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!