This Snail Goes Through Metamorphosis. Then It Never Has to Eat Again.

THE LUNCHEON

by Somerset Maugham

I defenseless sight of her at the play and in answer to her beckoning 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 do not think I would take recognized her. She addressed me brightly.
"Well, it'due south many years since we beginning met. How fourth dimension flies! We are not getting any younger. Do yous remember the first time I saw yous? You asked me to luncheon."
Did I recollect?
It was twenty 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 body and soul together. She had read a book of mine and had written to me near it. I answered, thanking her, and shortly I received from her another letter of the alphabet saying that she was passing through Paris and would similar to take a chat with me; but her time was limited and the only free moment she had was on the following Thursday. She asked me if I would give her a fiddling luncheon at Foyot'south. Foyot's is a restaurant at which the French senators eat and it was so far beyond my means that I had never even idea of going there. Simply I was flattered and I was too young to say no to a woman. I had eighty francs to live on till the cease of the month and a pocket-size luncheon should not cost more fifteen. If I cut out coffee for the next two weeks I could manage well plenty.
I answered that I would run across her at Foyot's on Thursday at half past twelve.
She was non so immature as I expected and in advent imposing rather than attractive. She was in fact a woman of forty, and she gave me the impression of having more than teeth, white and large and even, than were necessary for any practical purpose. She was talkative, just since she seemed inclined to talk nearly me I was prepared to exist an attentive listener. I was startled when the menu was brought, for the prices were a dandy deal higher than I had expected. But she reassured me.
"I never swallow anything for tiffin," she said.
"Oh, don't say that!" I answered generously.
"I never eat more one thing. I retrieve people eat too much nowadays. A piddling fish, peradventure. I wonder if they have any salmon."
Well, it was early on in the year for salmon and it was not on the menu, only I asked the waiter if there was any. Yes, they had a cute salmon, information technology was the starting time they had had. I ordered it for my invitee. 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 lot had a trivial caviar.' I never mind caviar."
My heart sank a trivial. I knew I could not afford caviar, only I could not tell her that. I told the waiter by all means to bring caviar. For myself I chose the cheapest dish on the menu and that was a mutton chop.
"I think you're unwise to eat meat," she said. "I don't know how you tin can look to work afterward eating heavy things like chops. I never overload my stomach."
Then came the question of drinkable.
"I never beverage annihilation for dejeuner," she said.
"Neither do I," I answered promptly.
"Except white vino," she went on as though I had not spoken. "These French white wines are so light. They are wonderful for the digestion."
"What would you similar?" I asked her.
"My doctor won't permit me drink anything but champagne." I think I turned a picayune pale. I ordered half a canteen. I mentioned casually that my doctor had absolutely forbidden me to drink champagne.
"What are y'all going to drinkable, and then?"
"H2o."
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 up to. When my mutton chop arrived she said:
"I see that you're in the habit of eating a heavy tiffin. I'm sure information technology's a mistake. Why don't you follow my example and but eat one thing? I'grand sure you lot'd feel much better so."
"I am merely going to eat one thing," I said, equally the waiter came again with the menu. She waved him aside with a light gesture.
"No, no, I never eat anything for luncheon. Merely a bite, I never desire more than than that. I can't eat anything more unless they had some of those giant asparagus. I should be sorry to leave Paris without having some of them."
My centre 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 any of those giant asparagus," I asked the waiter.
I hoped he would say no. A happy smile spread over his wide face, and he assured me that they had some so large, then splendid, so tender, that it was a curiosity.
"I'm not in the least hungry," my guest sighed, "but if you insist I don't listen having some asparagus.
I ordered them.
"Aren't you going to have whatever?"
"No, I never eat asparagus."
"I know in that location are people who don't like them."
We waited for the asparagus to be cooked. Panic seized me. It was non a question now how much money I should have left for the rest of the calendar month, just whether I had enough to pay the nib. It would be terrible to observe myself 10 francs short and be obliged to infringe from my guest. I could non bring myself to do that. I knew exactly how much money I had and if the pecker came to more I fabricated upwards my listen that I would put my mitt in my pocket and with a dramatic cry start up and say my money had been stolen. If she had not money enough to pay the bill then the simply thing to exercise would be to leave my sentinel and say I would come up back and pay later.
The asparagus appeared. They were enormous and appetizing. The scent of the melted butter tickled my nostrils. I watched the adult female send them down her pharynx and in my polite fashion I talked on the status of the drama in the Balkans. At terminal she finished.
"Coffee?" I said.
"Yes, just an ice-cream and coffee," she answered.
It was even so to me now, so I ordered coffee for myself and an ice-cream and coffee for her.
"You know, at that place's one thing I thoroughly believe in," she said, equally she ate the water ice-cream. "One should e'er get up from a repast feeling one could eat a little more."
"Are you lot still hungry?" I asked faintly.
"Oh, no, I'k not hungry; you lot run into, I don't eat tiffin. I take a cup of coffee in the morning then dinner, but I never swallow more than one thing for tiffin. I was speaking for you."
"Oh, I see!"
And then a terrible thing happened. While nosotros were waiting for the coffee, the head waiter, with a smiling on his false face, came up to united states begetting a large basket full of huge peaches. Peaches were not in flavor then. Lord knew what they cost. I knew also — a niggling later, for my guest, going on with her conversation, absent-minded-mindedly took ane. "You see, you've filled your tummy with a lot of meat 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 establish that I had only enough for a quite inadequate tip. Her eyes rested for a moment on the three francs I left for the waiter and I knew that she idea me hateful. Only 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 nosotros shook hands, "and never eat more than i matter for luncheon."
"I'll do meliorate than that," I answered. "I'll eat cypher for dinner tonight."
"Humorist!" she cried gaily, jumping into a cab. "Y'all're quite a humorist!"
But I accept had my revenge at last. Today she weighs twenty-one stone.'

Exercises

Pre-reading Tasks

1. Luncheon is a formal lunch.

What sort of tiffin practice yous recall yous are going to read about? Write 3-v sentences.

2. Practice the pronunciation of the words from the story.

Latin Quarter, eatery, senator, carte du jour, reassure, salmon, caviar, digestion, champagne, behemothic, asparagus, drama, Balkans, stomach, thoroughly, inadequate, revenge, weigh.

Vocabulary and Grammar Tasks

one. Find in the story the English language 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.

2. Fill each gap with a word or word combination in italics in an appropriate grade.

couldn't afford
to h2o
on the menu
digestion
a tip
time flies
to overload
to have one'southward revenge

1. It'south many years since we first met. How __________!
two. For myself I chose the cheapest dish __________.
iii. 'I never __________ my stomach', she said.
iv. These French wines are wonderful for __________.
5. My heart sank. I knew I __________ caviar.
6. I had seen asparagus in the shops, my mouth frequently __________ at the sight of them.
seven. When I paid the bill I had only enough for quite an inadequate __________.
8. Only I __________. Today she weights twenty-ane stone.

three. Replace the italicized words and give-and-take combinations with a synonym in an appropriate form.

to be startled
to borrow from
to manage well enough
abreast
wouldn't mind
to proceed torso and soul together
it was all the aforementioned to me

1. I went over during the interval and saturday down next to her.
2. I was earning barely plenty money to brand both ends run across.
3. I thought if I cut out coffee for the next two weeks I could practice well enough.
iv. I was struck when the carte du jour was brought.
5. My guest sighed, 'If you insist I won't object to having some asparagus'.
6. It would exist terrible to exist obligedto accept coin from my invitee if I didn't have enough to pay for the neb.
7. It fabricated no divergence to me now, so I ordered java for myself and an ice-cream and coffee for her.

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

a) an action that happened before another by action?
b) an action in progress (going on) around a particular past moment?
c) a completed action continued with the present?
d) a single past action?

ane. I've just had a snack and I shall enjoy a peach.
2. She ate the caviar and she ate the salmon.
three. It was twenty years ago and I was living in Paris.
4. Foyot'southward was far across my means that I had never even thought of going there.

B Apply the verbs in brackets in an appropriate tense (active or passive)

ane. The prices were a nifty deal higher than I __________. (to expect)
two. The waiter asked if she would have something while information technology __________. (to cook)
3. I call up I __________ a trivial pale. (to turn)
4. I mentioned casually that my doctors absolutely __________ me to drink champagne. (to forbid)
5. While we __________ for the java, the head waiter came up to u.s. with a basket full of huge peaches. (to wait)
6. Y'all run into, you __________ your stomach with a lot of meat and y'all tin can't eat whatsoever more. (to fill up)
7. I __________ my revenge at final. Today she weighs 20-one stone. (to have)
8. When I __________ out of the eatery I had the whole month before me and not a penny in my pocket. (to walk)

5. A Make up one's mind why the italicized nouns are used with a, the or ?.

1. a) I never consume anything for luncheon.
b) A pocket-sized lunch would not cost more than 15.

ii. a) It was early on in the year for salmon.
b) They had a beautiful 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, at that place's one thing I thoroughly believe in', she said and she ate the ice-foam.
c) While we were waiting for the java, the caput waiter came up to usa.

B Use the proper article

1. You asked me to _____ luncheon.
2. She asked me if I would give her _____ fiddling luncheon at Foyot's.
3. If I cut out _____ coffee for the adjacent two weeks I could manage well plenty.
4. I knew I could not afford _____ caviar.
5. I see that y'all are in the habit of eating _____ heavy luncheon.
6. I never drink anything for _____ luncheon except _____ white vino.
7. I never eat _____ asparagus.
8. Nosotros waited for _____ asparagus to be cooked.

Reading Comprehension and Give-and-take Tasks

1. Respond the following questions:

ane. Where did the author catch sight of the woman? Why wouldn't he take recognized her if somebody hadn't mentioned her name?
2. Did he call up where he had first met her? Where was he living at that fourth dimension? How much was he earning?
3. Why did she write to him? Where would she like him to give her a little luncheon? Why had he never thought of going to Foyot'southward?
4. Why did he agree to see her at Foyot'south?
5. What did she look like? What was unusual most her appearance?
6. Why was the author prepared to be an attentive listener?
7. Why was he startled when the card was brought? How did she reassure him?
8. What did she repeatedly say throughout the dejeuner?
9. What did she order offset? Why did his heart sink?
10. What did he gild for himself? What did she say about his choice?
11. What was she going to drinkable?
12. What did she talk about while she ate the salmon and the caviar?
xiii. Why did she say she wanted to have asparagus? Why did the writer say he never ate asparagus?
14. Why did panic seize him? What did he determine to do if he didn't have plenty money to pay the bill?
fifteen. What terrible thing happened while they were waiting for the coffee?
xvi. What did she say she believed in?
17. Could he pay the bill? Why did he know she thought him mean?
18. Why did she say he was a humorist? Was he?
19. Has he had his revenge at last? What sort of revenge is it?
xx. Human activity out the scene of the luncheon.
21. Deed out an inner monolog of the author during the luncheon.

2. Hash out the post-obit:

ane. Brand guesses about the woman'due south groundwork.
two. Why practice you think she wrote to the writer? Do you think many people send letters to writers? Could yous write to a author? What writer could you send a alphabetic character to and what would you write nearly?
3. Why do yous think she asked him to give her a luncheon at Foyot'due south? Why did she social club the nigh expensive things? Why did she repeatedly say she never ate anything for luncheon? Did she really mean it or was information technology a pull a fast one on?
iv. 'She gave me the impression of having more teeth, white and large and even, than there were necessary for whatsoever practical purpose'. Why practice yous think the author pays special attention to the description of the woman's teeth?
5. What practice you lot think is the author's mental attitude to the reading public: good-humored, ruthless, ironical or skeptical?
six. Does S. Maugham, in your opinion, try to convey any bulletin in the story or does he just endeavor to amuse the reader? How did you find the story?

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