Cheap Dining

mp183
A man falls down the stairs into what appears to be some sort of restaurant. The cook and a woman, perhaps the proprietors, are alarmed. Another woman is weighing a cup of tea on a scale, presumably because things are sold by weight. There is a sign in the background that probably adds to the meaning of the scene but it is hard to read.

The weird dispute came before the court when a gentleman was accused of assaulting a waiter at an eating establishment and refusing to pay for his meal. What is weird about it was that the client had complained that the portion of roast beef served to him was too big and had insisted that the waiter take half of it back. The waiter had refused, saying that the restaurant did not serve half plates. At this point the offended client decided to leave but was blocked by the waiter who demanded payment, and accused the gentleman of being a scoundrel, whereupon the waiter was summarily kicked down the stairs. The gentrleman was ordered to answer for the charge at the next session of the court but the magistrate refused to order compensation for the waiter's broken plates and injuries since the magistrate felt that the victim was equally to blame.