THE COLONEL'S LADY, A Short Story by Somerset Maugham

George Peregrine, a retired colonel, discovers that his wife Evie has written a book of passionate poetry under her maiden name. Initially dismissive, he learns from others that her book is highly acclaimed for its raw emotion and becomes a sensation. George eventually reads the poems and realizes they recount Evie's intense love affair with a younger man..... won't reveal more here.

[@hectorbrown656]

This was a great story , thank you for putting this on KZbin for us to enjoy.

[@MsDormy]

I’m not slim and not even pretty any more, but my husband still loves me so much. I can’t be the only woman with a faithful man who still sees the pretty woman she was when we met!

[@claires9100]

You must be a beautiful person and your husband a perceptive man. Enjoy.❤

[@savage2067]

I wonder if Evie wrote of a love affair from twenty years ago that she had with her husband as a young man, as the years passed he took her for granted 😢no respect no love ❤️ he never knew what he missed! After all he had a young dumb blonde

[@clairewyndham1971]

He has no idea about Evie. None. He doesnt deserve her. He never has. He never will.

[@martas9283]

Yes. Thick as two short planks, the colonel. Plus a bore and a hypocrite. It's quite okay for him to have a lover!

[@alisonvanschoor730]

Spellbinding! The irony of him setting off to London periodically for a "bit on the side", when sitting across the table from him every day was this passionate, sexual creature that had been awakened by the attentions of another man.... and he was utterly oblivious to her. Wow!

[@KyriaNunNuit]

What if that other man was him in the first few years of their marriage? It makes it all even sadder in a way and him even a greater fool. I wish she would have told him in the end if it was him. I think the women at that party knew, as did many other people. Sadly, people never talked about these things in those days and many still don't know how to have a deep and meaningful conversation today, either.

[@claires9100]

A woman is not loved because she is beautiful, Rather, She is beautiful because she is loved.❤

[@hexxan007]

​@@KyriaNunNuitI think you hit the nail on the head. It was that last sentence that made it clear to me: it was her husband who had died on her...😢

[@jemartinez50ja]

Was she talking about her husband?????

[@hexxan007]

@@jemartinez50ja That is many people's best guess and it is probably the case. Everything fits when you interpret the story through that lense.

[@annamariehewitt3173]

It is not Death we should fear but what dies inside us while we live...

[@basketballfan5763]

Wow 😳

[@basketballfan5763]

I took a screenshot of that and putting it as the screensaver on my phone

[@claires9100]

Well said indeed.

[@joannekaiser1380]

George did not be deserve his wife. So many men seem so superficial. If a woman is not beautiful men seems so dismissive. So many men never bother to go past the surface appearance.

[@MicheleAney]

Yes tragic but what an indictment of men!

[@pamelacorbett8774]

Well, this particular man was so selfish and self-involved: what he really wanted was a housekeeper and that’s what he got. Luckily not all men are like that. Loved the way he felt entitled to his bit of fluff … but his wife had to be blameless. Great character study!

[@Susanknox-q7v]

Actually he is just a typical male and never developed beyond the two dementions of power and sex. Harry, the literary critics and her reading public had a broader understanding of life, family and friends relationships, the sense of being in the family of man, how humans fit in the world of plants and animals, our place in the universe. He was just intellectually undeveloped, had never discovered the mysterious spirit of life, poor man 😢. That is the real tragedy of this story. He could never understand his own lack.

[@Susanknox-q7v]

@@MicheleAney It is a tragedy, but I over generalized as usual. There are exceptions, just not enough. Going to university sometimes helps. I found this book fun and enlightening: Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Roadmaps, probably out of print, circa 2003(?)

[@johnm7267]

Rubbish

[@shicruisin7004]

His last sentence sums up very nicely why she had an affair. "Whatever did he see in her?" What YOU didn't, m'lad.

[@editingkinga]

it's AI. No one made an effort to make this besides finding a story...

[@Brainteaser5639]

Why do people marry? I feel that ought to be the question. I know the re is another story by SM where a would-be governor marries in order to get the position, and this seems to have worked alright. The title I think is a Marriage of Convenience.

[@Auntie-Sara]

I'm of two thoughts: (1) I believe Evie wrote of the love affair between she and her young husband 20 plus years ago and how she shone with life from the warmth of his early love and respect. There are many ways to die and the Colonial clearly painted the story of his bitter death from his wife. (2) What did the lover see in her? 🌹He saw in her the woman who bloomed under the warmth of his loving respect and admiration. Quite different from the woman who, like an untended rose, withers under the lack of loving care from her husband.🥀

[@berenicebarnes7822]

Option one is how it is represented in the film version.

[@brendabiffibaldovino8306]

💗

[@brendabiffibaldovino8306]

💗

[@brendabiffibaldovino8306]

💗

[@julietteshore1118]

Absolutely 💯 on so many levels.

[@gaelricciulli4268]

One of Somerset Maugham's best stories and so beautifully read. A great joy to listen to.

[@LR-yu3mx]

To live with a husband that "died" long ago

[@Indu722]

“ What in the name of heaven did the fellow see in her”? Obviously what George Perigrin didn’t… what a waste of life

[@phoebelim5040]

Oh my gosh, I went numb hearing that.

[@susanlloyd7395]

That was the tell wasn't it? He's the lover she lost.

[@vivholtom226]

What an unfeeling idiot ☹️

[@basketballfan5763]

My thoughts were 'what you once saw in her'..

[@mariadange06]

Sadly a tale of most aged miserable marriages.

[@scathatch]

SHE was way above his head. A lovely story. Colonel not thick as a brick but incapable of moving beyond his programming.

[@francislarv3012]

Deft observation

[@kailaschmidt7835]

I loved the story. Thank you.

[@alidabaxter5849]

This has always been one of my favourite Maugham short stories. So heartbreaking.

[@Gmoore54]

They both played their part, when George was having one night stands Evie had a young lover who actually loved her and she loved him passionately back. Bravo Evie! and who said that looks have anything to do with love and passion?

[@bobrussell3602]

No ! The poem refers to George. He/his love/lust died. He lost interest in her, which for her, meant, in an emotional sense that George had 'died.'

[@sarahloffler]

Thank you for uploading this poignant story. I love Maugham.

[@natalinaconidi6313]

How many husbands out there fully unaware of their ladies' deep universe... Quite a lot I can imagine😢

[@camilleespinas2898]

For sure!

[@SBCBears]

Because, like women, men aren't mindreaders, I suppose.

[@oldenglishsheepdogfun5960]

Yep

[@SBCBears]

Yes. Research in the US indicates that married women are more likely to cheat than their husbands.

[@Brainteaser5639]

35.30, seem to indicate that man has the same problem. It seems too that in most of us, there is no permanence of anything or that our judgement on matters regarding being a human is only true to us at the present moment of making the judgement; and promising anyone more than that leads to expectations and then...😮 ..

[@irenabevans3411]

Very good reflection on an older couple being on different paths & just jogging along for conventions sake, just being companionable, sad in a way

[@leanderrowe2800]

I am attracted to this story by the photo and the narrator's voice. I strongly think that the young man was the young George. They fell in love, got married and years later, Evie's George 'died'. Their love died.

[@rosesilveira344]

Richsrd Burton's voice

[@cathykrueger4899]

@@rosesilveira344Ah. Of course.

[@joline2730]

Lean: . . . And the book's title was ?? I think you are correct 👍

[@leanderrowe2800]

@@rosesilveira344 Yes, it is. Thanks for pointing that out.

[@Give_Peace_a_Chance123]

He became an old English boring wretch...🎉

[@RM-tc9pu]

I love Maugham's short stories. I think I've read them all more than once!

[@Laura-y4h]

Reminds me of a line from a Kipling poem, "The Colonel's lady and Rosie O'Grady are sisters under the skin".

[@MichaelLIberatore-x1o]

Evie quietly conquered his utter distain for her, never imagining she could fall in love with a man who believed she was beautiful and appreciated. Mr P. was a true narcissist who treated Evie like an indentured servant.

[@ShmulikCat]

The beauty is always in the eye of the beholder

[@wendymiller9325]

What a treat to listen to a story written by Somerset Maugham! Thank you 🤗

[@francislarv3012]

Masterpiece.

[@FigaroHey]

Moral of the story: never marry anyone unless you see something lovable in them that nobody else falls in love with. You have to be careful and not delude yourself, seeing things that are not there. It has to be something real that other people can know about and yet they don't fall in love with the person, and you do. A big clue is that both of you can speak to each other like you cannot speak to anyone else. If you have a conversation in which time flies, other people seem not interesting and you want the conversation never to end, that's the one. Marry that person and the conversation never does end. Marrying someone for a list of qualities they have, that tick all the boxes, is marrying a shopping list, not a person. You know its *the person* when you find the person you want to tell everything to, and the other person feels the same.

No the moral of the story: NEVER MARRY😂

[@Give_Peace_a_Chance123]

What? Never take a chance of happiness?😊

[@crazydays7]

The affair was actually with George himself…She was remembering the earlier days of love shared with him. It makes sense, both as a possible plot of the story or if the author meant it to be literal. The culture of that time would not look kindly to a wife’s adult story . The sad thing universally to this day is communication, honesty, selflessness, and sharing in a marriage. Most people lack these skills and don’t work hard enough to develop their marriage.

[@jennycarter1149]

I think you nailed it, with your observations. In those days the man was brought up like the colonel, so he found it hard to act any other way, so sad.

[@gordoloboalbondigas]

Excellent conclusion, you could certainly be correct. A fine short story!!

[@alisonvanschoor730]

Hmmmm do you think George was capable of the love described in the book? Even when he was 20? I believe she indeed had an affair with a younger man....

[@crazydays7]

@@alisonvanschoor730 you have a good point. That is sure a good possibility. A leopard never changes his spots.

[@ritaduran6933]

Well said❤

[@feralbluee]

lyrical piano music - and it fits the story so beautifully. very poignant and interesting story. there must have been many women🌹 in similar circumstances - married to vain, empty man. 🥀

[@dr.tinalight5115]

I remember that the story went a bit further with an interesting revelation at the end...anyone else? A pleasure to listen to. Thank you ❤

[@Shineon83]

Yes! The “other man”was the younger George. His “death” was the death of their marriage….She was mourning the loss of their love (and earlier happiness)…. I believe that version was part of a 3-story, S. Maugham movie or teleplay-and am fairly certain that Maugham, himself, gave a short introduction to each story…I would assume that he had made the changes to the story-possibly to appease the censors (who would have baulked at a story centering on a wife’s adultery)?….I must say though : I preferred that version to this one-it had so much heart & pathos….❤

[@danjsy]

That would be either Trio or Quartet, lovely films must look them out !

[@crazydays7]

⁠​⁠@@Shineon83thank you for sharing that take on the story. It makes sense, both as a possible plot of the story is as written or if the author meant it to be literal. The culture of that time would not look kindly to a wife’s adult story . The sad thing universally to this day is communication, honesty, selflessness, and sharing in a marriage. Most people lack these skills and don’t work hard enough to develop their marriage.

[@user-bf5ik2sq5e]

@@Shineon83 I like both versions... My sister always said I can't like all comedians, but why not? From Harold Lloyd to the Marx Brothers, Danny Kaye, and everyone in between, each era has something unique to offer. Why choose when both versions have something special?

[@robertandrews5640]

YES SHE REVEALS ALL TO HIM AND THEN HE HAS A BKUNDING FKASH OF REALISATION IT US IN FACT a very true story repeated everywhere THE DULL STUPID SELFISH MAN DISMISSIVE OF THE IDEA his "LITTLE BORING WIFE " could BE CAPABLE of ANYTHING WORTHY OF ATTENTION such "stupid little men " ARE TEN A PENNY tin gods

[@lornocford6482]

I don't think that her lover was her husband when they were first together like some people think. I don't think that Peregrine was ever capable of being the man she wrote of. It seems to me, that her lover was her fantasy. Sadly, that she never actually had the experience of. That she perhaps still had that fantasy lover, but for the book had to have him die. Her grief is real, but for the love and passion that she never had come into reality, not for the death of an actual man.

[@PippaAT]

I saw a short film of this. At the end she said, "It was you, George, it was you."

[@nicolaablett7790]

Was being the operative word

[@AprilSue7591]

Tales of the Unexpected episode

[@joanblack6672]

That was for the moralistic. I've read the actual story and she didn't say that. And in the published story it talks about her being out in public after having heard of his death and the necessity of having to hide her pain.

[@AprilSue7591]

@@joanblack6672 I have read it too . and found out about the music . love this episode , actors and the production Its a great isn't it . x:-)

[@TheArquivopop]

Well, well, if you have to ask, you’ll never know. Great story! Thanks for posting!

[@bethterry4943]

I'm gonna have to pace myself with the stories by this author. This one was so intense I need to work through my feelings before reading another one 😅

[@fairynuff167]

❤as my eyesight dims, it is great to just listen to a good yarn.

[@darlenefarmer5921]

Absolutely enjoyed the story! Thank you.

[@ngfamily1397]

Thank you for such beautifully rendered read.

[@lellaheins2229]

Shame the name of the reader is not mentioned.

[@KevinODoherty]

... and George didn't realise that he was the lover...

[@VioletMcdonald-hn4zu]

What a beautiful, marvellous story, so many layers.

[@pagano1905]

Now I am hooked! Listening to all of them, can tha you enough!

[@hollygolightly8048]

Beautifully executed. Great writing by SM. I found the very last derogatory remark by George to be a sort of momentary comfort for him as if no one else could possibly love Evie because of her plainness. How strange we humans are with our emotions. That’s why I love my dog - Unconditional love.

[@melodymacken9788]

Same.

[@Susanknox-q7v]

It was probably his fault she didn't have children since he was unfaithful to her and his girlfriend was probably unfaithful to him, an easy way to get a disease that would make him sterile. And being a sportsman certainly doesn't guarantee understanding what pleases a woman, not that he might have thought about it. Why do men assume the promise of fidelity in marriage is just meanlngless words? A broken trust can never be repaired. Whether she actually had a lover or not isn't important. He will always worry about it and who she was writing about. His double standard was his undoing.

[@brendafulmernickel1218]

He can ponder for years, but he knew he wasn't that Gentleman I enjoyed this short sone very Much !!

[@brendabiffibaldovino8306]

Thank you so much for sharing, Loved this story. Love Maugham ❤❤❤❤❤🙏

[@renatakuchinsky7496]

Maugham is admirable in the way he sees, understands and describes people. Such a great story and a wonderful narrator.

[@Cor6196]

I giggled every few minutes - the Colonel-Blimp level of obliviousness, the landed-gentry self-satisfaction, all is right with a world where all know their place, the small pleasures of mediocrity. The satire is breathtakingly low-key and yet brilliant. 👏👏🏻👏🏼

[@JustinStrong-t9k]

I’m now 80yrs and read ,in my youth,about everything Somerset Maugham wrote. His four collections of short stories are brilliant and a perfect way of understanding the complexities of life. The education system could be of great assistance to the minds of young adults trying to work-out life’s hurdles.

[@ingridmorrison3135]

From Trinidad and Tobago love the story, thank you.

[@kerryannmoor5908]

I love Sommerset Maugham! I loved this short story called Flotsam and Jetsum

[@peterreston6478]

A wonderful story with a very sad ending.

[@sacredbutler2932]

Wonderfully read. Thank you.

[@1710bose]

I really enjoyed listening to this sadly beautiful story. The story teller has a wonderful way of speaking. Thank you

[@kellym.9453]

Delicious and obscene 🎉 Finding your channel has been such a revelation and this story is easily one of my favorites😊 Thank You🌱🌺🙏

[@KileyBlack-z9e]

Maugham is an amazing writer. What a fabulous story and beautifully read as well. Bravo!

[@marymary5494]

What a treat. Thank you.

[@ashkisten3111]

❤What brilliant story !! Loved it !! More please.❤👌🙏

[@laurad1487]

I first discovered Maugham as a precocious 13 year old, starting with Moon and Sixpence, and quickly read through his oeuvre, and revisiting them often through the years. Maugham was a keen observer of human behavior and motivation, giving him deep insight into the impact of the stratified society in which he lived upon the psychological development and trajectory of individual lives.

[@normacousins7482]

This story was made into a film which included 3 of Maugham's stories, if I'm remembering correctly. It was made in the late 40's or perhaps early 50's. This one ended with the wife admitting it was about her husband and what they had shared in the past. I guess the movie maker (I think it was a British film) decided it had to have that tidied up ending for movie audiences.

[@jenniferartin]

Oh, I will look for this film. Thank you.

[@RamonaMcKean]

Did the film version have the same title?

[@jenniferartin]

@@RamonaMcKean I found this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2OWqIBom6yWgLcsi=MASDvjr-sMwq0-rY

[@berenicebarnes7822]

@@RamonaMcKean The fourth film in Somerset Maugham’s ‘Quartet’. My favourite from ‘Trio’ is ‘The Verger’.

[@femboomer]

I have read many of Maugham's short stories but i had never come across this one. Such a beautiful piece of writing, thanks for posting it. I have just come across your channel and immediately subscribed and i look forward to finding more treasures like this one.

[@AnnieT369]

One of my most favourite writer of my youth.

[@esterrosales3052]

The husband is a bastard !she might not have appeal for him but She found someone who loved her just as she is!😌

[@pattih7]

Delighted to come upon this story! Look forward to listening to a variety of things!

[@novascheller5957]

Oh, this was a delight to listen to! Thank you….

[@tricivenola8164]

Maugham... absolutely the best. I've read this story many times but it was a great pleasure to hear it so well told. Thanks for posting. I see you've got another one, so I'll Like and get to it!

[@CounterfeitChristianityCanada]

That was fantastic but coming from the man who wrote Of Human Bondage, I am not surprised. What a great story.

[@danetteperez3863]

He would never understand , still waters run deep.

[@ArtU4All]

Oh what pleasure of beautiful writing… And… what an immense gift having a solid advice back then versus running to a (doubtful abilities) therapist these days…

[@shirleyjordan5941]

Such a lovely story husband blind !!!

[@Rubytuesday1569]

Besautifully written and read. ☮️

[@nicolaablett7790]

DANCING requires 2 dancing together hence the tango so perfect if you keep working at it The Colonel really had no idea As do so many couples Quite awesome wonderful narration The lawyer was a wise man

[@KyriaNunNuit]

I knew straight away that the golden, caring lover she'd had andost was the Colonel. I guess a lot of people never really talked in those days - and still don't today. Nor did they have marriage counselling to help them find each other again if they were willing. More's the pity.

[@anotherblonde]

“For the Colonel’s Lady and Judy O’Grady Are Sisters under Their Skins” The Ladies by Rudyard Kipling, written in 1896. The short story was published in Good Housekeeping, March 1946, so we must deduce Maugham had read the Kipling poem, and must have known comparisons between the two would be drawn as both are about the experience of wives of Colonels. Up until the 1960s opiates were common components of almost every household remedy, and wonder if Mrs Peregrine partook of a remedy or two and allowed her mind to drift into her fantasies to relieve her unfilfilled marriage. Peregrine falcon males are known to consume their own young; is this why wife is depicted as childless?.

[@holmes5517]

Colonels were a dime a dozen in those days, especially after ww2. And they hung on to their wartime titles to the day they died and many were't even real. Peregrine was a common first name among the upper classes.

[@peterjordaan9025]

Beautiful story

[@inr63]

The last line is heartbreaking; some men never learn.

[@jamesross5328]

Wonderful work willie

[@gottathinkupanewone]

There is none so blind as he who will not see.

[@carolleenkelmann3829]

In the days of Somerset Maughan, the only way the woman could prove that she wasn't barren was the fall pregnant to another man. Now we know that it's mostly the accountability of the male, the result of low or no sperm count as we now know that the sex of the child is due to the man.

[@pamelacorbett8774]

But whether the sperm prospers is decided by the female acid/alkaline vaginal secretions.

[@twilightpurpleglow]

What a beautiful and sad story , Evie thanked the powers that be that; "she had been privileged, at least for awhile to enjoy the greatest happiness that we poor human beings can never hope to know" ❤ "The greatest joy in life is to love and be loved in return".💞

[@manyazewalendeshaw1680]

I read the story long time ago, and i have this feeling that she explains to her husband that the young man was he himself in the old days, and the death is symbolically the death of their love. Did i imagine this?

[@luisacalderon717]

Ugggghhh!!! Noooo!!!!

[@shirleymurphy1958]

A man who is self consumed and thought himself more important then he ought! His wife being just a fine women who made him look good .

[@marylee9122]

The story is so well recited.I wish to know the reader's name..

[@douglasreynolds-op1no]

The colonel was blind.

[@beluch2768]

As I recall, in the old English film treatment of this story (Trio? Quartet?) the story ends with his confronting her and her confessing "It was you!".

[@jamesrouillardjas1671]

Thanks so much for sharing this. An exquisite reading by the way. My own late wife was older than l; some cast a jaundiced eye on our relationship. But it was bliss to us …

[@CSchaeken]

Thank you for this story!

[@aprilbredon2307]

I was struck by the social commentary Maugham was making. The Colonel is the accepted standard of his time, Maugham was simply pointing out what society wasn't seeing.

[@Elvis2girl]

😮the end shocked me, and still with that he didn’t see her depthness in her soul.

[@conningdale8805]

Wonderful! Am very glad I found it here. Thank you. Very enjoyable viewing.

[@TheAshoka2009]

EV, oh EV my respects to you!

[@camilleespinas2898]

I think there are many melancholy women right now as they reminisce.

[@BeWeRo]

Excellent, thank you for sharing!

[@NinaGuth-hg5eh]

What an incredible short story...it touched me in my own life as well..S.Maugham has written so many short story that I am familiar with and LOVE.Thank you guys for having a good read!!!

[@faribatavallali3909]

Wonderful reading of a chef-d'œuvre. Thank you ❤

[@an234dfg]

iIt's AI voicing, not human

[@faribatavallali994]

@@an234dfg Thank you for the information ! I could have not gussed ! AI is getting better and bettter 😳

[@eshaibraheem4218]

​ I, too, thought It was well read!

[@suemclean2670]

Artificial intelligence still has a long way to go. It tends to ignore infinitesimal breaks for commas. Full stops to indicate the end of a sentence and beginning of another require a longer pause. Otherwise, it can develop into a dull monotone or the opposite, unpleasant gabbling. Punctuation affects pronunciation by allowing for emotion and inflection. I enjoyed this S Maugham story but felt the voice was unsuitable.

[@ArtU4All]

Oh my god…. AI…???? 😳 I could not tell. It was masterfully read. Better than by some actors on Audible. Wow… I could not buy some books on Audible because I could not stand the sampled excerpt. This rendition is incredible…

[@kimsherlock8969]

Love Somerset ❤ 😍 💖

[@niall4588]

The last sentence kills. It is the whole story.

[@juliefall2892]

This one was excellently read , thank you . Great story

[@susanbengston3208]

George’s last statement was like a physical blow to my senses, although we knew he’d never taken the time nor interest in who or what she Truely was, the hollow void of emotional connection, stark… made me gasp.

[@carlashibayama1614]

I find this story completely encouraging..whether real or made up..she finds happiness within her own world and success too..this success must have given her great happiness and tremendous confidence..

[@bellacucina3209]

Love this story like many of Somerset Maugham's !!!!

[@KimDsmom]

Sad he didn’t have the ability to find out what the younger man had “seen” in his wife. Reminds me of a married man I knew who was on his third marriage, at the age of 33, and was complaining to me about his current wife, as well as Number One, and Number Two. He was lamenting about how he had married complete different types of women each time, and was still not happy… and seemed to be looking for Number Four. 😳 After listening to him go on and on, detailing all of the faults and negative aspects of these three women, I said, “Has it ever occurred to you that it might be YOU?” The look on his face told me that it hadn’t. 😏

[@doreendaykin6693]

Brilliant!! Enjoyed every moment from the first word to the last.🙏💙

[@excellentcomment]

This is a rare time when the movie is far superior to the written story. Here, the story ends with George's derogatory remarks about Evie. It casts ugliness on both of them. But the movie ends with their sharing a rapprochement of profound tenderness. Maugham ends the movie version with George's confronting Evie and demanding she tell him who the man was. And Evie quietly replies with great honesty & gentleness, "It was you.....when we were first in love.. I let you down by not being able to have children. I didn't understand all the things you loved and how important they were to you. I didn't want to forget how I loved you, so I thought I'd better write it down." George asks her, is that the truth? And she says, "Don't you know that it is?" He bows his head & weeps, and she embraces him. One of the most heart-rending depictions of a mature love ever captured in literature.

[@JL-dw4jd]

This is stunning. A whole life goes by before 2 people meet.

[@antoniadelaunay8585]

Thank you so much for uploading. Poignant story written perfectly and read beautifully. Thank you again. ❤