High Man

In Short

This brief, witty story unfolds through a series of letters between a stranded, deceitful fiancé and his wealthy, fed-up partner. When the man attempts to explain his sudden silence with a tall tale about an accidental scientific voyage, he unwittingly provides his rival—a wily, penniless professor—the perfect opening to steal his fiancée and her fortune. It remains a delightful, cynical relic of 1950s science fiction, grounded in the sharp, transactional nature of human relationships and the classic trope of the confidence man outmaneuvered by his own greed.

The Story

Roger Brisby, a man of limited means living off his wealthy English fiancée, Anne Harrodsbury, vanishes in New York. After weeks of silence, Anne threatens to cut off his bank account and break their engagement. Panicked, Roger invents a fantastic story: he claims he met a disgraced scientist, Professor Phelps-Smythe Burdinghaugh, and was accidentally launched into the sky by an experimental anti-gravity belt. He describes six days of terror, drifting at 10,000 feet, helpless and starving, until the batteries finally failed and he plummeted back to earth.

The lie is transparent, but Roger believes he has bought himself time. He is wrong. Anne, having encountered the real Professor Burdinghaugh in London, is already wise to Roger’s true nature. The Professor, who is far more interested in Anne’s money than his own scientific pursuits, has already ingratiated himself with her. He tells Anne that Roger spent his time in New York partying with other women and that the "anti-gravity belt" is a complete fabrication. Anne severs the engagement, effectively bankrupting Roger, and prepares to marry the charming, cultured Professor.

The final turn of the screw comes from the Professor himself. Writing to Roger with smug satisfaction, he reveals his plan: he has successfully courted Anne to secure funding for his own expensive lifestyle. He informs Roger that he expects the repayment of the money Roger had been borrowing from Anne, and he expects it within thirty days. He views himself as the ultimate victor, having removed a romantic obstacle while securing a wealthy patroness.

However, the final word belongs to Roger. In a calm, businesslike letter, he admits defeat regarding Anne, but reveals that he has played the long game. While the Professor was busy seducing Anne, Roger secured a patent for the anti-gravity belt. He is now mass-producing the technology as a toy—a "gimmick" for children that flies into the sky and never returns, forcing parents to buy replacements constantly. He has turned a scientific breakthrough into a consumerist gold mine. He thanks the Professor for taking Anne off his hands, noting that her fortune is largely held in untouchable trusts, while his own new business venture is flourishing. The Professor has won the woman, but Roger has won the market, leaving his rival to discover that he has married a fortune he cannot actually spend.

How It Unfolds

The ultimatum Anne sends a final, stern warning to Roger, demanding an explanation for his disappearance and threatening to freeze his access to her bank account. She is tired of his evasions and clearly suspicious of his "business trip" to New York.

The fantastic excuse Roger writes back with an elaborate, self-serving account of being trapped in the clouds by a scientist’s failed experiment. He uses this absurd narrative as a shield to explain his lack of communication and his desperate need for continued financial support.

The double-cross The Professor writes to Anne, debunking Roger’s lies while subtly positioning himself as the mature, charming alternative. He effectively maneuvers Anne into a new engagement, believing he has secured both a wife and a bankroll for his research.

The final adjustment Roger responds to the Professor, revealing that he has anticipated the move and pivoted to a more lucrative path. He reveals the truth about Anne's restricted funds and his own success as a toy manufacturer, leaving the Professor trapped in a hollow marriage.

The People

Roger Brisby is a professional opportunist who views his engagement as a financial arrangement. He is quick-witted and unbothered by moral failings, possessing the unique ability to turn even his most humiliating failures into a profit-driven enterprise.

Anne Harrodsbury is the wealthy, decisive woman who holds the purse strings. Though she is initially the victim of Roger’s deception, she is far from naive; she possesses a sharp eye for character and is quick to discard a man once his dishonesty becomes untenable.

Professor Phelps-Smythe Burdinghaugh is the story’s primary antagonist, a man whose scientific credentials mask a predatory nature. He is motivated by a love for luxury and a desire to fund his lifestyle, leading him to underestimate Roger’s business acumen in favor of chasing Anne’s illusory fortune.

In Its Own Voice

"You see, shortly after I arrived here, I ran into a Professor Phelps-Smythe Burdinghaugh, lately of England."

Roger begins his fabrication to excuse his absence, naming the man who will eventually become his rival.

"The 'gimmick,' as these American subjects put it, is 'hot' and the turnover is fantastic."

Roger describes his new venture, revealing that he has abandoned the search for scientific glory in favor of consumer profit.

What It's Really About

The story explores the collision between traditional status and modern entrepreneurship. It argues that there is little difference between the "brilliance" of an eccentric scientist and the "gimmickry" of a clever salesman; both are driven by a singular, cold-hearted focus on survival and profit. Beneath the humor, it is a cynical look at how individuals treat one another as commodities to be traded, managed, or discarded. The "Era of Space" that the characters promise never arrives; in its place is a frantic, commercialized world where even the most miraculous inventions are reduced to disposable toys.

Why Read It Today

This story offers a sharp, fast-paced look at a particular mid-century sensibility, where the stiff, formal tone of letters clashes with the chaotic nature of the characters' schemes. Readers who enjoy dry, ironic humor and tales of clever grifters will find much to admire here. The narrative moves with great efficiency, wasting no time on sentimentality, and the resolution provides a satisfying, if somewhat cold, sense of poetic justice.

The book is an artifact of its time, reflecting the 1950s cultural fascination with the "Space Age" and the accompanying anxiety about American commercial influence. Some readers may find the casual, transaction-based approach to romance a bit jarring, as the characters speak of their partners with the same detachment one might use to discuss a business asset. However, the dialogue is clipped and punchy, keeping the momentum high. It is a brief, acerbic study of two men trying to out-maneuver one another for the hand of a woman who possesses the one thing they both crave: capital. It is a quick read, but the image of the Professor—married to a woman whose money he cannot touch, while Roger laughs all the way to the bank—is one that sticks.