Short Cruises

George Henshaw comes home to an angry wife and very little dinner. She has seen him on a bus with another woman, and his denials lead to an increasingly awkward plan. His friend Ted Stokes suggests borrowing clothes and posing as a man who looks exactly like him. In "The Changeling," W. W. Jacobs turns a household quarrel into a comedy of explanations, rehearsals and wounded dignity.

This collection of English humorous stories moves between domestic disputes and life around the waterfront. Wedding preparations and Uncle Gussie's unwelcome advice trouble another household, while "The Test" begins with a ship's mate searching for amusement in a quiet port. Much of the humor depends on conversation: a remark provokes resentment, an excuse demands supporting details, and friends offer help that creates fresh difficulties. Readers can follow the characters' competing accounts and enjoy the small practical problems that give these tales their comic momentum.