My wife works as a "gas meter reader" for the city's gas company... You see, I'm sure you see them in your town from time to time, the ladies in work clothes who go round to each house during the day to check things like gas meters. The other day, my wife told me that, in some cases, if there are any houses in their area that haven't paid their bills, they will visit the house to ask for payment. As her husband, I thought that was probably normal, but I still had a bit of a feeling of foreboding...