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I caught sight of her at the play and in answer to her beckoning I went over during the interval and sat down near her. It was long since I had last seen her. She addressed me brightly: «Well, it's many years since we first met. How time does fly! Do you remember the first time I saw you? You asked me to lunch.»
Did I remember? It was twenty years ago and I was living in Paris. I had a small apartment in the Latin Quarter overlooking a cemetery and I was earning hardly enough money to keep body and soul together. She had read a book of mine and had written to me about it. I answered and thanked her and soon I received from her another letter saying that she was passing through Paris and would like to have a chat with me; but her time was limited and the only free moment she had was on the following Thursday; she was spending the morning at the Luxemburg and I would give her a little lunch at Foyot's afterwards.
I answered that I would meet my friend at Foyot's on Thursday at half past twelve. She was not so young as I had expected. She seemed inclined to talk about me and I wanted to be an attentive listener.
I was shocked when the menu was brought, the prices were much higher that I had thought. But she reassured me. «I never eat anything for lunch,» she said. «I never eat more than one thing. 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, a beautiful salmon had just come in, 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 have a little caviar. I like 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. Then came the question of drink.
«I never drink anything for lunch,» she said.
«Me too,» I answered quickly.
«Except white wine,» she continued. «These French wines are so light. They are wonderful for the digestion.»
«What would you like?» I asked.
She gave me a bright flash of her white teeth. «My doctor won't let me drink anything but champagne.»
I ordered half a bottle and said that my doctor had absolutely forbidden me to drink champagne.
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 asked: «I see that you like to eat a heavy lunch. I am sure it is a mistake. Why don't you follow my example and just eat one thing?»
«I am only going to eat one thing,» I said as the waiter came again with the bill.
She waved him over.
«No, no, I never eat anything more, unless they have some of those giant asparagus. I should be sorry to leave Paris without having one of them.»
My heart sank. I had seen them in the shops and I knew that they were horribly expensive.
«Madame wants to know if you have any of those giant asparagus,» I asked the waiter. I tried with all my heart to make him say no. A happy smile spread over his face, and he assured me that they had some so large, so splendid, so tender, that it was a marvel. I ordered them. We waited for the asparagus to be cooked. Panic seized me. It was not a question now how much money I should leave over for the rest of the month, but whether I had enough to pay the bill.
The asparagus appeared. They were big and appetizing. I watched her eating them and in my polite way I talked about the condition of the drama in the Balkans. At last she finished.
«Coffee?» I asked.
«Yes, just an ice-cream and coffee,» she answered.
I ordered coffee for myself and an ice-cream and coffee for her. While we were waiting for the coffee, the headwaiter came up to us bearing a large basket full of huge peaches.
«You see,» she said, «you have filled your stomach with a lot of meat and you can't eat anymore. 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. 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 lunch.»
«I'll do better than that,» I said. «I'll eat nothing for dinner tonight!»
«Humorist!» she cried gaily, jumping into a cab. «You are quite a humorist.»

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