Mrs. Munning. You'll have to now. And don't come asking me where things are kept, not when Miss Cavender can hear you ask. Sally. Oh, don't you worry, Mrs. Munning. If any one gives it away to Miss Cavender that I've not been here for years and years, it'll not be me. Find my way about a strange house blindfold, I can. It's a natural gift. (_Paul Munning enters, a man of thirty, well-built, but with meanness stamped upon an otherwise not unattractive face. He wears light clothes with a grey bowler hat, and a buttonhole._) Sally. Here's Mr. Paul. Good-afternoon, sir. (_Paul grunts. Mrs. Munning turns._) Paul. Has she come yet? Mrs. Munning. Not yet. Have you----? (_Paul indicates Sally._) Um. This room will do now, Sally. Sally. It will, though I says it that did it. Mrs. Munning. Did you! I fancied I did it myself. Sally. You did the rough, Mrs. Munning, but I always say it's the finishing touch that counts with dusting and I reckon I did that. Mrs. Munning. Well, now you can go to the kitchen and get the kettle on for tea. Sally. You'll be having your tea in here, won't you? Mrs. Munning. Yes. Sally. All right. You needn't raise a hand to it. I'll see to everything. (_Sally goes out._) Mrs. Munning. She's a Miss Know-all, she is. Paul. Won't she do? Mrs. Munning. She'll have to do. Virginia's got to think we keep a maid, and Sally's the only one who'd come at our price. Paul (_sitting, gloomily_). It's great expense. Mrs. Munning. No helping that. It's got to be. We can't have Virginia going home and telling all her aunt's too poor to keep a servant. Did you get that order? Paul. No. Mrs. Munning. Not Taylor's? Paul. Wilson, of Norton Parva, is catering for Mrs. Taylor's wedding. Mrs. Munning. You mean to say that Wilson got there first? Paul. He hadn't been. Mrs. Munning. Then how's he got the order? Paul. He's going to get it. It's the same old tale. They'd heard our weddings aren't as pleasant as they used to be. Knew we were nearest, but they thought they'd give Wilson a chance. A good ten pounds gone from us there. Mrs. Munning. Well, I don't know. Paul. And I don't know. If I knew I'd alter it. We're doing things no different from what we always did, and yet it's got about our style's gone off. It's not gone off. Mrs. Munning. I'm sure it's not. What do they say? Do they tell you anything? Paul. Folks with a wedding in their house are too uplifted to say much. They don't explain. What I make out is we're not so hearty as we used to be. Mrs. Munning. Hearty? Paul. I've heard it said so. God knows what it means. I'm sure I try to be hearty. It's prejudice, and nothing else. Mrs. Munning. And word's passed round against us. Paul. Seems so. Mrs. Munning. It's very bad, Paul. Paul. Bad? Don't I know it's bad? Couldn't be worse if it tried. We'll have the shutters up altogether at this rate. The joinery business doesn't keep us alive, and if the catering goes to ruin, we'll go along with it. That's all.