter 13)

3. Publisher Cyril Grooly, already engaged to Patricia Binstead, his senior partner’s secretary, has proposed to Agnes Flack while hypnotized. (“Sleepy Time”, Plum Pie)

4. Freddie (Butch) Carpenter finds himself engaged to both Mavis Todd and Teresa Trent. (French Leave, Chapter 9)

5. Stanwood Cobbold has just become engaged to Eileen Stoker, having absent-mindedly forgotten a previous engagement, to Lady Teresa Cobbold. (Spring Fever, Chapter 23)

Round 346 - 25 February 2008

1. Pongo Twistleton hides Elsie Bean in the cupboard so Bill Oakshott won’t find them together. (Uncle Dynamite, Chapter 9)

2. Bertie Wooster is hiding from Stilton Cheesewright, at Florence Cray’s insistence. (Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit, US title Bertie Wooster Sees It Through, Chapter 13)

3. Chimp Twist hides in his cupboard from a rock-cake-throwing assailant (JG Miller). (Money in the Bank, Chapter 5)

4. Jerry West learns the perils of sneezing while hiding in cupboards. (The Girl in Blue, Chapter 11)

5. Adrian Peake, hiding in his second cupboard of the evening, is discovered by Colonel Percival Tanner. (Summer Moonshine, Ch. 25)

Extra Credit: The characters in Group A entered cupboards voluntarily (mostly to hide, though Cyprian Rossiter takes refuge in a cupboard in the sight of his pursuer); the characters in Group B are forced to enter cupboards. Thus, Lord Ickenham belongs in Group B (Uncle Fred in the Springtime, Chapter 19), Julia Ukridge in Group A (“Ukridge and the Home from Home”).

Round 347 - 4 March 2008

1. Chimp Twist, who usually hides in cupboards, makes the tactical error of sneezing while concealed in Eustace Trumper’s wardrobe. (Money in the Bank, Chapter 16)

2. Pongo Twistleton hid in Lady Bostock’s wardrobe while trying to pinch her lipstick for Sally Painter. (Uncle Dynamite, Chapter 13)

3. Oakshott the butler has learned another drawback of hiding in wardrobes: Ukridge has locked him in. ("Success Story", Nothing Serious)

4. Soapy and Dolly Molloy discuss Dolly’s decision to hide the Prosser jewels on top of the wardrobe at Castlewood. (Ice in the Bedroom, Chapter 6)

5. Eustace the monkey (presumably no relation to Eustace Trumper) has climbed on top of Claude Nutcombe Boyd’s wardrobe. (Uneasy Money, Chapter 14)

Round 348 - 13 March 2008

1. The narrator is Ephraim Gadsby of The Nasturtiums, Jubilee Road, Streatham Common, who sometimes goes under the name of Bertie Wooster; B is Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps; the magistrate is Stilton Cheesewright’s uncle. (Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit, US title Bertie Wooster Sees It Through, Chapter 6.)

2. This narrator enjoying the comfy chair Stanley F Ukridge; C is his Aunt Julia, D is his Uncle from Australia, Charles Percy Cuthbertson. (“Ukridge and the Old Stepper”, Eggs, Beans and Crumpets.)

3. E is Mycroft Cardinal, visiting Beevor Castle under the name of Stanwood Cobbold. (Spring Fever, Chapter 11)

4. Bertie Wooster is conversing with his Aunt Dahlia. (Much Obliged, Jeeves, US title Jeeves and the Tie That Binds, Chapter 10. This passage is sadly dated, since it comes from an era when politicians running for office had to deal with aspersions on their moral characters, something that would be inconceivable today.)

5. The butler is Slingsby. G and H are Anthony, fifth earl of Droitwich, and Syd Price – or, rather, the other way round. (If I Were You, Chapter 13)

Round 349 - 23 March 2008

1. The gaggle of Gertrudes included G Winkworth (A) of The Mating Season, Freddie Threepwood's cousin G Alcester (B) from "Company for Gertrude", and and last but never least G Butterwick (C) of The Luck of the Bodkins.

2. This Cuthbert covey consisted of Cuthbert the Cat (D) in "Startling Dressiness of a Lift Attendant", Bertie's Uncle Cuthbert (E) in "Extricating Young Gussie", the Rev. Cuthbert (Bill) Bailey (F, masquerading as Cuthbert Meriwether) in Service with a Smile, and finally Cuthbert Banks (G) of "The Clicking of Cuthbert".

3. The sheaf of Charlottes were the Aunt Charlotte Deverill (H) of The Mating Season, Charlotte Mulliner (I) of "Unpeasantness at Bludleigh Court" and Charlotte Corday Rowbotham (J) of "Comrade Bingo".

4. This clump of Claudes consisted of Lord Shortlands (K, Claude Percival John Delamere Cobbold) of Spring Fever, Claude Witherspoon (L) mentioned in Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin (US title The Plot that Thickened), Claude Wade-Pigott (M) of Company for Henry (US title The Purloined Paperweight).

5. A matched set of Mauds, Lady Patrica Maud Marsh (N) of Damsel in Distress and Maud Peters of "When Doctors Disagree" are joined by a Maude, Maude Westley, mother of John Maude in The Prince and Betty [American edition].

Bonus A: Bertie Wooster refers to the latest addition to his wardrobe as "Cuthbert the Cummerbund" in "Aunt Agatha Takes the Count" published in Strand 1922 and appeared in book form in The Jeeves Omnibus (Herbert Jenkins, London 1931) and in later anthologies. In the similar story "Aunt Agatha Speaks her Mind" in The Inimitable Jeeves the cummerbund is unnamed.

Bonus B: The following characters are known to have cousins Egbert: Grace Llewellyn, Mabel Spence, George Spence, Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps and Jeeves. Narrator Mr Mulliner and his brother Wilfred are cousins of the Egbert Mulliner, hero of "Another Christmas Carol". No doubt other Mulliners are related to him as well.

Round 350 - 2 April 2008

1. Osbert Mulliner (E) collected jade in the story "The Ordeal of Osbert Mulliner".

2. James Orlebar Cloyster in Not George Washington is proud of his collection of rejection notices.

3. In chapter two of The Code of the Woosters Bertram Wooster met his old pal the silver cow creamer in in the collection room of Sir Watkyn Bassett.

4. Sir Leopold Jellaby (J) collected stamps in the story "Anselm Gets His Chance".

5. In chapter five of French Leave Nick tells his son Jeff about Old Soupe back at the Bureau and his spider collection.

The bonus point collectors:

Prayer Rugs: Lord Belpher of A Damsel in Distress
Socks: Archibald Mulliner in the story "The Reverent Wooing of Archibald"
Porcelain Vases: Mortimer Sturgís in the story "A Mixed Threesome"
Snuff Boxes: Julia Ukridge in the story "Buttercup Day"
Foorball Memorabilia: Daniel Rackstraw in the story "The Goal-keeper and the Plutocrat"
Every manner ..: Lord Emsworth in Something Fresh
Japanese Prints: Horace Pendlebury-Davenport's father in Uncle Fred in the Springtime
From the letters EUUBRSMPPP we can make the festive occasion "BUMP SUPPER"