New Concept English II - 40 (1/10/09)

Food and talk


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!