Characters
Hirst
a man in his sixties
Spooner
a man in his sixties
Foster
a man in his thirties
Briggs
a man in his forties
A large room in a house in North West London. Well but sparely furnished. A strong and comfortable straight-backed chair, in which Hirst sits. A wall of bookshelves, with various items of pottery acting as bookstands, including two large mugs.
Heavy curtains across the window.
The central feature of the room is an antique cabinet, with marble top, brass gallery and open shelves, on which stands a great variety of bottles: spirits, aperitifs, beers, etc.