The Sentimental Adventures of Jimmy Bulstrode

Jimmy Bulstrode is the sort of man whose heart is as large as his bank account, forever caught between boundless generosity and the absurd demands of those who would profit from his kindness. He drifts through New York’s genteel circles, fielding endless pleas for aid while hiring a soft‑hearted assistant to filter the letters that flood his desk. His reputation for philanthropy earns both admiration and exploitation, and his friends marvel at how a man of such means can remain so delightfully impractical.

At the story’s start, Jimmy is preparing for Christmas, buying a tree that seems to echo his own tangled hopes. He is haunted by a quiet, unreciprocated love for Mary Falconer, whose marriage to a man Jimmy finds contemptible adds a sting of longing to his seasonal generosity. As snow drifts outside his modest Washington Square townhouse, Jimmy wrestles with the “gloom of Christmas”—the bittersweet mix of festive cheer and personal yearning that sets the tone for his tender, often comical, adventures.