A more enjoyable offering in the ongoing saga of the lives of the Bagthorpe family. This time, after the family's disastrous and abortive attempt at a holiday in Wales, Mrs Fosdyke, the family's adept but awkward cook and cleaner, shows signs of not returning immediately to work. Mrs Bagthorpe, frustrated by her husband's selfish tendency to disappear into the study at the merest suggestion of housework, decides that the females of her family require Liberating. Accordingly, she sets up rules and rotas and details Jack and William to do large portions of the cooking and cleaning.
Matters are complicated by the introduction of Mr O'Toole, an old tramp who has found his way into the (unlocked) house whilst the Bagthorpes are away. Instead of turning him out, Mrs Bagthorpe somehow accidentally finds herself serving him breakfast. Mr O'Toole makes friends with Grandpa and then, through excessive charm, ingratiates himself with Grandma. When Mrs Fosdyke returns (having visited her doctor, who recommends that she desist from cleaning, but permits cooking as a form of occupational therapy), she is led to believe that Mr O'Toole, far from being a vagrant, is in fact an eccentric millionaire. His charming behaviour (and the ease with which he is persuaded to bathe) add to this impression; thoroughly taken in, Mrs Fosdyke becomes a great admirer.
Daisy Parker, of course, is not left out of the action, and thinks of some quite original ways to use up the long line of milk bottles, left by the milkman out of malice because nobody thought to cancel them. The tale, as usual, ends with visits from the police, amidst much family rowing, mistake, confusion - and, in this case, missing persons. Quite an enjoyable Bagthorpe story. One thing I'm enjoying about the last few of these is the way that Cresswell crams a lot of action into a very short space of time; the last couple of books only take about two days to play out. Quite fun.
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