▁lim b ▁and ▁dance ▁bu ck - and - wing ▁d ances ▁on ▁my ▁remains ". ▁The ▁hum our ▁in ▁pass ages ▁of ▁this ▁kind ▁der ives ▁from ▁the ▁obviously ▁rid icul ous ▁physical ▁impos s ibility ▁of ▁the ▁events ▁described . ▁ ▁W ode house ' s ▁stories ▁feature ▁many ▁references ▁to ▁the ▁stage ▁that ▁emphas ize ▁the ▁similarity ▁between ▁the ▁narr ative ▁and ▁a ▁stage ▁performance . ▁This ▁includes ▁dialog ue ▁res emb ling ▁a ▁script , ▁the atr ical ▁termin ology , ▁and ▁characters ▁described ▁with ▁the atr ical ▁convent ions . ▁For ▁example , ▁Bert ie ▁describes ▁Florence ▁when ▁she ▁is ▁ups et ▁after ▁St il ton ▁unexpected ly ▁knock s ▁on ▁her ▁door ▁while ▁Bert ie ▁is ▁with ▁her : ▁" F lor ence ▁cla pped ▁a ▁hand ▁to ▁her ▁thro at , ▁a ▁thing ▁I ▁didn ' t ▁know ▁anybody ▁ever ▁did ▁off ▁the ▁stage ". ▁ ▁Background ▁According ▁to ▁a ▁letter ▁W ode house ▁wrote ▁to ▁his ▁friend ▁William ▁" B ill " ▁Town end ▁on ▁ 1 3 ▁January ▁ 1 9 5 4 , ▁W ode house ▁originally ▁wrote ▁Je e ves ▁and ▁the ▁Fe ud al ▁Spirit ▁as ▁a ▁ 3 0 , 0 0 0 ▁word ▁story , ▁which ▁was ▁refused ▁by ▁various ▁mag az ines . ▁After ▁re writing ▁it ▁as ▁a ▁novel , ▁W ode house ▁realized ▁the ▁problem : ▁no ▁explanation ▁was ▁given ▁for ▁how ▁Je e ves ▁could ▁tell ▁a ▁supposed ly ▁valuable ▁p ear l ▁neck lace