Mr. Mulliner speaking

In the cozy bar-parlour of the Anglers’ Rest, a casual debate about changing fashions gives Mr. Mulliner the perfect opportunity to begin another family anecdote. With unwavering confidence and a hot Scotch within reach, he explains why his nephew Archibald was hopelessly in love—and why proposing to the formidable Aurelia Cammarleigh seemed to require more courage than the young man possessed.

This collection gathers a succession of comic tales narrated in the same genial, unstoppable style. Its characters include impractical young men, determined relatives, golfers in distress, devoted smokers, and members of the Mulliner clan whose romantic hopes and social ambitions rarely proceed smoothly. The humor comes from elegant understatement, extravagant comparisons, and the cheerful spectacle of ordinary people being overwhelmed by absurd circumstances. Each story offers a lively escape into a world of country houses, clubs, family gatherings, and brilliantly misguided schemes, all related by a storyteller who is quite certain that every word is true.