bertie is staying in paris, where he meets with an old friend, charles "biffy" biffen. biffy fell in love with a model named mabel on an ocean liner going to new york. he proposed to her and she said yes. biffy arranged to meet her at her hotel the next day, but he forgot the name of the hotel, and could not make inquiries because he forgot mabel's last name. she knows biffy's name and where he lives, but has not contacted him. also, biffy intends to sell the country house he inherited; he has a potential customer, sir roderick glossop, the so-called nerve specialist.