The action takes place during the serving of dinner. The little kitchenmaid, Emily, is jeered at by the others, on account, principally, of her unprepossessing appearance, and on the improbability, for this reason, of her ever having a young man. Poor Emily at last pretends she has a young man, and to support her claim she reads a love-letter. The others are amazed. But Cook finds out that the letter has been borrowed from Miss Angela's drawer upstairs. The situation is worse than ever for Emily. However, Cook is not all hardness. If only Emily will keep her suacepans clean, perhaps she (Cook) will tkae her over to see her mother at Putney. Emily is all gratitude at the prospect of seeing Cook's mother.