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

Introduction

The story is about Mrs. Pringle, a prominent hostess who faces several challenges while organizing a dinner party. The narrative unfolds with guests dropping out and unexpected arrivals, leading to a rollercoaster of emotions and last-minute changes.

Detailed Summary

Mrs. Pringle was initially excited to host a dinner with fourteen guests, but the plans kept changing. Firstly, Jessica dropped out, reducing the number of guests. Then, only six of the originally invited guests could attend, forcing Mrs. Pringle to update the seating arrangement and make new place-cards.

While she was lamenting the effort wasted on the original seating plan, Mrs. Pringle received more troubling news. Oliver Farnsworth's secretary called to inform her that Mr. Farnsworth had to urgently travel to Boston for business and could not attend the dinner. This news infuriated Mrs. Pringle because she felt that her efforts to provide a pleasant evening were being disregarded. She expressed her anger by criticizing Mr. Farnsworth for not making an effort and for choosing to travel despite having the means to reach comfortably.

Amidst this, her daughter Elaine suggested that Mr. Farnsworth might indeed have important business. However, Mrs. Pringle, feeling undervalued and stressed about her reputation as a hostess, rebuffed this. Elaine also worried about the number of guests reducing to thirteen again, which is considered unlucky. Mrs. Pringle, frustrated, dismissively told Elaine to go to bed early, blaming her for not being engaging enough to keep Mr. Farnsworth interested.

Fortunately, their servant Dunham brought some good news. Another guest, Mr. Morgan, had not received a cancellation notice and was pleased to attend. This increased the guest count, lifting Mrs. Pringle's spirits momentarily. However, more complications arose as Mrs. Tupper, another guest, misinterpreted the invitation extended to her house guests, causing a misunderstanding that reduced the guest list again to twelve.

Just as Mrs. Pringle was about to give up on her meticulously planned seating arrangement, a surprising twist occurred. Dunham informed her that two unfamiliar gentlemen were at their home, claiming to have a message from Mr. Farnsworth. Upon reading the note, Mrs. Pringle discovered that one of the men was the Prince of Wales, sent by Mr. Farnsworth as his replacement. This revelation thrilled Mrs. Pringle and restored her faith in Mr. Farnsworth’s consideration.

The dinner party ended with Mrs. Pringle deciding to let the guests sit wherever they liked, breaking away from the original strict seating plan. She acknowledged the effort made by Mr. Farnsworth to send such a distinguished replacement, changing her view of him and praising his thoughtfulness.

Theme and Message

The central theme of this story revolves around the social expectations and pressures of hosting. It highlights how much importance is placed on appearances and the efforts people make to maintain their social status. The message conveyed is that despite meticulous planning, unexpected events can lead to new opportunities and outcomes that may be as good as, or better than, the original plans.

List of Difficult Words with Meanings

Harmoniously: in a friendly and peaceful manner.

Suspiciously: with a feeling that something is wrong or someone is behaving wrongly.

Temper: a state of being angry.

Rage: extreme anger.

Clamouring: shouting loudly or demanding something forcefully.

Damnable: used to express anger or annoyance.

Haphazard: lacking any obvious principle of organization.

Perk up: become more cheerful or lively.

Bodyguard: a person or group of people employed to protect another person.