don't know, but she would have; it's a
kind of devilish sense she has.

MARY

John!

JOHN

What's the matter?

MARY

John! What a dreadful word you used.
And on a Sunday too! Really!

JOHN

O, I'm sorry. It slipped out somehow.
I'm very sorry.

[Enter LIZA.]

LIZA

There's a gentleman to see you, sir, which
isn't, properly speaking, a gentleman at all.
Not what I should call one, that is, like.

MARY

Not a gentleman! Good gracious, Liza!
Whatever do you mean?

LIZA

He's black.

MARY

Black?

JOHN [reassuring]

O... yes, that would be Ali. A queer
old customer, Mary; perfectly harmless. Our
firm gets hundreds of carpets through him;
and then one day...

MARY

But what is he doing here, John?

JOHN

Well, one day he turned up in London;
broke, he said; and wanted the firm to give
him a little cash. Well, old Briggs was for
giving him ten shillings. But I said "here's
a man that's helped us in making thousands
of pounds. Let's give him fifty."

MARY

Fifty pounds!

JOHN

Yes, it seems a lot; but it seemed only fair.
Ten shillings would have been an insult to
the old fellow, and he'd have taken it as such.
You don't know what he'd have done.

MARY

Well, he doesn't want more?

JOHN

No, I expect he's come to thank me. He
seemed pretty keen on getting some cash.
Badly broke, you see. Don't know what he was
doing in London. Never can tell with these
fellows. East is East, and there's an end of it.

MARY

How did he trace you here?

JOHN

O, got the address at the office. Briggs
and Cater won't let theirs be known. Not
got such a smart little house, I expect.

MARY

I don't like letting people in that you don't
know where they come from.

JOHN

O, he comes from the East.

MARY

Yes, I--I know. But the East doesn't seem
quite to count, somehow, as the proper sort of
place to come from, does it, dear?

JOHN

No.

MARY

It's not like Sydenham or Bromley, some
place you can put your finger on.

JOHN

Perhaps just for once, I don't think there's
any harm in him.

MARY

Well, just for once. But we can't make a
practice of it. And you don't want to be
thinking of business on a Sunday, your only
day off.

JOHN

O, it isn't business, you know. He only
wants to say thank you.

MARY

I hope he won't say it in some queer
Eastern way. You don't know what these
people....

JOHN

O, no. Show him up, Liza.

LIZA

As you like, mum.