Wilt Thou Torchy

An afternoon away from the Corrugated Trust gives Torchy time for a theater outing with Vee and a visit to newlyweds whose grand household runs on uncertain rules. Sewell Ford tells this comic novel in the private secretary's own slangy voice, turning chocolates, tea, grocery orders and an oddly familiar butler into occasions for jokes. New York social life appears through Torchy's quick judgments and his affection for Vee, while her Auntie keeps an eye on their plans.

The business of keeping a secret becomes harder when Captain Killam's account of a Florida island catches Auntie's attention. A hotel departure and an atlas marked with Nunca Secos Key leave Torchy worrying about what he must report to Old Hickory. Courtship and office responsibilities meet in scenes driven by conversation and comic misunderstanding. Readers interested in colloquial storytelling will find a narrator whose running commentary gives ordinary social encounters the pace of a performance.