In England, if you stay in a hotel, your breakfast can be brought to your room. That’s really good service, but sometimes this may lead to unpleasant things as is revealed in the following short play.

Narrator: Ladies and gentlemen, my friends and I are about to present you with a puzzling problem. We would like each of you to try to solve it, so please pay careful attention for the next few minutes. The problem appears in a short play we are going to perform. The scene is a hotel room .Miss Muffett has been staying there for two days. At the moment she is alone, but she will soon be visited by three different people. Please look closely at these characters, for one of them is acting very suspiciously. (Exit narrator)

Miss Muffett: (on the telephone )Hello . Is this Reception? Good. Would you please send up a copy of the Daily Telegraph to Room 321? Oh, and a cup of tea. Thank you. (Knock at the door.)
Goodness! That was quick, Yes… just a minute, I’ll come and open the door.

Waiter: Good morning, Madam, Here is your breakfast.

Miss M: breakfast? What do you mean?

Waiter: The breakfast you ordered. Cereal, bacon, eggs toast, and coffee. Shall I put it over here on the table?

Miss M: I’m very sorry, but I’m afraid there’s been some mistake.
I didn’t order breakfast. I only asked for a cup of tea.

Waiter: Really ? I do apologize, Madam, Reception must have given me the wrong number . They definitely said not 326.

Miss M: But this is Room 321, not 326.

Waiter: Room 321?Oh,no! I’m so sorry to have disturbed you.

Miss M: Never mind. We all make mistakes… especially first thing in the morning. (Exit waiter closing the door. Knock at the door.) This will be my tea. Come in!

Man: Oh, what are you doing here?

Miss M:I beg your pardon? How dare you burst into my room like this! Who are you? What do you want?

Man: What are you doing in my room, and how did you get in here?

Miss M: What do you mean? This is my room.

Man: There must be some mistake. Room 323 is my room.

Miss M: But this is Room 321.

Man: Room 321? Are you sure? (He looks at the door.) My goodness, I simply don’t know what to say! I’m very sorry. I don’t know how I could have been so stupid.
I do apologize.

Miss M: That’s quite all right.
(Exit man, closing the door.)

Miss M: I wonder when I’m going to get my cup of tea? (Knock at the door.)
That’ll be the cup of tea at last. Come in!

Waitress: Good, morning, Madam. Here is your tea and your newspaper.

Miss M: Good. Just put them down here, would you? That’s fine. Thank you. (Picks up newspaper.) Oh, but wait a minute! This is the Daily Mirror. I ordered the Daily Telegraph.

Waitress: I’m ever so sorry, Madam. Reception must have mixed up the order. I’ll go back down and get you a copy of the Telegraph immediately, Madam.
(Exit waitress, closing the door.)

Miss M: Oh, dear! I think it’s going to be one of those days —just one of those days…

Narrator: And indeed, Miss Muffett was right, for later day it was discovered that several rooms in the hotel had been burgled. If you were watching and listening to the play carefully, you may have noticed something rather suspicious about one of the characters. If you were a detective, which of them would you want to question, and why?

From English Teaching Forum, October. 1981
Approximately 550 words