"The Prude's Progress: A Comedy in Three Acts" by Jerome K. Jerome is a funny story occurring in the late 1800s, about a young woman named Nelly Morris, her brother, and the people around them as they struggle with money problems, wanting to be successful, and finding love in a small lodging house. The comedy comes from how they deal with each other, especially when a man named Adam Cherry asks Nelly to marry him to help her with her financial challenges. At the beginning, Nelly is sad because she and her brother, who is studying to be a doctor, are poor. She wishes for a better life, which leads to funny but also touching conversations about how broke they are. The story shows how Nelly deals with tough choices, like whether to marry for money or follow her heart, all while trying to keep her self-respect.

The Prude's Progress: A Comedy in Three Acts
By Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome
In a world of limited funds and grand dreams, a surprising proposal turns a young woman's world upside down, making her question what she truly values most.
Summary
About the AuthorJerome Klapka Jerome was an English writer and humorist, best known for the comic travelogue Three Men in a Boat (1889). Other works include the essay collections Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1886) and Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow; Three Men on the Bummel, a sequel to Three Men in a Boat; and several other novels. Jerome was born in Walsall, England, and, although he was able to attend grammar school, his family suffered from poverty at times, as did he as a young man trying to earn a living in various occupations. In his twenties, he was able to publish some work, and success followed. He married in 1888, and the honeymoon was spent on a boat on the River Thames; he published Three Men in a Boat soon afterwards. He continued to write fiction, non-fiction and plays over the next few decades, though never with the same level of success.
Jerome Klapka Jerome was an English writer and humorist, best known for the comic travelogue Three Men in a Boat (1889). Other works include the essay collections Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1886) and Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow; Three Men on the Bummel, a sequel to Three Men in a Boat; and several other novels. Jerome was born in Walsall, England, and, although he was able to attend grammar school, his family suffered from poverty at times, as did he as a young man trying to earn a living in various occupations. In his twenties, he was able to publish some work, and success followed. He married in 1888, and the honeymoon was spent on a boat on the River Thames; he published Three Men in a Boat soon afterwards. He continued to write fiction, non-fiction and plays over the next few decades, though never with the same level of success.