The Persecution of Bob Pretty

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About this book

Outside the Cauliflower, an old man tells two young men resting there about poaching and the sharp dealings of village life. Bob Pretty is the object of his complaints, a villager whose quick answers make life difficult for the keepers watching him. Some partridges become a comic dispute over ownership, while a newly appointed keeper promises to put an end to the trouble.

The humour grows through spoken exchanges, village gossip and the gap between confident accusations and what anyone can prove. When a night pursuit ends beside a pond, a heavy sack gives the keepers another problem to argue over. Readers who enjoy elaborate excuses and contests of nerve will find a story driven by teasing, suspicion and the struggle to get the last word.

About the author

W. W. Jacobs

W. W. Jacobs (William Wymark Jacobs, 1863 to 1943) was an English writer born in London, the son of a wharf manager. He drew on that dockside world for comic stories of sailors and night watchmen, though he is best remembered for the chilling tale "The Monkey's Paw."