MEG. Is that you, Petey?

Pause.

Petey, is that you?

Pause.

Petey?

PETEY. What?

MEG. Is that you?

PETEY. Yes, it’s me.

MEG. What? (Her face appears at the hatch.) Are you back?

PETEY. Yes.

MEG. I’ve got your cornflakes ready. (She disappears and reappears.) Here’s your cornflakes.

He rises and takes the plate from her, sits at the table, props up the paper and begins to eat. MEG enters by the kitchen door.

Are they nice?

PETEY. Very nice.

MEG. I thought they’d be nice. (She sits at the table.) You got your paper?

PETEY. Yes.

MEG. Is it good?

PETEY. Not bad.

MEG. What does it say?

PETEY. Nothing much.

MEG. You read me out some nice bits yesterday.

PETEY. Yes, well, I haven’t finished this one yet.

MEG. Will you tell me when you come to something good?

PETEY. Yes.

Pause.

MEG. Have you been working hard this morning?

PETEY. No. Just stacked a few of the old chairs. Cleaned up a bit.

MEG. Is it nice out?

PETEY. Very nice.

Pause.

MEG. Is Stanley up yet?

PETEY. I don’t know. Is he?

MEG. I don’t know. I haven’t seen him down yet.

PETEY. Well then, he can’t be up.

MEG. Haven’t you seen him down?

PETEY. I’ve only just come in.

MEG. He must be still asleep.

She looks round the room, stands, goes to the sideboard and takes a pair of socks from a drawer, collects wool and a needle and goes back to the table.

What time did you go out this morning, Petey?

PETEY. Same time as usual.

MEG. Was it dark?

PETEY. No, it was light.

MEG (beginning to darn). But sometimes you go out in the morning and it’s dark.

PETEY. That’s in the winter.

MEG. Oh, in winter.

PETEY. Yes, it gets light later in winter.

MEG. Oh.

Pause.

What are you reading?

PETEY. Someone’s just had a baby.

MEG. Oh, they haven’t! Who?

PETEY. Some girl.

MEG. Who, Petey, who?

PETEY. I don’t think you’d know her.

MEG. What’s her name?

PETEY. Lady Mary Splatt.

MEG. I don’t know her.

PETEY. No.

MEG. What is it?

PETEY (studying the paper). Er—a girl.

MEG. Not a boy?

PETEY. No.

MEG. Oh, what a shame. I’d be sorry. I’d much rather have a little boy.

PETEY. A little girl’s all right.

MEG. I’d much rather have a little boy.

Pause.

PETEY. I’ve finished my cornflakes.

MEG. Were they nice?

PETEY. Very nice.

MEG. I’ve got something else for you.

PETEY. Good.

She rises, takes his plate and exits into the kitchen. She then appears at the hatch with two pieces of fried bread on a plate.

MEG. Here you are, Petey.

He rises, collects the plate, looks at it, sits at the table. MEG re-enters.

Is it nice?

PETEY. I haven’t tasted it yet.

MEG. I bet you don’t know what it is.

PETEY. Yes, I do.

MEG. What is it, then?

PETEY. Fried bread.

MEG. That’s right.

He begins to eat.
She watches him eat.

PETEY. Very nice.

MEG. I knew it was.

PETEY (turning to her). Oh, Meg, two men came up to me on the beach last night.

MEG. Two men?

PETEY. Yes. They wanted to know if we could put them up for a couple of nights.

MEG. Put them up? Here?

PETEY. Yes.

MEG. How many men?

PETEY. Two.

MEG. What did you say?

PETEY. Well, I said I didn’t know. So they said they’d come round to find out.

MEG. Are they coming?

PETEY. Well, they said they would.

MEG. Had they heard about us, Petey?

PETEY. They must have done.

MEG. Yes, they must have done. They must have heard this was a very good boarding house. It is. This house is on the list.

PETEY. It is.

MEG. I know it is.

PETEY. They might turn up today. Can you do it?

MEG. Oh, I’ve got that lovely room they can have.

PETEY. You’ve got a room ready?

MEG. I’ve got the room with the armchair all ready for visitors.

PETEY. You’re sure?

MEG. Yes, that’ll be all right then, if they come today.

PETEY. Good.

She takes the socks etc. back to the sideboard drawer.

MEG. I’m going to wake that boy.

PETEY. There’s a new show coming to the Palace.

MEG. On the pier?

PETEY. No. The Palace, in the town.

MEG. Stanley could have been in it, if it was on the pier.

PETEY. This is a straight show.

MEG. What do you mean?

PETEY. No dancing or singing.

MEG. What do they do then?

PETEY. They just talk.

Pause.

MEG. Oh.

PETEY. You like a song eh, Meg?

MEG. I like listening to the piano. I used to like watching Stanley play the piano. Of course, he didn’t sing. (Looking at the door.) I’m going to call that boy.

PETEY. Didn’t you take him up his cup of tea?

MEG. I always take him up his cup of tea. But that was a long time ago.

PETEY. Did he drink it?

MEG. I made him. I stood there till he did. I’m going to call him. (She goes to the door.) Stan! Stanny! (She listens.) Stan! I’m coming up to fetch you if you don’t come down! I’m coming up! I’m going to count three! One! Two! Three! I’m coming to get you! (She exits and goes upstairs. In a moment, shouts from STANLEY, wild laughter from MEG. PETEY takes his plate to the...