The Letter of the Law
- See Letter and spirit of the law for the idiomatic expression.
"The Letter of the Law" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the February 1936 edition of Redbook, and in the United Kingdom in the April 1936 issue of the Strand. It was included in the UK collection Lord Emsworth and Others (1937), and in the U.S. edition of Young Men in Spats (1936). It is a golf story, narrated by the Oldest Member.
Plot
The President's Cup and the love of Gwendolyne Poskitt occasion the only time the Oldest Member ever saw profit from driving into anyone. Young Wilmot Bing loves Gwendolyne, but has recently smitten her father (a member of the Wrecking Crew) a juicy one on the leg for holding up play. To win her hand, the Oldest Member recommends that Wilmot appease Poskitt, and he does so—up to the day of the President's Cup match. In that match, Poskitt plays well above form, but ends up in match play against Wadswordth Hemmingway, an ex-lawyer-turned-golfer who carries the Book of Rules in his bag and makes it his best club. With one swing, Wilmot ensures that Poskitt gets the Cup and Wilmot gets his bride.