“Well, I made inquiries, and he told me that he had had a quarrel with the girl he’s engaged to. You knew he was engaged to Miss Elizabeth Vickers?”
“Yes, sir. I recall reading the announcement in the Morning Post .”
“Well, he isn’t any longer. What the row was about he didn’t say, but the broad facts, Jeeves, are that she has scratched the fixture. She won’t let him come near her, refuses to talk on the phone, and sends back his letters unopened.”
“Extremely trying, sir.”
“We ought to do something, Jeeves. But what?”
“It is somewhat difficult to make a suggestion, sir.”
“Well, what I’m going to do for a start is to take him down to Marvis Bay with me. I know these birds who have been handed their hat by the girl of their dreams, Jeeves. What they want is complete change of scene.”
“There is much in what you say, sir.”
“Yes. Change of scene is the thing. I heard of a man. Girl refused him. Man went abroad. Two months later girl wired him: ‘Come back, Muriel.’ Man started to write out a reply, suddenly found that he couldn’t remember girl’s surname, so never answered at all, and lived happily ever after. It may well be, Jeeves, that after Freddie Bullivant has had a few weeks of Marvis Bay he will get completely over it.”
“Very possibly, sir.”
“And, if not, it is quite likely that, refreshed by sea air and good simple food, you will get a brainwave and think up some scheme for bringing these two misguided blighters together again.”