Fill in the blanks with the following words and word combinations

THE LUNCHEON

I
caught sight of her at the theatre and in answer to her sign
I went over during the
interval and sat
down beside her. It was long since I had last seen her and if someone
had not mentioned her name I don’t think I would have recognized
her. She spoke to me brightly.

“Well, it’s many years
since we first met. How time does fly! We are not getting any
younger. Do you remember the first time I saw you? You asked me to
luncheon.”

Did I remember?

It was twenty years ago and I
was living in Paris. I had a
tiny apartment in
the Latin Quarter overlooking a
cemetery and I was
earning just enough
money to keep body and soul together.
She had read a book of mine and had written to me about it. I
answered, thanking her, and soon I received from her another letter
saying that she was passing through Paris and would like to have a
talk with me; but her time was limited and the only free moment she
had was on the following Thursday; she was asking me if I would give
her a little luncheon at Foyot’s. Foyot’s is a restaurant at
which the French senators eat and it was so expensive that I had
never even thought of going there. But I was flattered
and I was too young to have learned to say no to a woman. I had
eighty francs until the end of the month and I hoped that a
modest luncheon
should not cost more than fifteen. So I thought that if I cut out
coffee for the next two weeks I could manage well enough.

I
answered that I was glad and that I would meet my friend – by
correspondence – at Foyot’s on Thursday at half past twelve.

When we met I saw that she was
not so young as I had expected and her appearance was imposing
rather than attractive. She was in fact a woman of forty ( a charming
age, but not an age that excites a sudden and devastating
passion at first sight),
and she gave me the impression of having more teeth, white and large
and even,
than were necessary for any practical purpose. She was talkative, but
since she seemed inclined to talk about me I was ready to be an
attentive listener.

I
was startled
when the menu was brought, for the prices were much higher than I had
expected. But she reassured
me.

“I never eat anything for
luncheon,” she said.

“Oh, don’t say that!” I
answered generously.

“I never eat more than one
thing. I think people eat too much nowadays. A little fish, perhaps.
I wonder if they have any salmon.”

Well, it was early in the year
for salmon and it was not on
the menu, but I
asked the waiter if there was any. Yes, he said, a beautiful salmon
had just been brought, it was the first 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 one thing. Unless you had a little caviar.”

My heart sank a little. I knew
I could not afford caviar, but I could not tell her that. I told the
waiter to bring caviar. For myself I chose the cheapest dish on the
menu and that was a mutton chop.

“I think you are unwise to
eat meat,” she said. “I don’t know how you can work after
eating heavy things like chop. I don’t believe in overloading
my stomach.”

Then came the question of
drink.

“I never drink anything for
luncheon,” she said.

“Neither do I,” I answered
promptly.

“Except white wine,” she
went on as though I had not spoken. “These French white wines are
so light. They are wonderful for digestion.”

“What would you like?” I
asked, hospitable
still, but not exactly enthusiastic.

She gave me a bright and
amicable flash of her white teeth.

“My doctor doesn’t let me
drink anything but champagne.”

I
think I turned a little pale. I ordered half a bottle. I said that my
doctor had absolutely forbidden me to drink champagne.

“What are you going to drink
then?”

“Water.”

She ate the caviar and she ate
the salmon. She talked gaily of art and literature and music. But I
wondered what the bill would come to. When my mutton chop arrived she
spoke quite seriously to me.

“I see that you are in the
habit of eating a heavy luncheon. I am sure it is a mistake. Why
don’t you follow my example and just eat one thing? I am sure you
would feel so much better for it.”

“I am only going to eat one
thing,” I said as the waiter came again with the menu.

She waved him aside.

“No, no, I never eat
anything for luncheon. Just a little, just one thing, and even that
simply for the sake of keeping up a conversation. I couldn’t eat
anything more – unless they had some of those giant asparagus.
I should be sorry to leave Paris without eating some of them.”

My heart sank. I had seen
giant asparagus 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 any of those giant asparagus,” I asked the waiter.

I
tried with all my might to will him to say know. But my efforts were
in vain. A happy smile spread over his broad, priest-like face, and
he assured me that they had some so large, so splendid, so tender,
that it was a marvel.

“I am not in the least
hungry,” my guest sighed, “but if you insist I don’t mind
eating some asparagus.”

I
ordered them.

“Aren’t you going to have
any?”

“No, I never eat asparagus.”

“I know there are people who
don’t like them. The fact is that you spoil
your taste by all the meat you eat.”

We waited for the asparagus to
be cooked. Panic seized me. It was not a question how much money I
should have left over for the rest of the month, but whether I had
enough money to pay the bill. It would be terrible to find myself ten
francs short and be obliged to
borrow from my
guest. I could not bring myself to do that. I knew exactly how much I
had and if the bill came to more I made up my mind that I would put
my hand in my pocket and with a dramatic cry start up and say that my
money had been stolen. Of course it would be awkward if she did not
have enough money either to pay the bill. Then the only thing would
be to leave my watch and say I would come back and pay later.

The asparagus appeared. They
were enormous, succulent
and appetizing. The smell of the melted butter tickled my nostrils. I
watched the abandoned woman thrust them down her throat in large
mouthfuls and politely continued discussing the condition of the
drama in the Balkans. At last she finished.

“Coffee?” I said.

“Yes, just an ice-cream and
coffee,” she answered.

I
was past caring now, so I ordered coffee for myself and an ice-cream
and coffee for her.

“You know, there’s one
thing I thoroughly believe in,” she said, as she was eating the
ice-cream. “One should always get up from a meal feeling one could
eat a little more.”

“Are you still hungry?” I
asked faintly.

“Oh no, I am not hungry; you
see, I don’t eat luncheon. I have a cup of coffee in the morning
and then dinner, but I never eat more than one thing for luncheon. I
was speaking about you.”

“Oh, I see.”

Then a terrible thing
happened. While we were waiting for the coffee, the waiter, with a
broad smile on his false face, came up to us carrying a large basket
full of huge peaches. They had the blush of an innocent girl, they
had the rich color of an Italian landscape. But surely peaches were
not in season then. Lord knew what they cost. I knew too – a little
later, for my guest, going on with her conversation, absentmindedly
took one.

“You see, you have filled
your stomach with a lot of meat” – my one miserable chop – “
and you can’t eat any more. But I’ve just had a snack and I shall
enjoy a peach.”

The bill came and when I paid
it I found that I had only enough for a quite inadequate tip.
Her eyes rested for an instant on the three francs I left for the
waiter and I knew that she thought me mean.
But when I walked out of the restaurant I had the whole month before
me and not a penny in my pocket.

“Follow my example,” she
said as we shook hands, “and never eat more than one thing for
luncheon.”

“I’ll do better than
that,” I retorted. “I’ll eat nothing for dinner tonight.”

“Humorist!” she cried
gaily, jumping into a cab. “You are quite a humorist!”

But I have had my revenge
at last. I do not believe that I am a vindictive
man, but when the immortal gods take a hand in the matter it is
pardonable to observe the result with complacency.
Today she weighs one hundred and thirty kilos.

EXERCISES

1. tiny

2. an interval

3. to flatter

4. modest

5. an imposing appearance

6. at first sight

7. to be startled

8. to be on the menu

9. to overload one’s stomach

10. digestion

11. asparagus

12. tender

13. to spoil

14. to borrow

15. succulent

16. tip

17. a mean person

18. to revenge

19. vindictive

20. complacent, complacency

21. a sign

22. even teeth

23. devastating passion

24. salmon

25. caviar

26. hospitable

27. champagne

28. cemetery

29. to reassure

30. to earn enough to keep body
    and soul together

1. Fill in the blanks with the following words and word combinations:

Fly; modest; cut out; rather
than; startled; wonder; afford; overloading; turned; come to; follow;
don’t mind.

1. I think I
   _____________________a little pale.

2. How time
   does________________! We are not getting any younger.

3. Why don’t
   you___________________ my example?

4. I knew I could
   not__________________ caviar.

5. A_____________________
   luncheon should not cost more than fifteen francs.

6. I_______________ if they
   have any salmon.

7. If I___________________
   coffee for the next two weeks, I could manage well enough.

8. I was__________________ when
   the menu was brought.

9. I wondered what the bill
   would_________________ .

10. Her appearance was
    imposing________________ attractive.

11. I don’t believe
    in_____________________ my stomach.

12. If you insist,
    I_____________________ having some asparagus.

1. Fill in the blanks with prepositions or adverbs where necessary.

1. I caught sight____ her_____
   the theatre and______ answer_____ her sign I went over______ the
   interval and sat down______ her.

2. She had read my book and had
   written me_____ it.

3. Foyot’s was so expensive
   that I had never even thought______ going there.

4. It was early______ the
   year______ salmon and it was not______ the menu.

5. I don’t believe______
   overloading my stomach.

6. I see that you are______ the
   habit______ eating a heavy luncheon.

7. I eat simply______ the
   sake______ keeping_____ a conversation.

8. My efforts were_____ vain.

9. I am not_____ the least
   hungry.

10. I made______ my mind that I
    would put my hand______ my pocket and______ a dramatic cry
    start______ and say that my money had been stolen.

11. I watched the abandoned
    woman thrust them______ her throat_____ large mouthfuls.

12. While we were waiting______
    the coffee, the waiter, _____ a broad smile_____ his false face,
    came_____ _____ us carrying a large basket full_____ huge peaches.

13. Her eyes rested_____ an
    instant_____ the three francs I left_____ the waiter.

14. When I walked_____ _____
    the restaurant I had the whole month_____ me and not a penny_____
    my pocket.

1. Find in the text the sentences in which the following word combinations are used. Use them these word combinations in sentences of your own.

To keep body and soul
together; my friend by correspondence; in fact; at first sight; in
the habit of; for the sake of; in vain; the fact is that…

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