The Mabel
Most of the stories of Somerset Maugham deal with the lives of the Whitemen in the colonies or in the islands of the Far East. In "Mabel" he describes the pursuit of her fiance, by a young woman all over the Far East and marries him after a seven year engagement.
Maugham met George in a club in Mandalay, while waiting for the secretary of the club. George was a tall, thin, sun-burnt man with a big moustache. he was clad in Khaki dress. There was something unusual about him. The secretary of teh club narrated the story of George and his wife, Mabel.
George became engaged to Mabel. When he was home on leave. When he returned to Burma, it was arranged that mabel should join him in six months. Unfortunately, difficulties crpped up ine by one. Mabel's father died, war came, and George was transferred to a district which was unsuitable for a white woman. Finally, seven years elapsed when Mabel was able to start. George made all arrangements for the wedding, which was to take place on the day of her arrival. Borrowing a car, he went down to Rangoon to receive her.
Suddenly, he became nervous had not scene Mabel for seven years he had not forgetten what she was like, of course, a total strange. he decided to tell Mabel that he could not really marry her. It was embarrassing him to tell a girl, a thing like that when shehad been engaged to him for seven years and had come six thousand miles to marry him. He wrote a letter to Mabel saying that he had been urgently called for Business and asked her return to England. he took a boats starting for singapore.
At Singapore a cable was waiting for him from Mabel. George knew that of Mabel was following him. In order to avoid her, he went to Bangok, Saigon, HongKong, Manila, Shaughai and to Yolohama. Wherever he went a cable was waiting from Mabel. Finally he arrived at Chungking thinking that a woman could not travel alone to that place. he stayed at Cheng tu with the consule who was an old friend of George.
After a few days, george was shocked to see that Mabel had followed him there also. She was happy that George had not changed much. She told the consul that she was ready to marry George as soon as she had a bath. Thus, George and Mabel were united in Wedlock.
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