
Mrs. Richards might just be the one person in Torquay who is cheaper than Basil; she refuses to turn on her hearing aid, as it wears down the batteries. The fact that she can't hear a word that anyone is saying is only an inconvenience for other people, not her. Basil is having some hearing problems as well: he doesn't want Sybil to hear about his betting, and winning, on a horse race. Sybil sees him with the money; Mrs. Richards claims to have lost some money, and it looks like Basil is going to have to turn his winnings over to her in order to stay out of trouble with Sybil.
