Ursula and Rupert go to a market square in a poor part of town. As they walk, Ursula notes a young couple; the woman is pregnant. Ursula and Rupert buy an antique chair at one of the shops, and Rupert remarks that England during Jane Austen’s lifetime, when the chair was made, is better than England in their era. He thinks today’s world is too obsessed with possessions. Ursula thinks he is romanticizing the past and agrees to get rid of the chair as a part of the past. He takes this a step further and argues against having a home and furniture. Ursula asks him why he bought the chair, and he decides they should get rid of it.

She approaches the poor couple she watched earlier and offers them the chair, but they think something is wrong with the chair because Ursula wants to give it away. As they talk, Ursula realizes she is attracted to the young, lower-class man. Rupert reiterates to the young man (Fred) that they want to give them the chair. Ursula explains that they want to travel abroad after they get married. The engaged couple then accepts the chair, envying Ursula and Rupert’s travel plans.