The Dinner Party Mona Gardner

The Dinner Phigh-sounding

by Mona Gardner

The country is India. A big dinner party is existence given in an up-country station by a colonial official and

his wifeast. The guests are army officers and government attaches and their wives, and an American

naturalist.

At one side of the long table a southpirited discussion springs up between a young girl and a colonel. The girl

insists women take long outgrown the jumping-on-a-chair-at-the-sight-of-a-mouse era, that they are

not every bit fluttery as their grandmothers. The colonel says they ardue east, explaining women haven't the actual

nerve control of men. The other men at the table agree with him.

"A adult female's unfailing reactiveness in any crisis, " the colonel says, "is to scream. And while a human may feel

likeastward it, yet he has that ounce more of control than a woman has. And that last ounce is what counts. "

The American scientist does not join in the argument but sits and watches the faces of the other

guests. As he expects, he sees a strange expression come over the face of the hostess. She is staring

straight ahead, the muscles of her face contracting slightly. With a small gesture she summons the

native boy standing behind her chair. She whisperdue south to him. The boy's eyes widen: he turns quickly and

leaves the room. No one else sees this, nor the boy when he puts a bowl of milk on the verandah

exterior the drinking glass doors.

The American comes to with a start. In Bharat, milk in a bowl one thousandeans but one affair. It is bait for a snake.

He realizes in that location is a cobra in the room.

He looks up at the rafters-the likeliest place - and sees they are bareast. Three corners of the room,

which he can see by shifting simply slightly, are empty. In the quaternary corner a grouping of servants stand,

waiting until the adjacent course can be served. The American realizes thereast is but one place left - under

the table.

His first impulse is to jump back and warn the othersouthward. Simply he knows the commotion volition affright the

cobra and information technology will strike. He speaks chop-chop, the quality of his vox so arresting that it sobers everyone.

"I want to know simply what control everyone at this table has. I will count three hundred - that'due south fiveast

minutes - and non ane of you is to move a single muscle. The persons who move will forfeit 50 rupees.

Now! Ready!"

The 20 people sit likeast stone images while he counts. He is saying ". . . ii hundred and eighty . . ." when,

out of the corner of his centre, he sees the cobra emerge and make for the basin of milk. Four or five

screams band out as he jumps to slam shut the verandah doors.

"You certainly were right, Colonel!" the host says. "A homo has just shown the states an example of real command."

"Only a minute," the American says, turning to his hostess, "there'south one thing I'd like to know. Mrs.

Westynnes, how did yous know that cobra was in the room?"

A faint grin lights upwards the due westoman's face as she replies. "Because it due westequally lying across my foot."

The Dinner Party Mona Gardner,

Source: https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/xavier-university-ateneo-de-cagayan/accountancy/the-dinner-party-story/17945044