"The driver's out, miss, so—"
"The driver?" interrupted Mavis.
"Mrs Farthing, miss. I be only fireman when her be about," he humbly informed her.
"Won't you sit down?"
"I? No, thankee, miss. I thought you might want summat to read, so I brought you these."
Here Mr Farthing handed Mavis a Great Western Railway time table, together with "Places of Interest on the Great Western Railway."
"How kind of you! I shall be delighted to read them," declared Mavis untruthfully.
Then, as Mr Farthing was about to leave the room, she said:
"I'm afraid I'm in your bad books."
"Bad what, Miss?" he asked, perplexed.