A foul smell in the Miller household triggers complaints: trash was cleared but the stench returns. Judy, the maid, reports it seems to come from Mr. Nathan’s room; Mrs. Miller berates him for poor hygiene while Lucas is told to demand he clean up. Amid preparations to visit the influential Pearsons—Lucas being of marriageable age and set to meet their eldest daughter—the family decides to leave early to avoid the “jinx.” Later, a worker finds the storeroom reeking and locked from the inside; they debate prying it open, leaving the source unresolved.