
When Mr. Bunnett, a wealthy Londoner with an eccentric passion for animal welfare, offers a gold watch to the villager who proves most devoted to their beasts, the quiet hamlet of Prettywell descends into joyful chaos. Neighbors who once ignored their animals now parade them through the streets in absurd costumes; farmers suddenly discover profound emotional bonds with livestock they'd been planning to sell. Through this farcical lens, Jacobs examines something timeless about human nature: our capacity for ridiculous self-deception when vanity and competition collide. Bob Pretty, the village laborer, watches the frenzy with his characteristic detachment. His dog Joseph seems uninterested in the contest, yet somehow Bob manipulates the situation to his advantage with the casual cunning of a man who understands that appearing unconcerned is often the best strategy. The story crackles with period humor and social satire, poking fun at class pretensions and the lengths people will go to appear virtuous. Jacobs, best known for "The Monkey's Paw," demonstrates here that his wit could be just as sharp in comedy as in horror.


![Night Watches [complete]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3b2n8gj62qnwr.cloudfront.net%2FCOVERS%2Fgutenberg_covers75k%2Febook-12161.png&w=3840&q=75)



![His Other Self [night Watches, Part 10.]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3b2n8gj62qnwr.cloudfront.net%2FCOVERS%2Fgutenberg_covers75k%2Febook-12160.png&w=3840&q=75)






![Dialstone Lane [complete]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3b2n8gj62qnwr.cloudfront.net%2FCOVERS%2Fgutenberg_covers75k%2Febook-11976.png&w=3840&q=75)

![Odd Craft [complete]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3b2n8gj62qnwr.cloudfront.net%2FCOVERS%2Fgutenberg_covers75k%2Febook-12215.png&w=3840&q=75)

![The Three Sisters [night Watches, Part 6.]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3b2n8gj62qnwr.cloudfront.net%2FCOVERS%2Fgutenberg_covers75k%2Febook-12156.png&w=3840&q=75)











![The Weaker Vessel [night Watches, Part 4.]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3b2n8gj62qnwr.cloudfront.net%2FCOVERS%2Fgutenberg_covers75k%2Febook-12154.png&w=3840&q=75)



![The Vigil [night Watches, Part 8.]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3b2n8gj62qnwr.cloudfront.net%2FCOVERS%2Fgutenberg_covers75k%2Febook-12158.png&w=3840&q=75)
![Easy Money [night Watches, Part 9.]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3b2n8gj62qnwr.cloudfront.net%2FCOVERS%2Fgutenberg_covers75k%2Febook-12159.png&w=3840&q=75)


![Stepping Backwards [night Watches, Part 5.]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3b2n8gj62qnwr.cloudfront.net%2FCOVERS%2Fgutenberg_covers75k%2Febook-12155.png&w=3840&q=75)






![Keeping Watch [night Watches, Part 2.]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3b2n8gj62qnwr.cloudfront.net%2FCOVERS%2Fgutenberg_covers75k%2Febook-12152.png&w=3840&q=75)

![Back to Back [night Watches, Part 1.]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3b2n8gj62qnwr.cloudfront.net%2FCOVERS%2Fgutenberg_covers75k%2Febook-12151.png&w=3840&q=75)










![The Unknown [night Watches, Part 7.]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3b2n8gj62qnwr.cloudfront.net%2FCOVERS%2Fgutenberg_covers75k%2Febook-12157.png&w=3840&q=75)




![The Understudy [night Watches, Part 3.]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3b2n8gj62qnwr.cloudfront.net%2FCOVERS%2Fgutenberg_covers75k%2Febook-12153.png&w=3840&q=75)







