A salesman calls at the McNab residence hoping to offload a set of encyclopaedia volumes. It quickly becomes apparent that he has the most peculiar manner of any salesman either Dorothy or Robert have ever encountered!

Having disagreed in strong terms about new tiling for the kitchen in Robert's flat, Dorothy and he both engage in the silent treatment. However, with his duties as a butler still to perform, and her due to host a reception later that evening, it's not long before they're struggling to maintain a frosty distance.