Lesson 14 Do you speak English ?
I had an amusing experience last year.
After I had left a small village in the south of France, I drove on to the next town.
On the way, a young man waved to me.
I stopped and he asked me for a lift.
As soon as he had got into the car, I said good morning to him in French and he replied in the same language.
Apart from a few words, I do not know any French at all.
Neither of us spoke during the journey.
I had nearly reached the town, when the young man suddenly said, very slowly,
"Do you speak English?" As I soon learnt, he was English himself!
Lesson 15 Good news
The secretary told me that Mr. Harmsworth would see me.
I felt very nervous when I went into his office.
He did not look up from his desk when I entered.
After I had sat down, he said that business was very bad.
He told me that the firm could not afford to pay such large salaries.
Twenty people had already left.
I knew that my turn had come.
"Mr. Harmsworth," I said in a weak voice.
"Don't interrupt," he said.
Then he smiled and told me I would receive an extra thousand pounds a year!
