Lucky Jim Chapter 15 Summary

  • Jim and Christine walk up to the front steps of the Welches' house.
  • Jim figures they'll have a better chance of getting in without being seen if they try a back window (the same French window Jim used to sneak in after getting drunk at the pub).
  • It's pretty late, and Jim figures it won't be long before the Welches come home.
  • When they're inside, they bump into one another. Jim decides to go for it and puts his arms around Christine.
  • As if you didn't see that coming.
  • He gives her time to back away, but she doesn't. And then…
  • He kisses her. Yup. Wham. And she kisses him back. Take that, Bertrand.
  • When they step apart, they seem to fall back into some sort of British sense of propriety. All Jim can say is "Well, that was very nice."
  • They find a carafe full of coffee and pour a cup.
  • Christine says they should drink from the same cup to hide the fact that he was at the Welches' house. They sit on the couch together and drink.
  • At this point, Jim thinks it's time to tell Christine he likes her (duh, ya think?).
  • She says she's surprised, since he barely even knows her.
  • Christine warns him again that she doesn't get along well with men.
  • But he ignores the warning and asks her how long she'll be in town. She says a few days, so he asks her out on a date.
  • She tells him not to be a fool, since she'll be with Bertrand and the Welches the entire time she's in town.
  • Besides, doesn't Jim realize how unfair it would be to Bertrand? Oh yeah, he realizes.
  • Christine asks Jim about how Margaret would feel about them being together.
  • Jim says she has a point, but adds that Margaret doesn't really have any claim on him.
  • But all Jim wants to know is whether Christine would date him if Bertrand and Margaret weren't in the picture.
  • Christine answers "Of course," and as far as Jim's concerned, it's all settled.
  • At this point, Jim leans in and the two of them make out for a while more.
  • When they're finished, Christine agrees to go on a date with him.
  • Jim wants to go to a bar (what a surprise), but Christine says she doesn't want to drink alcohol when she's around him (for reasons she doesn't explain, but which we might have some idea about).
  • So they settle on meeting for a cup of tea in a few days. Christine says she'll sneak away from Bertrand by saying that she needs to visit her uncle.
  • At this point, they hear the Welches coming home, and Jim slips back out through the French window. They kiss one more time before he leaves. Christine makes sure to give him money for his cab home, since she knows he's broke.