Mrs Warboys relates a story, to some women she meets in a cafe, about the Meldrews. After losing to Nick at Scrabble, and discovering that the black shoes he wants to buy are still on the feet of their last owner--presently deceased--Victor is even grumpier than ever, the more so when Margaret disappears without trace. It turns out she just wanted a break and, after she has returned, Victor helps Nick at a garden fete where he is pursued by an amorous chimpanzee.
—don @ minifie-1