In Cardiff I was put to work in furniture department at one of the local stores. It was la

rge, fairly out of date, run (经营), like its parent company in London, by a group of relatives. Being only a member of the store for a short time, I was in a very fortunate position. The others, particularly the older members of the store, were naturally asked to produce good sales figures. I was more of an observer. If I made a sale, I was pleased, but if I didn't, I would not be blamed. I was really there to observe and learn, and as I had no interest in making a position in the furniture business, I wasn't too diligent (勤奋) about that either.

One salesman in late middle age once expressed his insecurity (不安全感) by scolding me of trying to steal one of his customers (雇客). Nothing could have been further from the truth, but he demanded that I go to the stockroom (货仓) with him to settle the matter. He was very small and thin, but to my surprise he started dancing about among the carpets and closets working his arms wildly and calling on me to "put them up". I couldn't put anything up--I was too busy rolling on a four-foot six-inch spring mattress (弹簧垫子), helpless with laughter. Finally he saw the joke too, and we went off to the members' store for a conciliatory(和解) cup of tea. Several days later, I finally left the store. Thank God!

The furniture department was run by ______.

A．the author's parents

B．the author's relatives

C．some member of a big family

D．the local government