Lesson 40. Food and talk.
First listen and then answer the question.
Was Mrs Rumbold a good companion at dinner?
Last week at a dinner party, the hostess asked me to sit next to Mrs Rumbold.
Mrs Rumbold was a large, unsmiling lady in a tight black dress.
She did not even look up when I took my seat beside her.
Her eyes were fixed on her plate and in a short time, she was busy eating.
I tried to make conversation.
"A new play is coming to 'The Globe' soon," I said.
"Will you be seeing it?"
"No," she answered.
"Will you be spending your holidays abroad this year?"
I asked.
"No," she answered.
"Will you be staying in England?"
I asked.
"No," she answered.
In despair, I asked her whether she was enjoying her dinner.
"Young man," she answered, "if you ate more and talked less, we would both enjoy our dinner!"