Excepting Mrs. Pentherby Page #2

"Excepting Mrs. Pentherby" is a short story by Hector Hugh Munro, commonly known by his pen name Saki. The tale revolves around the social dynamics and eccentricities of the British upper class. It features a gathering of characters who engage in witty banter and reveal their quirks and foibles through their interactions. The story is marked by Saki's trademark satirical humor, highlighting themes of individuality and social pretense. The character of Mrs. Pentherby serves as a focal point for the unfolding drama, as her presence evokes both intrigue and critique among the other guests. Overall, the narrative explores the absurdities of societal norms with sharp observations and clever dialogue.

• Short story

								

a sympathising audience.

Of course, Reggie received numerous hints as to the unpopularity of this
jarring personality.  His sister-in-law openly tackled him on the subject
of her many enormities.  Reggie listened with the attenuated regret that
one bestows on an earthquake disaster in Bolivia or a crop failure in
Eastern Turkestan, events which seem so distant that one can almost
persuade oneself they haven't happened.

"That woman has got some hold over him," opined his sister-in-law,
darkly; "either she is helping him to finance the show, and presumes on
the fact, or else, which Heaven forbid, he's got some queer infatuation
for her.  Men do take the most extraordinary fancies."

Matters never came exactly to a crisis.  Mrs. Pentherby, as a source of
personal offence, spread herself over so wide an area that no one woman
of the party felt impelled to rise up and declare that she absolutely
refused to stay another week in the same house with her.  What is
everybody's tragedy is nobody's tragedy.  There was ever a certain
consolation in comparing notes as to specific acts of offence.  Reggie's
sister-in-law had the added interest of trying to discover the secret
bond which blunted his condemnation of Mrs. Pentherby's long catalogue of
misdeeds.  There was little to go on from his manner towards her in
public, but he remained obstinately unimpressed by anything that was said
against her in private.

With the one exception of Mrs. Pentherby's unpopularity, the house-party
scheme was a success on its first trial, and there was no difficulty
about reconstructing it on the same lines for another winter session.  It
so happened that most of the women of the party, and two or three of the
men, would not be available on this occasion, but Reggie had laid his
plans well ahead and booked plenty of "fresh blood" for the departure.  It
would be, if any thing, rather a larger party than before.

"I'm so sorry I can't join this winter," said Reggie's sister-in-law,
"but we must go to our cousins in Ireland; we've put them off so often.
What a shame!  You'll have none of the same women this time."

"Excepting Mrs. Pentherby," said Reggie, demurely.

"Mrs. Pentherby!  Surely, Reggie, you're not going to be so idiotic as
to have that woman again!  She'll set all the women's backs up just as
she did this time.  What is this mysterious hold she's go over you?"

"She's invaluable," said Reggie; "she's my official quarreller."

"Your--what did you say?" gasped his sister-in-law.

"I introduced her into the house-party for the express purpose of
concentrating the feuds and quarrelling that would otherwise have broken
out in all directions among the womenkind.  I didn't need the advice and
warning of sundry friends to foresee that we shouldn't get through six
months of close companionship without a certain amount of pecking and
sparring, so I thought the best thing was to localise and sterilise it in
one process.  Of course, I made it well worth the lady's while, and as
she didn't know any of you from Adam, and you don't even know her real
name, she didn't mind getting herself disliked in a useful cause."

"You mean to say she was in the know all the time?"

"Of course she was, and so were one or two of the men, so she was able to
have a good laugh with us behind the scenes when she'd done anything
particularly outrageous.  And she really enjoyed herself.  You see, she's
in the position of poor relation in a rather pugnacious family, and her
life has been largely spent in smoothing over other people's quarrels.
You can imagine the welcome relief of being able to go about saying and
doing perfectly exasperating things to a whole houseful of women--and all
in the cause of peace."

"I think you are the most odious person in the whole world," said
Reggie's sister-in-law.  Which was not strictly true; more than anybody,
more than ever she disliked Mrs. Pentherby.  It was impossible to
calculate how many quarrels that woman had done her out of.
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