Summary of the lesson 'The Never-Never Nest'

 

The Never-Never Nest (Cedric Mount) The Never Never Nest is a one-act play by Cedric Mount. The main characters are: Jack and Jill (a couple), Aunt Jane and a Nurse.  Jack and his wife Jill lead a comfortable and luxurious life in their beautiful villa at New Hampstead.   One day Aunt Jane came to visit their house. Jack and Jill showed her their house, furniture and all other household things with much pride.  They had good furniture, a car, a refrigerator, a piano and a radiogram in addition to their beautiful house.  Aunt Jane was much impressed by the facilities in the house. She thought that they had to pay a huge amount as rent, and she asked how much it was.  Jack and Jill said that they did not have to pay rent; they owned all the things including the villa as theirs. Aunt Jane could not believe this. She doubted whether she wrote by mistake two thousand pounds instead of two hundred in the cheque which she had given them as a wedding gift. But when Aunt Jane asked seriously whether they really owned all the things, they said that they bought all those things on instalment system. She asked them how much they had to pay as instalments and how much Jack earned weekly. Jack replied that he earned six pounds weekly and they had to pay seven pounds eight and eight pence a week as instalment. They would take loan from certain finance corporations to pay the extra amount, and that also they would pay off in instalments.   Aunt Jane was against the instalment system and her motto was cash down payment. she disapproved Jack and Jill’s way of life. She refused to sit on the furniture there as they did not belong to Jack and Jill fully, and she hastened to leave their house. Jack offered to take her to the station in his car, but she refused to travel in a car of which he owned only the steering wheel, one of the tyres and two of the cylinders.   Before leaving, she gave Jill a cheque for ten pounds to pay at least one of their bills. Jill decided to pay the doctor’s bill with it so that they could at least own their baby as theirs. She put the cheque in an envelope, addressed it to Dr Martin and sent the nurse to post it. When Jack asked Jill why she sent the money to the doctor, she told him crying that with that one instalment, at least, THE BABY WAS REALLY THEIRS!