A Holiday Task by Saki (1912)
The narrative follows Kenelm Jerton, a young man who feels the weight of scrutiny as he dines at the Golden Galleon Hotel. Amidst the bustling lunch crowd, he encounters a well-dressed young woman who has lost her memory and identity. She introduces herself as a lady of title but cannot recall her name or background. Instead, she adopts the name "Kestrel-Smith" after claiming a dressing-bag and dress-basket that do not belong to her. The woman, intrigued by her predicament, engages Jerton in conversation, sharing her peculiar method of deducing her identity by eliminating possibilities based on her behavior and preferences. She orders an extravagant dish, lobster Newburg, to rule out certain titled women who would not indulge in such luxury. Jerton, bemused yet intrigued, listens as she outlines her plan to discover her identity through various tests. After lunch, she suggests that Jerton search through back issues of Country Life for her portrait, promising to meet him later for tea. Jerton, however, finds no leads during his search. When they reconvene, the woman reveals her latest attempt to identify herself involved placing a bet on a horse, which ultimately fails, further depleting her funds. She proposes a plan to return to London, suggesting Jerton lend her money for the journey and to cover her hotel bill. In a scheme to rid herself of the borrowed luggage, she instructs Jerton to guard it while she discreetly leaves the hotel. As she departs, Jerton overhears a man mention her name, but he is unable to catch the full name before she vanishes. Moments later, a distressed woman arrives at the hotel, inquiring about her missing luggage, which matches the description of the items Jerton is guarding. Realizing the woman he spoke to is not who she claimed to be, Jerton panics and escapes to the Turkish bath, leaving the situation unresolved. The story concludes with Jerton's flight from the chaos, highlighting themes of identity, deception, and the absurdity of social conventions.
By Saki · First published 1912 · Genre: Comedy, Satire, Fiction · 2,345 words
First lines
Kenelm Jerton entered the dining-hall of the Golden Galleon Hotel in the full crush of the luncheon hour. Nearly every seat was occupied, and small additional tables had been brought in, where floor space permitted, to accommodate latecomers, with the result that many of the tables were almost touching each other. Jerton was beckoned by a waiter to the only vacant table that was discernible, and took his seat with the uncomfortable and wholly groundless idea that nearly everyone in the room was staring at him. He was a youngish man of ordinary appearance, quiet of dress and unobtrusive of manner, and he could never wholly rid himself of the idea that a fierce light of public scrutiny beat on him as though he had been a notability or a super-nut. After he had ordered his lunch there came the unavoidable interval of waiting, with nothing to do but to stare at the flower-vase on his table and to be stared at (in imagination) by several flappers, some maturer beings of the same sex, and a satirical-looking Jew. In order to carry off the situation with some appearance of unconcern he became spuriously interested in the contents of the flower-vase.
What this Textopian page supports
A Holiday Task is listed on Textopian as a short story by Saki, dated 1912 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Saki
- Date: 1912 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Comedy, Satire, Fiction, Mystery, Social Commentary
- Length: 2,345 words
- Structure: 1 section, 43 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for A Holiday Task by Saki
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering A Holiday Task?
- How does this short story by Saki fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Comedy first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Comedy — The story employs humor through misunderstandings and the absurdity of the protagonist's situation.
- Satire — It critiques social norms and the upper class, particularly through the character's identity crisis and interactions.
- Fiction — The narrative is a work of fiction, exploring themes of identity and social interaction.
- Mystery — The plot revolves around the mystery of the lady's lost identity and the search for her past.
Tags
holiday · task · humor · satire · short story · British literature · social commentary · irony · character study · family dynamics · upper class · entertainment