In this short story, Henry

LITER ATURE – 5A Pifield, a rather unimaginative

private detective, meets Alice
Weston, an ambitious actor.

START THINKING …
1 Work in pairs. Discuss the questions:
● What does a private detective do?
● What do you think are the good and bad things about being an actor?
● Would you prefer the kind of job where you stay in the same place,
or a job that involves a lot of traveling? Why?

BILL THE BLOODHOUND (1915) P. G. Wodehouse

I must explain Henry early, to avoid disappointment. If I simply
said he was a detective, and let it go at that, I should be obtaining
the reader’s interest under false pretences. He was really only a
sort of detective. At Stafford’s International Investigation Bureau,
5 in the Strand, where he was employed, they did not require
him to solve mysteries which the police could not. He had never
measured a footprint in his life, and what he did not know about
bloodstains would have filled a library. The sort of job they gave
Henry was to stand outside a restaurant in the rain, and note what
10 time someone inside left it…
Henry lived in a boarding-house in Guildford Street. One day
a new girl came to the boarding-house, and sat next to Henry
at meals. Her name was Alice Weston. She was small and quiet,
and rather pretty. They got on splendidly. Their conversation,
15 at first confined to the weather and films, rapidly became more
intimate. Henry was surprised to find that she was on the stage,
in the chorus. Previous chorus-girls at the boarding-house had
been nice but noisy. Alice Weston was different.
‘I’m rehearsing at present,’ she said. ‘I’m going out on tour next
20 month in ‘The Girl From Brighton’. What do you do, Mr Rice?’
Henry paused for a moment before replying. He knew how
sensational he was going to be.
‘I’m a detective.’
Usually, when he told girls his profession, amazed admiration
25 greeted him. Now he was surprised to perceive in the brown
eyes that met his distinct disapproval.
‘What’s the matter?’ he said, a little anxiously, for even at this
early stage in their acquaintance he was conscious of a strong
desire to win her approval. ‘Don’t you like detectives?’
30 ‘I don’t know. Somehow I shouldn’t have thought you were one.’
This calmed Henry somewhat. Naturally a detective does not
want to look like a detective and give the whole thing away right
at the start.
‘I think—you won’t be offended?’
35 ‘Go on.’
‘I’ve always looked on it as rather a sneaky job.’
‘Sneaky!’ moaned Henry.
‘Well, creeping about, spying on people.’
Henry was appalled. She had defined his own trade exactly.
40 There might be detectives whose work was different, but he was
a confirmed creeper, and he knew it. It wasn’t his fault. The boss
told him to creep, and he crept. If he declined to creep, he would
be sacked instantly. It was hard, and yet he felt the sting of her
words, and the first seeds of dissatisfaction with his occupation
45 took root.
You might have thought that this frankness on the girl’s part
would have kept Henry from falling in love with her. Certainly the
dignified thing would have been to change his seat at table, and
take his meals next to someone who appreciated the romance of
50 detective work a little more. But no, he remained where he was…
He proposed to Alice Weston. She refused him.
‘It’s not because I’m not fond of you. I think you’re the nicest man
I ever met.’ A good deal of careful attention had enabled Henry
to win this place in her affections. He had worked patiently and
55 well before actually putting his fortune to the test. ‘I’d marry you
tomorrow if things were different. But I’m on the stage, and I mean
to stick there. Most of the girls want to get off it, but not me. And
one thing I’ll never do is marry someone who isn’t in the profession.

Glossary 2 5A.1 Read the text and listen.

false pretencesif you use false pretences you are
trying to trick someone 3 Read the text again. Are sentences 1–4 true or false?
footprint shape of a shoe or foot impressed
on the ground 1 In the first paragraph, the writer wants to emphasise
bloodstains marks caused by blood that Henry doesn’t like his job.
boarding-house a kind of hotel
2 Henry is surprised because Alice is not like other
chorus group of people who sing in a play
chorus girls who stayed in the boarding house.
or performance
rehearse practise a performance 3 Henry is not used to girls thinking he has an
sneaky act in a dishonest way unpleasant job.
creep about move around very quietly 4 Henry recognises that he must do what his boss
sting a sudden pain tells him to do.
stick to stay or remain

Think Level 4 Literature 5A PHOTOCOPIABLE © Cambridge University Press 2022


4 READ BETWEEN THE LINES Match phrases 1-5
with their continuations from a-e.
1 The writer describes Henry as …
2 When telling Alice his job, Henry pauses …
3 Henry is relieved that …
4 Alice’s comments about Henry’s work create …
5 Despite Alice’s critical comments …
a … Alice doesn’t think he looks like a detective.
b … someone with limited skills.
c … Henry falls in love with her.
d … a sense of dissatisfaction.
e … for dramatic effect.
5 VOCABULARY Complete the following extract
with words form the glossary in the correct form.
There is one extra word you do not need to use.
creep about | boarding-house | footprint | sting
rehearse | bloodstain
When detective Helms arrived at the scene of the
crime he immediately noticed two things – a very
small , and several on the
wall. The building used to be a , now
it was used by a theatre group to their
plays. There was a noise from the floor above. ‘Who’s
up there?’ Helms asked.
6 ROLE PLAY Choose one of the situations below to
write a roleplay. A considers his/her job is very
special, but B is not impressed. Think about what
they will say to each other.
‘A’ is…
A professional sportsperson A billionaire
A politician An aristocrat
7 Before you listen, discuss the following
questions:
What do you think Henry will do now?
If you were the writer, how would you continue
the story?
LISTENING 5A.2 Listen to the extract and
answer the questions.
1 Why does Alice tell Henry about Genevieve?
2 Overall, do you think Henry is happy or unhappy to
follow someone acting in ‘The Girl from Brighton’?
3 What does Henry learn about himself when he
follows ‘The Girl from Brighton’ from town to town?
Think Level 4 Literature 5A
5A LITER ATU R E
8 5A.2Listen again and complete the
sentences with a word or short phrase.
1 Alice says her husband has got to be ,
where she can see him.
2 The agent advised Henry to have
and says he’ll feel fine the next day.
3 The woman wanted her husband followed while he
was .
4 Henry felt that was teasing him.
5 Henry was sure that Alice would not
him.
WRITING A review
9 WRITING A review describes a book,
film, etc. and expresses a personal opinion
that helps other people decide if they are
interested in whatever is reviewed.
Using the notes below, combine them with
your own ideas and write a review of ‘The
Girl from Brighton’ in 150–200 words.
musical comedy – romantic story Alice (main
character) goes to London and becomes a star,
meets Francis
2 hours – great music, acting not so good
Lots of good jokes, some sad moments – dancing
not rehearsed enough
LITERATURE
‘Ineptitude’ as a comic technique. Watching
CHARACTERISATION
someone doing something they are very bad
at – being inept – can be funny. The comedy is
increased if that person thinks they are very good at
WIT
something. We laugh at what they do but also at the
fact they don’t realise how bad they are!
SHORT
10 Imagine you are STORIES
writing a story about a trip
to England or a group of friends on a camping
holiday. Work with a partner and create an
GOTHIC NOVELS
‘inept’ character for your story. What do they
do? What do they think they do well?
PHOTOCOPIABLE © Cambridge University Press 2022