原文
Last week at the dinner party, the hostess asked me to sit next to Mrs Rumbled. Mrs Rumbled 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?
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.