Chapter Summary: Fourteen - I | Class 7 English Alive PDF Download

Introduction

The story takes place in a dining room in New York during the 1920s. It involves Mrs. Pringle, her daughter Elaine, and their butler, Dunham. The setting describes a scenario where Mrs. Pringle is preparing for a dinner party that faces multiple disruptions due to unexpected cancellations from the guests.

Detailed Summary

The story unfolds in the dining room of a New York house during the glamorous 1920s. Mrs. Pringle, a fashionable and quick-witted hostess, is preparing for an elaborate dinner party intended for fourteen guests. The setting is frantic and tense as she enters the dining room, which is being meticulously arranged by Dunham, the family's dedicated butler.

As Mrs. Pringle inspects the arrangements, she receives unfortunate news that Mr. Harper, one of the invited guests, cannot attend due to a sudden emergency involving a sick friend. Though he sends flowers as a courteous gesture, Mrs. Pringle is visibly annoyed by the last-minute cancellation, as it disrupts her well-planned seating arrangement and, according to superstition, brings bad luck to have thirteen guests.

Amidst the chaos, Mrs. Pringle's daughter, Elaine, enters with place-cards and a seating diagram. Elaine is a young woman whom her mother is eagerly trying to match with a suitable suitor, preferably one with considerable wealth. Mrs. Pringle instructs Elaine to distribute the place-cards around the table and then hurries upstairs to assist her husband with his attire, leaving specific instructions for Dunham to adjust the seating to avoid the unlucky number thirteen.

The situation becomes more complicated when another guest, Mrs. Sedgwick, calls to cancel her attendance due to being caught in a snowstorm. This reduces the number of guests to twelve, and Mrs. Pringle, somewhat relieved, tells Dunham to remove additional plates. However, the reprieve is short-lived as further cancellations pour in. Mr. and Mrs. Darby call to inform that their baby has contracted chickenpox, and they, along with their house-guests, Mr. and Mrs. Fleetwood, must also regretfully decline the invitation. This sudden drop in guests leaves Mrs. Pringle with only eight attendees, causing her to panic as the prestigious appearance of her dinner party is now in jeopardy.

In a frantic bid to fill the vacant seats, Elaine suggests inviting the Tuppers, a family known to them. Despite Mrs. Pringle's initial hesitation due to the size of the family, they decide to invite all six Tuppers to make up the numbers. Elaine hurriedly calls them, and they agree to come at the last minute. However, just as Elaine feels a sense of relief, she learns that the Tuppers will be bringing two additional house guests. The number of diners now unexpectedly rises to sixteen.

As Mrs. Pringle and Elaine grapple with the new numbers, they order Dunham to prepare the dining room to accommodate the extra guests. This involves extending the dining table and coordinating with the kitchen staff to ensure there is enough food for everyone. The kitchen is already under pressure, and Cook is furious, having only prepared for the original fourteen guests. Mrs. Pringle demands that Cook open cans of soup and prepare additional vegetables to manage the increased number of diners.

Throughout this ordeal, Mrs. Pringle relentlessly pressures Elaine to impress Oliver Farnsworth, a wealthy and eligible bachelor. Despite Elaine's objections and nervousness about interacting with someone of Farnsworth's stature, Mrs. Pringle sees this as an opportunity to secure a financially advantageous match for her daughter. Elaine feels overwhelmed by her mother's expectations and the social demands placed upon her, feeling more like a pawn in her mother's social ambitions than a participant in the evening's festivities.

As they adjust the seating arrangement and manage the food preparation, the telephone rings incessantly, adding to the chaos. Each call brings either more cancellations or logistical complications, which Mrs. Pringle and Elaine must address on the fly. The narrative peaks with a mixture of high societal expectations clashing with the unrelenting reality of things going awry, illustrating the pressures and absurdities of maintaining social grace under duress.

The story highlights Mrs. Pringle's adeptness at handling unexpected situations, albeit with a mix of frustration and pragmatism. Her interactions with Dunham and the kitchen staff reveal a woman accustomed to command and control, demonstrating how high society functions under the veneer of polished events and gatherings. Meanwhile, Elaine's character evolves as she navigates her mother's demands and her own reservations about the societal role she is expected to play.

As the narrative concludes, the preparations are finally in place, but not without significant effort and adjustments. Mrs. Pringle and Elaine manage to salvage the dinner party, albeit with a guest list that looks nothing like the original. The story closes on a note of tentative success, tempered by the exhaustion and relief felt by both mother and daughter after navigating a social minefield.

Theme and Message

The main theme of the story is the social pressure of maintaining appearances and relationships. Mrs. Pringle is portrayed as a hostess deeply concerned about her social standing and goes to great lengths to ensure her dinner party is a success, despite multiple setbacks. The story also explores the dynamics within a family working together under pressure and the social expectations placed upon young women like Elaine.

List of Difficult Words

Blizzard - A severe snowstorm with high winds and intense snowfall.

Temper - A person’s state of mind seen in terms of their being angry or calm.

Negligence - Failure to take proper care in doing something.

Squabs - Young pigeons that are used as food.

Gelatin - A colorless and tasteless water-soluble protein used in food preparation.

Foolhardy - Recklessly bold or rash.

Feverishly - In a frenetically excited or energetic manner.

Indebtedness - The condition of being obligated to another to repay something.

Seventh hour - A term used to describe an action taken at the last possible moment.