Lionel walks into the house moaning. He is carrying two heavy bags of cleaning and the hangers are digging into his palms. Jean meets him in the hallway and asks what's the matter, but he's in no position to answer at the moment. 
In any case, it's quite apparent why Lionel is so uncomfortable. He walks quickly into the living room and puts the bags over the back of the couch. He huffs and puffs. Jean asks if he's all right and he tells her that he'll never play the violin again -- that's for sure. Jean tells him that he shouldn't have carried so much. He responds by saying that they shouldn't have sent so much. She told him she had a few things to be dry-cleaned for the charity shop. And now he's not only in pain, but he's bankrupt as well. Jean asks if that's all. He protests that he's entitled to a little moan. She means is that all the dry-cleaning. There's one more load. He asks if there are any gloves somewhere. She's impatient, accuses him of making a fuss and goes out to the car herself to get the second load. Lionel hollers after her not to try to carry it all at once. He sighs and leans back in the couch and causes one of the bags to fall over the back and onto the floor. 
He gets up, puts it back on the couch and watches it fall again. He picks it up and replaces it again. Again it falls. He takes both bags and sets them down in a heap. Jean walks in with another two bags. She howls in pain, drops her two bags on top of the other two and shakes her hands. A grinning Lionel observes that "you're making a bit of a fuss," She tells him that if her hands didn't hurt so much she'd punch him. He says that he doesn't know about "Help the Aged" -- he feels "like the Aged." Jean thinks that's nonsense -- he's a young stag. He wonders if it's him, or is it drafty in the house. She informs him that it's him -- then realizes she left the front door open. As she leaves she points out that the gentlemanly thing to do right now is to tell her "I'll get it dear." He doesn't think he can even grasp the door handle with hands that feel the way his do. Jean reminds him that he used to be an officer and a gentleman. He lied -- he was only ever a lance corporal.
Jean comes back into the living room and excitedly tells Lionel that the Duncans are moving. He appears not to know who the Duncans are, but she says they are the people who just recently moved in next door. She just noticed that there's a "For Sale" sign up in front of their house. He sees nothing unusual in that -- that's the normal practice when people are moving. She wonders why they want to move so soon after having moved in. Lionel suggests that perhaps they don't like their neighbors. Jean gives him a dirty look. He admits he doesn't know and certainly won't be going around to ask. Neither will Jean, who observes that they were always either in each other's arms or at each other's throats. If you found them rolling around on the ground, you might not know which of the two they were doing. Lionel has a strange look on his face and Jean asks what's the matter. He has just realized what this means -- weeks and weeks of "oh God, I wonder what the next neighbors will be like." Jean dismisses that -- says she wouldn't worry about it and neither should he. She tells him to come on. "Where?" They have to get the dry-cleaning down to the charity shop. "In the car?" he asks. She tells him that, of course, they're going to bring it in the car -- what does he think -- that they're going to put it in a wheelbarrow. He can't believe that they brought it all in and now they have to put it all back in the car. He asks her why they did that and since she has no logical answer she hollers at him as though he were the one holding up this delivery process. They both walk out holding the bags and moaning.
Judith walks into the living room and is surprised to find Sandy working at the computer. She reminds Sandy that it's Saturday, but Sandy doesn't think she's breaking any local by-law. Judith asks her why she doesn't just ring Harry. 
Sandy asks why Harry doesn't just ring her. Judith points out that the last time Harry was at the house she told him to go away. "And he did," Sandy says. Judy knows that she understands that and Sandy understands that, but men take things literally sometimes. Maybe that's what Harry did. Or, says Sandy, maybe he had a rugby match to go to. The doorbell rings. Sandy tells Judith that if that should be Harry she should tell him....
Judith interrupts and says that if that is Harry she will not tell him anything. She adds that if she were Sandy, she would now sprawl provocativey on the sofa. Sandy protests that that would be game-playing. "Of course it is," Judy agrees as she goes to answer the doorbell. Sandy gets up, straightens her sweater and walks to the couch. She lays across the couch as provocatively as she can, then changes her mind and tries another position. Finally she just sits looking straight ahead.
Judy walks in and tells her she doesn't call that very provocative. Alistair is on her heels and asks why Sandy would want to look provocative for him. 
He assures her he doesn't mind if she really feels the need. Sandy tells Judy she doesn't know why she puts up with him sometimes. He is about to list a few hundred reasons when Judy interrupts him and changes the subject. She says he's early and she's nowhere near ready. That's the thing -- he wants to take a raincheck on their lunch date because he's just had a call from a friend who's only going to be in town for the day. Judy looks suspicious and tells him to continue. "Carefully, if I were you," adds Sandy. He explains that it is not that kind of an old friend. It's a guy named Leo Villiers -- a guy he knew at University. The guy was an icon to Alistair -- "been there, done that, got the t-shirt -- he was the first." Alistair tells her that he always worshipped Leo, but Leo always made him feel so ordinary. Judy says she'd like to meet him. Alistair thinks that sounds like a great idea and asks her to come to lunch with them. She assures him it was only a figure of speech. He still thinks it's a good idea and says that Sandy could come as well -- she could bring Har -- er, Harry. Leo would turn it into a rave. Sandy explains that she and Harry aren't exactly raving at present. He forgot. He apologizes, thinks on it for a minute and asks if Harry needs his eyes tested or what.
He stares at Sandy so much so that he appears to forget where he's at. Judy sticks her face in the line of sight and says "you'll be going now then." This brings him back to reality. He gives Judy a kiss -- "Goodbye Beautiful." He starts to walk out of the living room, stops, turns towards Sandy and says "beautiful squared, that is." He leaves. Judy tells Sandy that she almost wishes she had gone along with him, but Sandy is sure she would be bored out of her skull because they'd be going straight down memory lane: pubs they were thrown out of, women they chased, women they caught, tutorials they missed, whose pants they flew from the college flagpole. Judith says she knows all that, but she'd just like to meet the man who could make Alistair feel ordinary.
Jean is working in the kitchen when Lionel walks in. She asks him to shout out and ask how many there will be for lunch. He turns and hollers "How many for lunch?" just as Judith walks in. Judith wants to know why he's shouting. Jean says he's just being funny. Turns out it will only be Lionel and Jean for lunch because Judith is taking Sandy out to drown her sorrows. They'll have a chat, run down men. Jean thinks that's a good idea, but Lionel doesn't understand because men don't have lunches to run down women. Sandy pops in and says she's ready. She and Judy leave. Lionel still insists that men don't do that. 
Jean tells him to stop going on about it. He says he just feels outnumbered by the women in the house, that's all. Jean says it's a shame about Harry and Sandy. Lionel muses. He blames Sandy -- tell him I don't want to see him, she says -- two minutes later she's down the stairs asking why he went. Jean says that Sandy was bluffing. Lionel informs her that he worked that much out, but it's her fault that Harry called her bluff. To a point, yes -- Jean agrees. He had a right to keep her guessing a bit, but then he should have come around the next day. Lionel observes that they never carried on like that in their day. Jean simply tells him that they did not have enough days. He wonders if they would have done if they did have enough days. "And we were in love," she says. Lionel asks her if she thinks Harry and Sandy are in love. She says they're very fond of each other. She gets a look on her face that says she has an idea and she turns and starts to walk out of the room. Lionel asks where she's going and she tells him that she's going to make a telephone call. He says "oh," and then realizes what she's going to do.
Jean is looking up a telephone number in the study. Lionel walks in and tells her to put the address book down. He tells her that he knows she intends to phone Harry and that's why she sneaked in there to do it. 
She tells him that she didn't sneak anywhere; she only came into the study to find the telephone number. He still doesn't think she should phone him. Jean says that he doesn't even know what she's going to say to him yet. He'll lay odds that she isn't just going to pass the time of day. She tells Lionel that they are just two nice young people who have fallen out and got on their high horses. "And you're going to try to make them dismount?" She agrees that it's something like that. She dials the number. She will not do anything "arch" -- she's just going to ask him to come around so that they can sort it out. Harry answers the phone and Jean, after having said hello, says that she will come straight to the point -- Sandy wants to see him. He tells her that he will be there in an hour. 
Lionel sits across the desk from her and stares at her. She wants to know why he's looking at her like that. You told him that Sandy wants to see him. Jean points out that she does, deep down. "You made it sound like a personal invitation." That's an interpretation, she figures and concludes that once they get back together everything will be all right. He accuses her of flying in the face of reason. He wants to know what Sandy will say when Harry asks her what she wanted to see him about. Jean hadn't thought of that. She will tell Harry it was her idea and then let them sort it out and if Sandy throws a wobbly Lionel can go up and get her out. He tells Jean that if he tries that chances are Sandy will say that she's not dressed. Chances are she'll be bluffing, Jean says. Lionel wonders if she really wants him to be the one to find out. Okay, she'll be the one who will go and drag Sandy out. There, she says -- that's that settled. He reminds her that that's what Neville Chamberlain said when he came back from Munich. She turns to leave, but Lionel reminds her that in case she has forgotten Sandy just left for lunch. She won't be back in an hour, but Harry will be there. Jean thinks that will give them time to have a chat with Harry before she gets back. She tells him that they should have lunch. Lionel is suddenly not very hungry.
The doorbell rings. Jean and Lionel walk into the hall and Lionel tells her that he will not lecture Harry. Jean says she is not asking him to -- she only wants him to focus on Sandy rather than on sports. Jean answers the door and Harry walks in saying that she said Sandy wanted to see him. "Oh, she does," Jean assures him. Lionel asks if he'd like a cup of tea. Harry says no. Lionel wants to get him some coffee then, but Jean gives him a dirty look. She tells Harry to go in the living room and she nods to Lionel to follow him and do as she told him to do. She asks Harry to sit down and they sit on the couch. Harry looks uncomfortable and watches the door, looking for Sandy. There isn't much to say. Lionel starts to get up and asks if he's sure that he doesn't want a cup of something. Jean tells him to sit down because Harry's come to chat. Harry asks where Sandy is. Jean says that Sandy is out to lunch. Harry doesn't understand -- "you said she wanted to see me." 
Jean assures him that Sandy does. He wants to know why she went to lunch then. Jean says that it's because she didn't know that he'd be there. Lionel leans over and tells her that she might as well come clean. "I'm coming clean," she assures him. She tells him that Sandy doesn't know that she phoned him, but she knows that she really wants to see him and.... He gets up, visibly annoyed. She pleads with him to stay. He's here now and she knows that Sandy won't walk away. She says that before when she told him to go away she really didn't mean it. He asks why she said it then. "That's what I said," Lionel tells him. Jean can't really answer that. She just tells him to please stay and Harry sits down again. She explains that it was the trip to Jersey that did it. Sandy thought it was a little break for the two of them -- she didn't know it was a rugby tour. Harry says that she always comes to watch him play. Jean points out that she does that because she likes him -- not that she likes standing on a freezing cold touch line for two hours.
Lionel corrects her: "Eighty minutes." Eighty minutes then -- she gives him a dirty look. "Sandy's not asking me to give up rugby?" Jean reassures him that that is not the case. He insists that rugby is more than just a game to him. Harry tries to make Lionel understand. He asks if Lionel's played rugby. Lionel tells him that he has -- he played in school and then in the army. But not once he got posted to Korea. Harry seems pleased to learn that Lionel was in Korea because he had an uncle who was there. Lionel tells him that if he were asked to think of just one thing that reminds him of rugby it wouldn't be any one game or the smell of embrocation and sweat, it would be a sound -- the sound of studs clattering on the changing-room floor. 
Harry is in total agreement. Meanwhile Jean is absolutely dumbfounded by this conversation. Her head goes back and forth as though she were watching a tennis match. She absolutely cannot believe that Lionel is talking about rugby when she specifically asked him not to. Harry doesn't suppose you could ever forget that sound. No, Lionel supposes you never do: clatter, clatter, clatter. Harry chimes in: "clatter, clatter, clatter." Jean is at her wit's end -- she looks at the two of them and asks if they've finished. They don't know what she's talking about and she reminds them that they were talking about Sandy. "Well?" she asks. They don't know what she wants. She's frustrated and doesn't even think there's any point any more. She hears the front door open. Now it's too late, she says. Just don't talk about sport, she cautions, as she runs into the hall to intercept Sandy.
She tells Sandy that Harry is there. Sandy starts to say she doesn't want to see him, but Jean tells her that yes, she does and pushes her into the living room. 
She stands there almost preventing her from leaving. Sandy and Harry say hello to one another and Jean, still holding Sandy by the shoulders, motions for Lionel to leave. He gets up and walks out. Jean tells Sandy that Harry called around. Sandy can see that. Harry starts to tell her that he's there only because.... Jean interrupts him and says that he wanted to see her. She tells her to talk to him and then just stands and waits. They look at her. She realizes that she shouldn't be there, apologizes and walks out of the room.
Harry and Sandy look uncomfortable and say little. Finally Harry tells her that he didn't call around at all. She asks if he just materialized. Jean walks in the door, looks and walks back out. He informs her that Jean phoned and said that she wanted to see him. She denies it. He tells her that he knows. She wishes that people would just let them sort things out for themselves. He thinks they haven't really done a very good job of it. He missed her. She missed him too. He gets up and walks to the couch where he embraces her. Out in the hallway, Jean's ear is against the door. Lionel pulls her away and guides her into the kitchen.
Judith sits at the kitchen table reading a newspaper. She asks them how things are going. Jeans doesn't know -- Sir Galahad pulled her away. 
Lionel tells her that they should be left to themselves without anyone listening at the door. She complains that he shouldn't be criticizing her -- he was a lot of help in there: clatter-clatter-clatter. Lionel explains to Judith that they just started talking about rugby, that's all, but Jean reminds him that that was the very subject they were supposed to stay away from. The doorbell rings and Jean says she'll get it. Lionel tells her not to listen at the door as she goes past. Judy almost feels sorry for him -- Poor Lionel -- it's a world full of women. If it's not she or Sandy creating problems it's Jean trying to solve them. It was Alistair who was at the front door. He and Jean walk back into the kitchen. Judy's surprised because he was supposed to be having lunch with Leo Villiers. He did. Judy thought that from the way Alistair described Leo, this lunch would go on for days at least.
Jean asks who Leo is and Judith tells her that he was Alistair's role model at university. Lionel asks what Leo does now and Alistair says "what doesn't he do?" There's a reason for the visit. Alistair asks if Lionel and Jean would mind if he and Judith slipped off to another part of the forest because they need to have a talk. Judith gets up and Jean tells her not to go into the sitting room because Sandy and Harry are in there getting back together. Lionel says that they've only just said hello. Jean points out that it's a start. She tells Lionel that they'll go. They walk out of the kitchen and close the door.
"Now what?" Lionel asks. Jean says she thought they'd go for a walk. She puts her ear up against the kitchen door and starts to listen. Lionel comes back and pulls her away. As she passes the door to the study she puts her ear up against that. She walks a bit towards the sitting room and puts her ear up against that. "Oh, I see, it's just from door to door all day, is it?" says Lionel as he meets her at the sitting room door and brings her a coat. She tells him that things could be afoot. Us, he tells her. "We're supposed to be afoot." He pushes her towards the door.
Back in the kitchen, Judy looks stunned. "Marriage?" she says. That's right, Alistair tells her -- "The big 'M'" She doesn't know what to say and continues making coffee. He says that that's not what she's supposed to be doing next.
She just thinks she should have had some warning. He's not sure what he should have done -- should he have said "I shall be proposing to you later today?" She wants to know why. He asks her what kind of question is that. She tells him that it's a fairly important one. He asks if they can just go up to her bedroom. This question, too, takes her by surprise. She wonders if this is the one about thinking more clearly when we're lying down. He thinks it's all playing out all wrong. She shouldn't be making coffee in the kitchen. She reminds him that he picked the spot. He asks if at least she could stop making the coffee. 
She apologizes and sits down. He says that as he told her before -- "Impulse" is his middle name. It suddenly happened to him on the way home from lunch -- Kaboom! The furthest his impulses have gotten previously, she says, is to ask her to move in with him. He pleads with her: marriage is what he wants, marriage is what he needs. He asks her to just try saying "Mrs. Alistair Deacon." She says "Mrs. Alistair 'Impulse' Deacon." He thinks that this is no time for jokes. She just can't get over the suddenness of it all. He only wants her to say yes.
Lionel and Alistair are sitting in the neighborhood pub. Alistair asks him what he'd say to his calling him "Dad" from now on. Lionel says he'd say "don't." Alistair tells Lionel that he is going to be his father-in-law and he'll have to call him something. Lionel points out that he is not Judy's father. Alistair suggests "step-pops." Lionel tells him that he should just stick with "Li" -- he doesn't like it, but he's used to it. "Whatever you say, mate," Alistair says. Alistair observes that Judy and Jean have been in the bathroom for hours. Lionel supposes that they've got a lot to talk about -- mostly him.
Alistair wonders if he should feel comfortable with that. Lionel wouldn't. Judith and Jean return and Jean tells them that they've been talking. Lionel tells Alistair that this is where he'll find out about the wedding arrangements. No it isn't, Jean tells him -- and not the honeymoon either. She says that Judy has an idea. Just a suggestion, actually. She tells Alistair that if he hates the idea he must say so. Jean turns to Lionel and tells him "we love it." Yes, says Judy, and repeats to Alistair that if he hates the idea he must say so. She continues -- the house next door is up for sale. They could buy it and live next door to mom and Lionel. She grins happily. Jean beams. Lionel and Alistair look as though someone kicked them from behind.
Later that night Lionel is in bed still reading Tom Brown's Schooldays. Jean sits at her night table and files her nails. She asks how Tom Brown is getting on. Lionel tells her that he's praying for Little Arthur now. "You hate the idea, don't you?" she asks. Lionel tells her that he doesn't hate it at all -- Tom is a very well-intentioned boy. She accuses him of being obtuse -- she means the idea of Judy living next door. 
He doesn't hate the idea, he just doesn't think it's a very good one. She asks why. He wonders whether, if he answers the question, he'll get a fair hearing on it. She tells him that of course he will. He can see the attractions, but he can also see the dangers. He asks her what chance a marriage has with the wife's mother living next door. "So I'm the wicked witch of the west, am I?" He says she's a harbor, a safe haven. The first time she has a spat with Alistair, all Judy has to do is walk thirty feet and she's home to mummy. Jean asks him if he's saying that she would take sides. He laughs and says of course she would as though it would be silly to think otherwise. She suggests that Alistair could confide in him. He doesn't want Alistair to confide in him. He thinks they should sort things out for themselves. Now she gets it -- Judy could be sitting on the doorstep crying and she'll just tell her that she has to go away, that she can't come in. She gets into bed, saying that maybe they'll change their minds. Lionel tells her that he thinks Alistair should put his foot down. "So you wouldn't want to live next to me then?" He explains that he wouldn't if he were her son-in-law. She thinks it'll be funny having Alistair for a son-in-law. Hilarious, he says. "Maybe Harry, too," she speculates. He reminds her that Sandy is not her daughter. Jean feels that Sandy is almost her daughter. Lionel asks whether she's rushing things a bit. You never know, she tells him. Lionel has a proposal: If Sandy and Harry get married, they could buy the house on the other side and then they'll all live next door to each other. She doesn't get the joke of it -- she looks as though this were a wonderful idea. She ponders it.
Next day at the pub Alistair and Harry both look down in the dumps. 
Lionel approaches them with the drinks. Lionel tells them that if he were single and young and in either of their shoes he'd be grinning all over his face. "It's just this living next door business," Alistair says. The more he thinks about it, the more the vibes say "wronnnng." Harry really isn't listening. He has his own problems -- he's sure Sandy wants him to give up rugby. Alistair would feel as though he were under a microscope all the time. Harry says he's loved rugby since he was a kid. Alistair thinks Judy wouldn't understand. Harry doesn't think he can make Sandy understand. Lionel tells them that the way those two are carrying on they should be sitting outside with a bottle of Tizer and some crisps. 
Alistair tells him that's not a Mister Kindness thing to say. Lionel says they should listen to themselves wingeing on -- Judy wants this and Sandy wants that -- what about what they want? Alistair asks if he's talking about guy power. He claims not to be talking about power of any kind -- he's only talking about the right to express an opinion. Harry tells him that they just have. "Yes, but to me. He reminds them that he's not asking Harry to give up rugby and he's not marrying Alistair. He tells them to say what they want to say to the people they ought to say it to. They clink glasses, Lionel hesitates and says "only don't say it was my idea."
Later Jean walks into the kitchen to find Lionel staring into the open refrigerator. She asks what he's looking for. 
"Cheese," he says. She bends down and pulls the cheese container out immediately. Lionel starts to make a sandwich. She looks a little lost in thoughts and asks if he knows what Alistair's just said. He tells her that he doesn't know. He doesn't want to live next door when he and Judy get married. "Doesn't he?" Jean tells him not to sound so surprised -- she knows that he knows very well that Alistair doesn't want to move next door. He asks why he would know that. She refreshes his memory about the conversation they had the night before and reminds him that he said that he wouldn't, were he in Alistair's shoes. Lionel suggests that maybe they can buy the house two doors down. She blames Judy. He wonders what Judy's done. Jean tells him that she let Alistair talk her out of the idea in five minutes. He points out that Jean's not a great one for democracy. She says it isn't a question of democracy -- it's just common sense: it's more important to a woman where she lives.
She says that everyone knows that and suggests he just ask any woman. He wonders how women became everyone. She says that he should stop splitting hairs. He agrees -- he'll have to stop doing that. He thinks it's just for the two of them to decide and nobody else. Sandy walks into the middle of this discussion. She appears to be quite agitated. She tells them that she's been thinking. Jean looks worried. Sandy says that when Judy gets married she should probably move out. "Why?" Jean shrieks and asks Lionel to ask her why. He reminds her that she just did. Sandy tells her that they only took her in in the first place because she was unhappy. "We wanted you," Jean protests, saying that Sandy is making it sound as though they found her in a basket on the doorstep.
She knows that they wanted her, and she really can't say how much she's appreciated it, but with Judy gone -- she can't explain it, but she'd feel like a lodger. Jean says she shouldn't be ridiculous -- she's another member of the family. "You're like another daughter to me." She looks at Lionel and asks him if he thinks of Sandy as a daughter. Lionel tells her he can't honestly say "yes" to that. He does tell Sandy, though, that there's no reason to go. Well, maybe -- she doesn't know -- she'll have to think about it. She leaves. Jean starts to moan. Lionel tells her not to start. She takes half of his sandwich and starts to eat it. He looks offended and starts to say something, but changes his mind.
Jean and Lionel walk into the bedroom. He wonders why she should say that they wanted an early night -- he's not even tired. She says she is just being discreet for the sake of the chil.... He says she was going to say "children," wasn't she? She changes it to "young people." She tells him that he can finish Tom Brown's Schooldays if he puts his mind to it. He must be honest -- he finds Tom better in short bursts. 
She points out that he'll have lots more space when the girls are gone. He tells her not to start. It will seem funny just the two of them. He says she makes it sound like a prison sentence. She asks if he'd miss the girls. In some ways, he admits. She asks in what ways he wouldn't miss them. He says he doesn't have a secret list or anything. She thinks a list suggests quite a lot of reasons. He repeats -- he just said that he didn't have a list. She asks if he had a list of reasons for not missing them, would it be bigger or smaller than the list for missing them. He looks as though this conversation is getting him dizzy. "I think I'll have a bath," he says. She says it was a perfectly simple question. "Quite a long bath," he adds.
Sandy and Harry are cuddling in the sitting room. She tells him that she honestly is not asking him to give up rugby. He says he really couldn't do that. They appear to be happy and very comfortable just sitting there quietly. After some silence he asks "Do you like cricket?" She says she's not mad about it. He observes that it's not until the summer anyway. Sandy tells him that she's been thinking about how much she really appreciated his coming around to talk with her the day before. 
He answers that there's nothing to appreciate -- he really missed her. "But Saturday's a rugby day. "Postponed it," he says. She's shocked -- she wonders if he means the whole game. He says there was nothing more to do. She appears to be delighted. "You postponed a rugby game so that you could come and see me?" There's apparently been a misunderstanding. He explains that the game was postponed. He quickly adds that had there been a game he would have come around anyway. She's happy again, but it's short-lived when he adds "as soon as the game was over."
Meanwhile Judy and Alistair are in the kitchen shortly after he refused to move in next door. Judy tells him that if she were to be honest, she'd have to admit she's glad Alistair was against the idea. Alistair looks at her and says "He's a wise old bird, Li." This puzzles and seems to bother Judith who wants to know what Lionel has to do with it. Alistair recovers by telling her that he was just making a general observation. 
He pours Judy some wine and mentions that if their first baby is a boy he'd like to call it Lionel. She thinks it's a grown up name and you can't really call a baby Lionel. He'd like to call the baby Jean if it's a girl. She's sure that her mother would like that. Judy gets a little pensive. She thinks it's odd that here they are talking about getting married, where they're going to live and having babies and only yesterday he was putting off having lunch with her so that he could see a college friend. He tells her that he's glad that he did because that's what really made him propose. Judy wonders whether the whole thing were Leo's idea. Alistair has to laugh at that thought. 
He explains that Leo is quite anti-marriage. Leo is just a few years older than Alistair -- just seeing how much of a wreck he had turned into was enough to convince Alistair that he'd better stop burning the candle in the middle as well as at both ends. If he didn't do something about it now he might end up being the burnt-out shell of a man that Leo is. "Which makes me the something? He stupidly says "Yes." She gets up slowly, glares at him and asks him if he thinks she's a Salvation Army Hostel. She tells him to go and get himself a nanny and storms out of the kitchen. Once again, Alistair doesn't understand what he's done and how things came to this point.
Sandy is lying in bed with Jean. She is providing her with highlights of her conversation with Harry. "Of course I would have come round -- as soon as the game was over. Can you believe that?" 
Jean tells her that Harry was just being too honest for his own good. She wonders what about her own good. 
If Harry doesn't find her a more attractive shape than a rugby ball, she doesn't know what the point of it is. Jean consoles her by saying that the rugby season won't go on forever. Sandy explains that it doesn't have to -- he's got the cricket season next. There's a knock on the door and Judith walks in, surprised to find Sandy in bed with Jean. She asks where Lionel is and Jean says he's having a bath. Judith tells them to move over and gets into bed on the other side of Jean. Jean puts her arms around both Judith and Sandy and asks "What's the matter, love?" It seems as though Alistair is the matter. She explains that Alistair thinks the purpose of a wife is to stop him from being a burnt-out shell like his ex-hero. "Men," she says. "Men," echoes Sandy. "Not you as well," Judith asks. 
Sandy tells her that it's just not their day. "Rugby?" What else, asks Sandy. One by one, they sigh and say "I don't know." Just then Lionel walks in saying that one of the bulbs in the bathroom is flickering. He stops himself mid-sentence when he sees the three women in his bed. Judy and Sandy say hello to him. "The girls were in need of a little tender, loving care, that's all," Jean explains. Lionel understands and starts to walk out of the bedroom. Jean asks where he's going. As he leaves the bedroom, he tells her that he's going to have another bath.