Clarence, ninth Earl of Emsworth, sank back in his chair looking like the good old man in a Victorian melodrama whose mortgage the villain had just foreclosed. He felt the absence of that gentle glow which customarily accompanied the departure of one of his sisters. Lord Emsworth needed Galahad. There are tricky corners to be rounded and assorted godsons, impostors, and pretty girls to be paired off. Fortunately, many years' membership of the Pelican Club means the Honourable Galahad Threepwood is able to keep cool, stiffen his upper lip, and always think a shade quicker than the next man.