The Spot of Art
| "The Spot of Art" | |
|---|---|
| Author | P. G. Wodehouse |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Jeeves |
| Genre(s) | Comedy |
| Publisher | The Strand Magazine |
| Media type | Print (Magazine) |
| Publication date | December 1929 |
| Preceded by | "Episode of the Dog McIntosh" |
| Followed by | "Jeeves and the Kid Clementina" |
"The Spot of Art" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, and features the young gentleman Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. The story was published in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in December 1929, and in Cosmopolitan in the United States that same month, as "Jeeves and the Spot of Art". The story was also included as the sixth story in the 1930 collection Very Good, Jeeves.
While lunching with his Aunt Dahlia, Bertie tells her that he won't be able to join her on her upcoming yachting cruise because he has fallen in love with an artist, Gwladys Pendlebury. She painted a portrait of Bertie that he hung in his flat. Bertie must stay in town to head off his rival for Gwladys's affections, Lucius Pim. Aunt Dahlia is confident that Jeeves will stop the match between Bertie and Gwladys, destroy Bertie's portrait, and deliver Bertie to Aunt Dahlia's yacht.
In his flat, Bertie sees Jeeves, who had wanted to go on the yacht cruise, and who also disapproves of Bertie's portrait, due to its hungry look. Jeeves informs Bertie that Gwladys was in a car accident; she ran over a gentleman's leg. The man, Lucius Pim, is now in Bertie's spare bedroom, by Gwladys's request. A doctor stated that Pim should not be moved. Bertie speaks to Pim, who mentions that his sister, the wife of Slingsby of Slingsby's Superb Soups, is coming tomorrow, and will prosecute Gwladys if she finds out that Gwladys injured him. To protect her, Pim asks Bertie not to tell Mrs. Slingsby what happened. Later, Pim tells his sister it was Bertie who ran him over. Now that Mrs. Slingsby is angry with Bertie, Pim suggests that Bertie send her flowers. Bertie reluctantly sends Mrs. Slingsby roses.
Expecting Mrs. Slingsby to arrive, Bertie is surprised when Mr. Slingsby shows up. He is angry that Bertie sent his wife flowers. From within the flat, Mrs. Slingsby appears, and Bertie realizes she left home before the flowers arrived. Mr. Slingsby charges at Bertie, only to trip on a golf ball Bertie had been practicing with. Bertie tells Jeeves to let Mr. Slingsby recuperate in his bedroom. He asks Jeeves to notify him when the flat is empty, then leaves for Paris.
Three weeks later, Jeeves notifies Bertie that the flat is clear. Bertie returns to London and is shocked by a poster for Slingsby's Superb Soups with an image of his portrait. At home, Jeeves says that he gave the portrait to Mr. Slingsby, on the condition that Mr. Slingsby not bring Bertie to court. Pim, having become Gwladys's fiancé, acted as Gwladys's agent for the portrait's copyright deal. Letting Gwladys go, Bertie is more concerned that his face is on soup posters. Jeeves suggests that they join Bertie's Aunt Dahlia on her cruise, which was postponed. Happily, Bertie approves this plan.
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