Unit 16 • Lesson 1 • Class 11Compulsory English (Grade 11) (Eng.003)

Unit 16: Fantasy — Lesson 1: The Romance of a Busy Broker

एकाइ १६: कल्पना र कथा — पाठ १: व्यस्त दलालको प्रेम सम्बन्ध (ओ. हेनरी)

O. Henry’s classic short story satirizing hyper-commercial Wall Street freneticism, absent-mindedness, emotional alienation, and grammatical mastery of defining/non-defining relative clauses.

Prescribed Lesson Text

Official Reading Material • ~3 min read (382 words)

### The Romance of a Busy Broker *By O. Henry* Pitcher, confidential clerk in the brokerage office of Harvey Maxwell & Broker, allowed a look of mild interest and surprise to visit his usually impassive countenance when his employer briskly entered at half-past nine in the company of his young lady stenographer. Maxwell hurried in with brisk energy, greeted Pitcher with an abrupt "Good morning," and rushed straight to his desk as though leaping over a hurdle. The young lady lingered slightly in the outer office. She was beautiful in a way that was decidedly unstenographic. She forewent the pomp of the alluring pompadour; she wore no chains, bracelets, or lockets. Her dress was grey and plain, but it fitted her figure with fidelity and discretion. In her neat black turban hat was the gold-green wing of a macaw. She approached Pitcher and inquired softly whether Mr. Maxwell had engaged another stenographer. Pitcher confirmed that Maxwell had indeed ordered a replacement the previous afternoon. The young lady smiled gently and announced she would resume her duties until the replacement arrived. Within minutes, the brokerage exploded into full financial pandemonium. The ticker-tape machine began unraveling endless coiled ribbons of paper; telephones buzzed frantically; messengers and clients stormed the doors. Stocks were surging and plunging unpredictably. Harvey Maxwell operated like an intricate, high-speed human machine, shouting buy and sell orders, flinging memoranda, making instantaneous decisions involving hundreds of thousands of dollars. During a fleeting lull at midday, a stray breeze through the window wafted the delicate fragrance of lilac into the suffocating office. The scent stirred an unexpected chord in Maxwell’s memory. He remembered Miss Leslie—her gentleness, her radiant smile, her steadfast grace. An irresistible impulse seized him. He darted into her adjoining office, stood over her desk, and confessed impulsively: "Miss Leslie, I have only a moment, but I must speak. Will you be my wife? I haven't time to make love in the ordinary way, but I love you truly. Talk quick—those fellows are yelling for me!" Miss Leslie stared in utter astonishment. Tears rushed to her eyes, followed by a warm, sunny smile. Tenderly looping her arm around his neck, she whispered: "Harvey, don't you understand? We were married last night at eight o'clock in the Little Church Around the Corner!"

Lesson Summary & Key Concepts

O. Henry’s classic short story satirizing hyper-commercial Wall Street freneticism, absent-mindedness, emotional alienation, and grammatical mastery of defining and non-defining relative clauses.

Core Themes & Main Ideas

O. Henry’s satirical portrayal of frantic Wall Street commercialism and hyper-mechanized labor

The psychological dissociation between intense occupational obsession and domestic human emotion

The poignant, ironic twist: Harvey Maxwell forgetting he was married to Miss Leslie only the previous evening

Miss Leslie’s dignity, tenderness, and emotional poise amidst financial madness

Key Figures & Historical / Literary Personalities

Harvey MaxwellFrenzied Wall Street stockbroker

A hyperactive broker overwhelmed by ticker tapes and stock orders who proposes to his own wife in an absent-minded trance.

Miss LeslieConfidential stenographer & Maxwell's new bride

Gentle, modest, and elegant lady who secretly married Maxwell the night before at the Little Church Around the Corner.

PitcherDiscreet, veteran clerk

Silent witness to Maxwell’s chaotic brokerage habits and office eccentricities.

Textbook Exercises & Solutions

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High-Yield Exam Focus Questions (1)

Exam Preparation

Practice questions curated specifically for The Romance of a Busy Broker.

Exam FocusExam Preparation Question5 Marks

Exam Rationale: CDC Literature Section: O. Henry’s satirical storytelling, situational irony, character dissociation, and critique of hyper-mechanized labor in modern financial systems.

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