Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

The Major goes to pick up Mrs. Ali for the golf dinner and finds her wearing a blue silk ball grown. He wants to tell her that she looks lovely but is concerned that he will sound ridiculous. The Major then picks up Sandy, who needs a ride because Roger, who is playing a role in the dramatics, went ahead of her. The Major thinks that Sandy looks pale and fragile. He is nervous about how the club members will receive Mrs. Ali.

Alec Shaw, dressed as a grand vizier, announces their arrival. The Major is taken aback to realize that Bertie’s widow, Marjorie, is attending as well. His friend Hugh Whetstone teases the Major about renting a princess for authenticity. Daisy says that she was hoping to see Mrs. Ali in her national costume, but for Mrs. Ali, the shalwar kameez is not a “costume.” Dr. and Sadie Khan are seated at the same table as the Major and Mrs. Ali. Dr. Khan enjoys a gin and tonic, while a waiter discreetly tells Mrs. Ali that there is fruit punch. The Major feels “a small bubble of satisfaction” (245) that the program celebrates the heroic acts of his father, Colonel Arthur Pettigrew.