They and I

In Short

A middle-aged father moves his family to a house in the countryside, intending to manage its extensive renovations while raising his spirited children. What begins as a practical project devolves into a series of comedic misadventures involving stubborn cows, eccentric local builders, agricultural experiments, and domestic debates over modern architecture. Beneath the suburban absurdities, the narrative gently explores the friction between generations, the anxieties of growing up, and the quiet beauty of rural life. Jerome’s gentle satirical lens has preserved the story as an enduring, affectionate portrait of Edwardian family life and human folly.

The Story

The narrative opens with a father attempting to bring order to his household while selecting a new country home. Accompanied by his opinionated children—Dick, Robina, and young Veronica—he settles on a somewhat plain, sensible-looking house on a hill, despite its lack of dramatic history or proper south-west orientation. To oversee the extensive structural alterations, he leases a small, primitive gamekeeper’s cottage nearby for a year, boasting to his family of his natural talent for "superintending" others.

Domestic life in the country immediately proves chaotic. Robina impulsively orders a cow without bothering to ask its price or learning how to care for it, leaving her father to wake up at half-past two in the morning to the animal's persistent bellowing. The father deals with local tradesmen like Mr. Slee, a slow-moving builder who approaches kitchen repairs with deep sighs, and young Bute, an earnest architect who fills the new house with fashionable, impractical architectural corners. Meanwhile, the father attempts to steer his children toward useful futures. When Dick shows little promise for the bar, his father arranges an apprenticeship with Hubert St. Leonard, a local farmer with grand theories about life and agriculture who treats his fields as though they possess human personalities.

As the months pass, the family embeds itself in the local social scene. They make grand entrances in oversized yellow landaus, attend gatherings with county neighbors, and navigate the romantic and practical troubles of their acquaintances. Robina wrestles with cynicism regarding love and courtships, while Dick throws himself wholeheartedly into farming alongside St. Leonard and his sensible daughter, Janie. The family's adventures culminate in a lively house-warming party held in the newly finished home, complete with a amateur theatrical performance in the empty billiard room and a village dance. By the end, the new house stands completed, the children have begun to find their adult footings, and the father reflects comfortably on his terrace, watching his family step into their futures.

How It Unfolds

The house hunt begins The father negotiates with his children over architectural plans, pushing back against their wild demands to do away with drawing rooms and staircases while settling on a modest country house.

The unexpected livestock After moving into a temporary gamekeeper's cottage, the father is awakened in the middle of the night by a bellowing cow that Robina impulsively bought without knowing how to milk or price it.

Architectural dilemmas Young Bute the architect presents his modern ideas about building corners into every room, while local builder Mr. Slee slowly assesses the four days' worth of kitchen repairs.

The farming experiment Desperate to give Dick a direction in life, the father strikes a deal with the eccentric Hubert St. Leonard to take the young man on as a farming pupil.

The grand arrival The family makes a memorable, somewhat embarrassing entrance at a local gathering in a giant yellow landau driven by a milk-cart youth, trying hard to maintain their dignity.

The house-warming performance The completed home opens with a grand celebration, featuring a children's play in the empty billiard room where a young actor gets trapped in his metal helmet.

Settling on the terrace The father sits on his new terrace looking out toward the future, watching Dick commit to farming and young Veronica prepare for the realities of growing up.

The People

• The Father (Narrator): A well-meaning, slightly cynical patriarch who prides himself on his ability to superintend projects. He struggles to maintain authority over his headstrong children while managing country renovations.
• Robina: The narrator's romantic, fast-talking daughter. She makes impulsive decisions—like purchasing a cow on a whim—yet holds deeply cynical views about marriage and male suitors.
• Dick: The narrator's eldest son, who lacks academic drive for the law but finds his true calling in the hard, practical work of farming alongside St. Leonard.
• Veronica: The youngest daughter, prone to getting into minor trouble, who approaches life with whimsical independence and eventually realizes she must start growing up.
• Hubert St. Leonard: A philosophical, theory-driven local farmer who views fields as living creatures with moral characters and takes Dick under his wing.
• Miss Janie St. Leonard: St. Leonard's sensible, capable daughter, who quietly manages the household finances and earns the admiration of the family.

In Its Own Voice

“Robina, with the plan spread out across her knee, was sitting balanced on the arm of an easy-chair. Really, I hardly see the use of buying chairs for these people. Nobody seems to know what they are for—except it be one or another of the dogs. Perches are all they want.”

The narrator dryly laments his children's complete lack of decorum during a family meeting.

“The farmer is not surprised it is not there. He never expected it to be there. It is one of those things that ought to be, and is not. The farmer’s life is full of such. Suffering reduced to a science is what the farmer stands for.”

A quiet observation on the perpetual stoicism and inherent pessimism required by rural agricultural life.

“What comes when it is dead?” she said. “What follows? You must know. Tell me. I want the truth.”

Robina turns to her father in a sudden moment of vulnerability, questioning whether genuine affection survives past initial romantic infatuation.

What It's Really About

Behind its domestic comedy, the book examines the difficult, humorous process of family transitions. It explores the illusion of parental control, illustrating how children inevitably shape their own destinies despite their parents' careful planning. The narrative contrasts urban idealism with the blunt, unyielding realities of rural existence—where cows need early milking and fields refuse to yield to mere optimism. It also meditates on the nature of love, aging, and maturity, asking whether domestic happiness comes from fixing the world or simply learning to take people as they are.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate warm, observational comedy and gentle character studies will find much to enjoy here. Jerome's prose moves with an easy, conversational rhythm, offering sharp wit without bitterness. The book feels like a relaxed weekend in the English countryside, filled with colorful personalities and low-stakes domestic drama that remains comforting across generations.

Modern readers should be prepared for an episodic structure that favors rambling anecdotes over a tight, plot-driven mystery. The humor relies heavily on Edwardian social dynamics, period slang, and traditional gender roles. A few minor subplots involve dramatic theatrical tropes or drawn-out comedic misunderstandings that require a little patience. Yet, the heart of the story—the chaotic, affectionate friction between parents and their nearly grown children—remains entirely recognizable today, making it a delightfully cozy read.