Beckoning to Us Were Together Again

THE LUNCHEON

by Somerset Maugham

I caught sight of her at the play and in answer to her beckoning I went over during the interval and sabbatum down beside her. It was long since I had last seen her and if someone had not mentioned her name I practice not call up I would take recognized her. She addressed me brightly.
"Well, information technology'southward many years since we first met. How fourth dimension flies! We are not getting any younger. Do you remember the offset time I saw you? You asked me to luncheon."
Did I remember?
It was xx years ago and I was living in Paris. I had a tiny flat in the Latin Quarter and I was earning barely enough money to keep torso and soul together. She had read a book of mine and had written to me about it. I answered, thanking her, and presently I received from her another letter saying that she was passing through Paris and would like to have a conversation with me; but her time was limited and the only free moment she had was on the post-obit Thursday. She asked me if I would give her a footling luncheon at Foyot'due south. Foyot'due south is a eating place at which the French senators eat and information technology was and then far beyond my means that I had never fifty-fifty thought of going at that place. But I was flattered and I was besides young to say no to a adult female. I had eighty francs to live on till the finish of the month and a minor luncheon should not cost more than than xv. If I cut out coffee for the next two weeks I could manage well enough.
I answered that I would meet her at Foyot's on Thursday at half by twelve.
She was not so young as I expected and in appearance imposing rather than attractive. She was in fact a woman of twoscore, and she gave me the impression of having more teeth, white and large and even, than were necessary for whatever applied purpose. She was talkative, but since she seemed inclined to talk nigh me I was prepared to be an attentive listener. I was startled when the menu was brought, for the prices were a great bargain higher than I had expected. But she reassured me.
"I never eat anything for tiffin," she said.
"Oh, don't say that!" I answered generously.
"I never eat more than than i matter. I recollect people eat too much nowadays. A little fish, perhaps. I wonder if they have whatsoever salmon."
Well, it was early in the year for salmon and it was not on the carte, merely I asked the waiter if there was any. Yes, they had a beautiful salmon, it was the showtime they had had. I ordered it for my guest. The waiter asked her if she would have something while it was being cooked.
"No," she answered, "I never eat more than than ane thing. Unless you had a little caviar.' I never mind caviar."
My center sank a piffling. I knew I could non afford caviar, only I could non tell her that. I told the waiter by all ways to bring caviar. For myself I chose the cheapest dish on the card and that was a mutton chop.
"I think yous're unwise to eat meat," she said. "I don't know how you lot can expect to work after eating heavy things like chops. I never overload my stomach."
And so came the question of potable.
"I never potable anything for luncheon," she said.
"Neither practise I," I answered promptly.
"Except white wine," she went on as though I had not spoken. "These French white wines are so low-cal. They are wonderful for the digestion."
"What would you like?" I asked her.
"My doctor won't let me drink anything but champagne." I think I turned a lilliputian pale. I ordered half a bottle. I mentioned casually that my doctor had absolutely forbidden me to drink champagne.
"What are yous going to drinkable, and then?"
"H2o."
She ate the caviar and she ate the salmon. She talked gaily of art and literature and music. Merely I wondered what the bill would come to. When my mutton chop arrived she said:
"I see that you're in the habit of eating a heavy tiffin. I'k sure it's a error. Why don't you follow my example and but eat one thing? I'm certain you'd experience much improve and so."
"I am only going to eat one matter," I said, as the waiter came again with the menu. She waved him aside with a light gesture.
"No, no, I never swallow annihilation for dejeuner. Merely a seize with teeth, I never want more than that. I can't consume anything more unless they had some of those behemothic asparagus. I should be sorry to leave Paris without having some of them."
My heart sank. I had seen them in the shops and I knew that they were horribly expensive. My mouth had often watered at the sight of them. "Madame wants to know if you have whatsoever of those giant asparagus," I asked the waiter.
I hoped he would say no. A happy smiling spread over his broad face, and he assured me that they had some so large, so splendid, so tender, that it was a marvel.
"I'm not in the to the lowest degree hungry," my guest sighed, "but if you insist I don't listen having some asparagus.
I ordered them.
"Aren't you lot going to accept any?"
"No, I never swallow asparagus."
"I know there are people who don't like them."
We waited for the asparagus to be cooked. Panic seized me. Information technology was not a question now how much money I should take left for the rest of the calendar month, but whether I had enough to pay the bill. It would be terrible to find myself 10 francs brusk and exist obliged to borrow from my guest. I could non bring myself to do that. I knew exactly how much money I had and if the beak came to more I made upwardly my mind that I would put my manus in my pocket and with a dramatic cry start up and say my coin had been stolen. If she had not money plenty to pay the neb then the just matter to do would be to leave my picket and say I would come back and pay later.
The asparagus appeared. They were enormous and appetizing. The smell of the melted butter tickled my nostrils. I watched the woman send them down her throat and in my polite way I talked on the condition of the drama in the Balkans. At last she finished.
"Coffee?" I said.
"Yes, just an ice-cream and coffee," she answered.
Information technology was nonetheless to me now, so I ordered coffee for myself and an ice-cream and java for her.
"You know, there's one matter I thoroughly believe in," she said, equally she ate the ice-cream. "One should always become up from a repast feeling i could consume a piffling more than."
"Are you still hungry?" I asked faintly.
"Oh, no, I'chiliad non hungry; you see, I don't consume dejeuner. I have a cup of coffee in the morning and and then dinner, simply I never eat more than one thing for lunch. I was speaking for yous."
"Oh, I see!"
And then a terrible thing happened. While we were waiting for the coffee, the caput waiter, with a grinning on his false face, came up to united states of america bearing a large basket total of huge peaches. Peaches were not in season then. Lord knew what they cost. I knew as well — a picayune later, for my guest, going on with her conversation, absent-mindedly took i. "You see, you lot've filled your stomach with a lot of meat and you tin't eat whatsoever more. But I've just had a snack and I shall enjoy a peach."
The bill came and when I paid information technology I found that I had only enough for a quite inadequate tip. Her eyes rested for a moment on the 3 francs I left for the waiter and I knew that she thought me hateful. Merely when I walked out of the restaurant I had the whole month earlier me and not a penny in my pocket.
"Follow my example," she said as we shook hands, "and never eat more than 1 thing for tiffin."
"I'll do better than that," I answered. "I'll eat nada for dinner this evening."
"Humorist!" she cried gaily, jumping into a cab. "You're quite a humorist!"
Merely I have had my revenge at last. Today she weighs 20-ane stone.'

Exercises

Pre-reading Tasks

1. Dejeuner is a formal lunch.

What sort of luncheon do you think you are going to read about? Write 3-5 sentences.

ii. Do the pronunciation of the words from the story.

Latin Quarter, eating place, senator, menu, reassure, salmon, caviar, digestion, champagne, behemothic, asparagus, drama, Balkans, stomach, thoroughly, inadequate, revenge, counterbalance.

Vocabulary and Grammer Tasks

i. Find in the story the English for:

заметить кого-либо, рядом с чем-либо, как летит время!, сводить концы с концами, справиться с чем-либо, быть пораженным, разуверять, великодушно, в меню, перегружать (желудок), пищеварение, сердце упало, ничего не иметь против, у меня слюнки текли, не могу позволить себе, ничуть, занимать у кого-либо, мне было все равно, перекусить, счет, чаевые, следовать чьему-либо примеру, отомстить, весить.

ii. Fill each gap with a word or word combination in italics in an advisable form.

couldn't afford
to water
on the card
digestion
a tip
fourth dimension flies
to overload
to accept ane's revenge

ane. Information technology's many years since we first met. How __________!
2. For myself I chose the cheapest dish __________.
3. 'I never __________ my stomach', she said.
iv. These French wines are wonderful for __________.
v. My middle sank. I knew I __________ caviar.
vi. I had seen asparagus in the shops, my mouth often __________ at the sight of them.
seven. When I paid the bill I had but enough for quite an inadequate __________.
8. But I __________. Today she weights xx-ane stone.

3. Supplant the italicized words and discussion combinations with a synonym in an appropriate form.

to exist startled
to borrow from
to manage well plenty
beside
wouldn't mind
to go on trunk and soul together
it was all the same to me

one. I went over during the interval and sat downwardly next to her.
two. I was earning barely enough coin to make both ends meet.
3. I thought if I cut out java for the adjacent two weeks I could do well plenty.
4. I was struck when the menu was brought.
5. My guest sighed, 'If you insist I won't object to having some asparagus'.
half-dozen. It would be terrible to be obligedto have money from my invitee if I didn't have enough to pay for the bill.
vii. Information technology made no departure to me now, then I ordered java for myself and an ice-cream and java for her.

four. A Which of the verb tenses in the sentences below is used to describe:

a) an action that happened earlier another past action?
b) an activity in progress (going on) effectually a particular past moment?
c) a completed action connected with the present?
d) a unmarried past activeness?

1. I've simply had a snack and I shall enjoy a peach.
2. She ate the caviar and she ate the salmon.
3. Information technology was twenty years ago and I was living in Paris.
4. Foyot's was far beyond my ways that I had never even thought of going there.

B Use the verbs in brackets in an advisable tense (agile or passive)

1. The prices were a groovy deal higher than I __________. (to expect)
2. The waiter asked if she would accept something while it __________. (to cook)
3. I recollect I __________ a lilliputian pale. (to turn)
4. I mentioned casually that my doctors absolutely __________ me to drink champagne. (to prevent)
five. While we __________ for the java, the caput waiter came upward to us with a basket full of huge peaches. (to wait)
vi. You lot meet, y'all __________ your stomach with a lot of meat and you can't swallow any more. (to fill)
7. I __________ my revenge at final. Today she weighs twenty-one rock. (to have)
8. When I __________ out of the restaurant I had the whole month before me and non a penny in my pocket. (to walk)

5. A Decide why the italicized nouns are used with a, the or ?.

one. a) I never eat annihilation for luncheon.
b) A pocket-size luncheon would not cost more than than fifteen.

two. a) Information technology was early in the year for salmon.
b) They had a cute salmon, it was the outset they had. She ate the salmon.

3. a) I ordered coffee for myself and an ice-cream and coffee for her.
b) 'You know, there's 1 thing I thoroughly believe in', she said and she ate the ice-cream.
c) While we were waiting for the coffee, the head waiter came up to us.

B Utilize the proper commodity

ane. You asked me to _____ luncheon.
ii. She asked me if I would requite her _____ little tiffin at Foyot'southward.
3. If I cut out _____ coffee for the next two weeks I could manage well enough.
four. I knew I could not beget _____ caviar.
5. I see that you are in the habit of eating _____ heavy lunch.
six. I never drink anything for _____ luncheon except _____ white wine.
7. I never eat _____ asparagus.
8. We waited for _____ asparagus to be cooked.

Reading Comprehension and Discussion Tasks

one. Answer the post-obit questions:

one. Where did the author catch sight of the woman? Why wouldn't he have recognized her if somebody hadn't mentioned her proper name?
2. Did he recall where he had start met her? Where was he living at that fourth dimension? How much was he earning?
iii. Why did she write to him? Where would she like him to give her a little luncheon? Why had he never idea of going to Foyot's?
four. Why did he concur to encounter her at Foyot's?
5. What did she look like? What was unusual nigh her appearance?
half-dozen. Why was the writer prepared to be an attentive listener?
7. Why was he startled when the menu was brought? How did she reassure him?
8. What did she repeatedly say throughout the dejeuner?
9. What did she order first? Why did his middle sink?
ten. What did he gild for himself? What did she say about his choice?
11. What was she going to drink?
12. What did she talk about while she ate the salmon and the caviar?
13. Why did she say she wanted to accept asparagus? Why did the author say he never ate asparagus?
14. Why did panic seize him? What did he make up one's mind to do if he didn't accept enough coin to pay the bill?
fifteen. What terrible matter happened while they were waiting for the coffee?
16. What did she say she believed in?
17. Could he pay the bill? Why did he know she thought him mean?
xviii. Why did she say he was a humorist? Was he?
19. Has he had his revenge at last? What sort of revenge is it?
20. Deed out the scene of the luncheon.
21. Act out an inner monolog of the author during the luncheon.

2. Hash out the following:

one. Make guesses about the woman's background.
2. Why do you recollect she wrote to the writer? Exercise you lot think many people transport letters to writers? Could you write to a writer? What writer could you lot send a letter to and what would you write about?
3. Why do yous call back she asked him to give her a luncheon at Foyot's? Why did she order the almost expensive things? Why did she repeatedly say she never ate anything for dejeuner? Did she really hateful it or was information technology a trick?
four. 'She gave me the impression of having more teeth, white and large and fifty-fifty, than there were necessary for any practical purpose'. Why do you lot retrieve the writer pays special attention to the description of the woman'south teeth?
5. What practise you call up is the author's attitude to the reading public: skilful-humored, ruthless, ironical or skeptical?
6. Does S. Maugham, in your opinion, try to convey any message in the story or does he only attempt to amuse the reader? How did you find the story?

jozwiakablity.blogspot.com

Source: https://lingvistov.ru/blog/reading-club/reading-club-pre-intermediate-the-luncheon-by-s-maugham/

Share this post