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!'