Mr. Know-All by W. Somerset Maugham. Short summary

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While traveling on a ship, the author met a man about whom he had a bad impression. He turned out to be the narrator’s stateroom neighbor. Soon the hero changed his opinion to the opposite.

1 minute

The author meets an extremely unpleasant man on the ship, Mr. Kelada. He was his stateroom mate. The narrator had a bad impression of Kelada even before they met in person, when he first saw his belongings.

His suitcases bore many stickers, his garment case was too big, and his ebony brushes clearly could use a wash. Although Mr. Kelada claimed to be English, his appearance was oriental.

After a while, the hero completely changes his opinion of his neighbor. Mr. Kelada sacrificed his reputation, money, and endured ridicule for the sake of Mrs. Ramsey’s good name. He bet her husband $100 that the pearl jewelry around her neck was worth far more than Mrs. Ramsey claimed.