How It All Goes Down
- When the Major arrives at the club for a round of golf with Alec, the ladies are there planning their dance event: "An Evening at the Mughal Court."
- Amina, the young Indian woman, is there, too, teaching waitresses traditional folk dance routines.
- Amina's going to speak to Mrs. Ali afterward, and she asks the Major to give her a ride to Mrs. Ali's shop. He agrees to, after his golf game.
- During his game, Alec mentions that Roger offended the club secretary by waltzing in, hoping to be admitted to the club. The Major had no idea; Roger never mentioned it.
- Alec says that Lord Dagenham's niece smoothed things over, but the Major still says he'll have a talk with Roger.
- After the game, the Major goes to find Amina. She's doing what she does best—yelling at people.
- The secretary told Amina to use the "service entrance," but she heard "servants' entrance" (11.55) and is causing a scene.
- The Major watches without intervening, then goes to meet Amina after she leaves—through the members' only entrance.
- The Major drops Amina off at Mrs. Ali's shop and goes home. But then he realizes that the bus isn't running that Thursday, so he'll need to take Amina home, too. He heads off to the shop.
- Inside the shop, Amina and Mrs. Ali are locked in a serious discussion, and the Major doesn't want to interrupt.
- All the party ladies show up and gab with the Major on the street.
- Gertrude, Lord Dagenham's niece, mentions that they're going to have a ceremony in honor of the Major's father and present him with an award.
- The Major suggests she talk to Roger and ask him to play his grandfather in a re-enactment of his heroics.
- The ladies go about barging into the shop, even though Mrs. Ali is still talking with Amina. Inside, they interrupt everything and ask Mrs. Ali to work at the party, because she looks "so quintessentially Indian" (11.146).
- The Major intervenes, saying Mrs. Ali can't work at the party, because she is his guest. Gasp.
- The ladies leave, and even though the Major is still there, Mrs. Ali, Abdul Wahid, and Amina resume their discussion.
- Mrs. Ali insists that Amina stay with them, because it seems that Amina's son, George, is Abdul Wahid's child. Double gasp.
- Before the Major leaves to let them sort this out on their own, he wants Mrs. Ali to know he is serious about taking her to the dance, and she agrees to accompany him.