However, in order for the unhappy event to be firmly cast into distant memory the upcoming third Test between the sides at The Oval needs to pass off competitively, but calmly.
It struck me that before I could reach the oval mirror in the upstairs hall, I had to pass through the front hall, cross the dusky living room with its sagging couch, walk the length of the kitchen, and climb two sets of creaking stairs, the long one up to the landing and the short one up to the hall.