In which the diminutive and mischievous Mr Quilp pays a curious visit to the deserted office of his acquaintances, encountering a small yet inscrutable servant whose sly responses pique his interest, and later invites the Brass siblings to a damp and dismal tea in a dilapidated summer-house. There, under the discomfort of leaking roofs and rain, a covert conference unfolds, revealing old grudges and plotting alliances, all beneath the guise of jollity and hospitality on a dismal evening by the river.