[00:09.79]Was Mrs. Rumbold a good companion at dinner? [00:15.06]Last week at a dinner party, [00:17.55]the hostess asked me to sit next to Mrs. Rumbold. [00:22.74]Mrs. Rumbold was a large, [00:24.99]unsmiling lady in a tight black dress. [00:29.34]She did not even look up when I took my seat beside her. [00:34.73]Her eyes were fixed on her plate and in a short time, [00:39.22]she was busy eating. [00:42.09]I tried to make conversation. [00:44.95]'A new play is coming to "The Globe" soon,' [00:48.27]I said. 'Will you be seeing it?' [00:53.12]'No,' she answered. [00:55.95]'Will you be spending your holidays abroad this year?' I asked. [01:03.23]'No,' she answered. [01:05.81]'Will you be staying in England?' I asked. [01:09.92]'No,' she answered. [01:12.94]In despair, I asked her whether she was enjoying her dinner. [01:18.50]'Young man,' she answered, [01:21.70]'if you ate more and talked less, we would both enjoy our dinner!'