A Gentleman of Leisure

Jimmy Pitt has money, charm, and nothing much to do, so when a chance remark at his New York club turns into a wager, he agrees to prove he could burgle a house without getting caught. The dare soon tangles with his sudden love for Molly McEachern, whose father is a retired policeman with secrets of his own, and the whole comedy relocates to a crumbling English castle full of house guests, a real jewel thief, and a genuinely stolen necklace. First published in 1910, and also known as The Intrusion of Jimmy, this early Wodehouse novel already shows the breezy timing and amiable rogues that would define his best work. Read it free as a PDF or EPUB edition.