Jean gets to the office after paying the cabbie who makes some remarks about older folks. Everytime she turns around it seems as though someone is saying something to Jean about that reminds her she is getting on in years. Even at the office Sandy tells her that "Age Concern" called. Fortunately it wasn't personal.

Jean asks Sandy to go to the hotel and work with Lionel, who she describes as "challenging". Judith walks in and asks her mom how things went. She's eager to get Lionel and Jean back together, but Jean keeps trying to tell her that a lot of time has passed and suggests that even though Lionel said he'd call and even though she said she'd call, she was sure neither would follow up. Judy tries to press the issue, assuring Jean that she's lonely and that Lionel is probably sitting by the telephone.

Actually Lionel is at the front desk of the hotel trying to check out. He thinks about calling someone -- presumably Jean -- and then changes his mind. It's quite clear that the desk clerk is happy that Lionel is leaving. He is nasty to the help and not a very nice person in general. The clerk holds his tongue but just. Lionel double-checks the bill and questions the entry for "Misc. Conf." The desk clerk advises him that this stands for Miscellaneous Confections. When he says he had no confections, the man suggests it might be something from the honor bar. Lionel does own up to having had some peanuts, but there is no way they would be classified as confections. The clerk explains that they find itemization less complicated when they place the items under broad headings. Lionel tells him that in light of this, if he is unfortunate enough to eat there again he'll make sure not to order mixed vegetables, just in case he gets a couple of Mars Bars instead. The desk clerk isn't amused.

Lionel turns to walk away just as his publisher, Alistair Deacon (Philip Bretherton) approaches. It's evident right from the beginning that Lionel finds Alistair to be most annoying. First, he calls him "mate" - something that makes Lionel bristle. Second, he is of another generation -- energetic, with a hand in everything and with enough money to get whatever he wants, whenever he wants it. Lionel has none of this. He's tired, cramped, set in his ways and pretty contemptuous. He doesn't suffer fools and they seem to be all around him.

ALISTAIR: You're not leaving us?
LIONEL: No, I'm just taking my suitcase out for a walk.

Alistair tells Lionel that the revisions on the book are past due and he needs them "like yesterday." Lionel promises that he will stay at the hotel and get those revisions done. Alistair invites him to a party that night at his flat and pressures him to come to mingle with the "faces". He explains that these contacts are necessary to sell the book. Lionel asks Alistair to stop calling him "mate." He obliges Lionel by calling him "Li", which might even be more offensive. Lionel rolls his eyes and calls him "Al", but Al appears not to be bothered by this.

The desk clerk tries to be cordial when Lionel says he will be checking back in. He said it really didn't matter what room he got since they're all the same, but the clerk assures him that the paintings are different.

DESK CLERK: How long will you be staying with us?
LIONEL: You'd like me to say forever, wouldn't you?

Now Lionel was in the position of having to go back to the agency and explain his disappearance. Sandy leads him to Judith, saying "It's the Scarlet Pimpernel to see you." He's there, though, not to see her, but to explain to Jean, who, is sitting on a park bench. When Sandy came back to the office saying that Lionel had checked out of the hotel she didn't seem particularly surprised, but she was obviously bothered by it, judging from the way she was just sitting around on that bench in the middle of the day.

A middle-aged jogger runs up to the bench, exhausted. She sits down next to Jean and wonders why women try so hard to keep in shape. She thinks it's because of men. Speaking of which, she points out that there is a man watching them. Jean looks up and sees a sheepish looking Lionel shifting from one leg to another, keeping his distance but looking her way. The jogger wonders whether or not he's one of the peculiar ones. "I guarantee it," Jean says.

The woman leaves and Lionel approaches. He doesn't 'fess up immediately, but tries to say that Sandy misunderstood and that he never checked out of the hotel. Jean was having none of that and he finally admitted the truth -- that it was all because of Judith. Her Alice-in-Wonderland stuff, he called it -- this idea that they could pick up where they left off so long ago. It scared him. They saw some young lovers who they speculated might be on their first date. They remembered their first meeting -- not at "some dance", which is what Jean told Judith the day before, but in the park. Lionel approached her and asked for directions to Curzon street. They continued to watch the couple. After some time had passed, Lionel asked her for a secretary. She said okay and they agreed on goodbye.

Jean walked away alone. She turned a corner and heard footsteps behind her. She walked faster. The footsteps got faster. She appeared to be a little nervous. Walked faster. The footsteps grew louder. Suddenly they stopped. Lionel bent over and, breathless, shouted for Jean to stop. Jean approached him, saying "you've got a funny color."

JEAN: Why didn't you call out?"
LIONEL: I can run or I can call out, but I can't do both at the same time."

They are on the way up to Alistair's apartment and, because the "lift is on the fritz" they had to walk up several flights of stairs. They both appear to be winded, but Jean insists she's just having trouble breathing to be "companionable." They're both reluctant to go in and head back down the stairs just as Alistair opens the door. "Li" he grins and makes sure they both head back.

It was worse than he expected. Lionel swears they're all aged 12. They make silly conversation about breeding ("What did they call it in your day?" someone asks Jean. "Having children," she answers), global warming, whether or not to have an epidural, the environment ("What does the green child have to look forward to?" someone asks. "Blending in nicely with the lawn, I should think," Lionel offers.) and Lionel's writing ("You're fiction, aren't you?" "No I'm a real person.")

Alistair keeps directing Lionel away from Jean towards people like Chaz who could help him with his book cover. He's doing this because it's obvious he's attracted to Jean and he wants her to himself. Alistair is young and he's obnoxious and, like Judy, quite artless. She crossed her legs every time she tried to put the moves on Lionel. Alistair removes his glasses and looks at her longingly every time he tries to hit on Jean. Jean's amused at being "chatted up", but Alistair is much, much younger than she is and she's not doing anything to encourage this liaison.

Lionel and Jean somehow get through the evening and are walking, one would guess, towards home. They are talking about the rosewood pencil box which he bought for her at an antique shop and which she still has -- a funny thing, Lionel said, to buy a girl you were in love with. Jean asked if he really was in love with her. "You know damned well I was." They see a couple pass, look at them and continue on their way.