Jane, Aunt of Jack, gives a wedding gift of two hundred pounds to him and Jill to start a contented life. But Jane buys a home, a car, piano, dining table, cot, sofa and even a radio on loan. Every month he pays more than his salary towards the payment of EMIs. Initially Aunt Jane is pleased with Jack’s comfortable life. The dramatic irony of the whole play starts when Jack tells Jane that he owes his comfortable life to her. She asks if she had given to them two thousand pounds instead of two hundred by an oversight.
Aunt Jane infers that the house would cost a great deal of rent. It was only then she has a rollercoaster ride on the shocking truth about all Jack’s worldly possessions. He says that they thought it uneconomic to go on paying rent and be Mr. Tenant. To be wise, he decided to become Mr. Owner by just paying ten pounds and a few quarterly payments. Jill supports her husband’s wisdom saying that he had a pay hike of five shillings. Then it dawns on Jane that all the possessions may be bought on hire purchase of long term EMI based loans. Such loans collect a lot of interest concealed under EMIs. She asks if they own the car. Jack says the steering wheel, one of the tyres , about two of the cylinders belong to them . Jack and Jill reveal the wonderful strategy of living on future earnings.
They explain that radio, piano and the furniture have been purchased on EMI from Mr. Sage. Mrs. Jane is dumbstruck. She abhors sitting on the furniture and the cot which do not belong to her relatives but to some creditors like Mr. Sage or Spencer. She gives 10 pounds as gift and leaves. She turns down the offer of a car ride as one tyre and two cylinders only belong to Jack. As soon as they leave, Jill sends the giftcheque to Dr. Martin. The black comedy apparent is that with one more installment, she could call the baby their own.
