NCERT Textbook - Villa For Sale | English Class 9 PDF Download

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DRAMA DRAMA
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13 13
UNIT UNIT
Drama
D.1    Villa For Sale
by Sacha Guitry
CBSE
95
discovered : seen on the stage as the curtain is raised
1.    If you could buy your dream house today what are some specific features you 
would want for your house? Write them in the bubbles below.
2.   Discuss with your partner the similarities and dissimilarities in your dream 
house.
3.  Now, read the Play.
List of Characters
Maid
Juliette
Gaston
Jeanne
Mrs Al Smith
The scene represents the salon of a small villa near Nogent-sur-Marne.
When the curtain rises, the MAID and JULIETTE are discovered. 
My dream house
proper sunlight 
well ventilated 
Page 4


DRAMA DRAMA
DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA
13 13
UNIT UNIT
Drama
D.1    Villa For Sale
by Sacha Guitry
CBSE
95
discovered : seen on the stage as the curtain is raised
1.    If you could buy your dream house today what are some specific features you 
would want for your house? Write them in the bubbles below.
2.   Discuss with your partner the similarities and dissimilarities in your dream 
house.
3.  Now, read the Play.
List of Characters
Maid
Juliette
Gaston
Jeanne
Mrs Al Smith
The scene represents the salon of a small villa near Nogent-sur-Marne.
When the curtain rises, the MAID and JULIETTE are discovered. 
My dream house
proper sunlight 
well ventilated 
CBSE
Drama
96
Maid: Won't Madame be sorry?
Juliette: Not at all. Mind you, if someone had bought it 
on the very day I placed it for sale, then I might 
have felt sorry because I would have wondered 
if I hadn't been a fool to sell at all. But the sign 
has been hanging on the gate for over a month 
now and I am beginning to be afraid that the 
day I bought it was when I was the real fool.
Maid: All the same, Madame, when they brought you 
the 'For sale' sign, you wouldn't let them put it 
up. You waited until it was night. Then you went and hung it yourself, Madame.
Juliette: I know! You see, I thought that as they could not read it in the dark, the house would 
belong to me for one night more. I was so sure that the next day the entire world 
would be fighting to purchase it. For the first week, I was annoyed every time I 
passed that 'Villa for Sale' sign. The neighbours seemed to look at me in such a 
strange kind of way that I began to think the whole thing was going to be much 
more of a sell than a sale. That was a month ago and now I have only one thought, 
that is to get the wretched place off my hands. I would sacrifice it at any price. One 
hundred thousand francs if necessary and that's only twice what it cost me. I 
thought I would get two hundred thousand but I suppose I must cut my loss. 
Besides, in the past two weeks, four people almost bought it, so I begin to feel as 
though it no longer belongs to me. Oh! I'm fed up with the place. Because nobody 
really wants it! What time did those agency people say the lady would call?
Maid: Between four and five, Madame.
Juliette: Then we must wait for her.
Maid: It was a nice little place for you to spend the weekends, Madame.
Juliette: Yes . . . but times are hard and business is as bad as it can be.
Maid: In that case, Madame, is it a good time to sell? 
Juliette: No, perhaps not.  But still. . . there are moments in life when it's the right time to 
buy, but it's never the right time to sell. For fifteen years everybody has had money 
at the same time and nobody has wanted to sell. Now nobody has any money and 
nobody wants to buy. But still. .. even so ... it would be funny if  I couldn't manage to 
sell a place here, a stone's throw from Joinville, the French Hollywood, when all 
I'm asking is a paltry hundred thousand!
sell : disappointment due to failure or trickery.
wretched  : extremely bad or unpleasant
paltry: an amount, too small to be considered important or useful.
Page 5


DRAMA DRAMA
DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA
13 13
UNIT UNIT
Drama
D.1    Villa For Sale
by Sacha Guitry
CBSE
95
discovered : seen on the stage as the curtain is raised
1.    If you could buy your dream house today what are some specific features you 
would want for your house? Write them in the bubbles below.
2.   Discuss with your partner the similarities and dissimilarities in your dream 
house.
3.  Now, read the Play.
List of Characters
Maid
Juliette
Gaston
Jeanne
Mrs Al Smith
The scene represents the salon of a small villa near Nogent-sur-Marne.
When the curtain rises, the MAID and JULIETTE are discovered. 
My dream house
proper sunlight 
well ventilated 
CBSE
Drama
96
Maid: Won't Madame be sorry?
Juliette: Not at all. Mind you, if someone had bought it 
on the very day I placed it for sale, then I might 
have felt sorry because I would have wondered 
if I hadn't been a fool to sell at all. But the sign 
has been hanging on the gate for over a month 
now and I am beginning to be afraid that the 
day I bought it was when I was the real fool.
Maid: All the same, Madame, when they brought you 
the 'For sale' sign, you wouldn't let them put it 
up. You waited until it was night. Then you went and hung it yourself, Madame.
Juliette: I know! You see, I thought that as they could not read it in the dark, the house would 
belong to me for one night more. I was so sure that the next day the entire world 
would be fighting to purchase it. For the first week, I was annoyed every time I 
passed that 'Villa for Sale' sign. The neighbours seemed to look at me in such a 
strange kind of way that I began to think the whole thing was going to be much 
more of a sell than a sale. That was a month ago and now I have only one thought, 
that is to get the wretched place off my hands. I would sacrifice it at any price. One 
hundred thousand francs if necessary and that's only twice what it cost me. I 
thought I would get two hundred thousand but I suppose I must cut my loss. 
Besides, in the past two weeks, four people almost bought it, so I begin to feel as 
though it no longer belongs to me. Oh! I'm fed up with the place. Because nobody 
really wants it! What time did those agency people say the lady would call?
Maid: Between four and five, Madame.
Juliette: Then we must wait for her.
Maid: It was a nice little place for you to spend the weekends, Madame.
Juliette: Yes . . . but times are hard and business is as bad as it can be.
Maid: In that case, Madame, is it a good time to sell? 
Juliette: No, perhaps not.  But still. . . there are moments in life when it's the right time to 
buy, but it's never the right time to sell. For fifteen years everybody has had money 
at the same time and nobody has wanted to sell. Now nobody has any money and 
nobody wants to buy. But still. .. even so ... it would be funny if  I couldn't manage to 
sell a place here, a stone's throw from Joinville, the French Hollywood, when all 
I'm asking is a paltry hundred thousand!
sell : disappointment due to failure or trickery.
wretched  : extremely bad or unpleasant
paltry: an amount, too small to be considered important or useful.
CBSE
Drama
97
Maid: That reminds me, there is a favour I want to ask you, Madame.
Juliette: Yes, what is it, my girl?
Maid: Will you be kind enough to let me off between nine and noon tomorrow morning?
Juliette: From nine till noon?
Maid: They have asked me to play in a film at the Joinville Studio.
Juliette: You are going to act for the cinema?
Maid: Yes, Madame.
Juliette: What kind of part are you going to play?
Maid: A maid, Madame. They prefer the real article. They say 
maids are born; maids not made maids. They are giving me 
a hundred francs a morning for doing it. 
Juliette: One hundred francs! 
Maid: Yes, Madame. And as you only pay me four hundred a 
month, I can't very well refuse, can I, Madame? 
Juliette: A hundred francs! It's unbelievable! 
Maid: Will you permit me, Madame, to tell you something I've suddenly thought of? 
Juliette: What? 
Maid: They want a cook in the film as well. They asked me if I knew of anybody suitable. 
You said just now, Madame, that times were hard. ... Would you like me to get you 
the engagement?
Juliette: What?
Maid: Every little helps, Madame. Especially, Madame, as you have such a funny face.
Juliette: Thank you.
Maid (taking no notice). They might take you on for eight days, Madame. That would mean 
eight hundred francs. It's really money for nothing. You would only have to peel 
potatoes one minute and make an omlette the next, quite easy. I could show you 
how to do it, Madame.
Juliette: But how kind of you. ... Thank God I'm not quite so hard up as that yet!
Maid: Oh, Madame, I hope you are not angry with me ?
Juliette: Not in the least.
Maid: You see, Madame, film acting is rather looked up to round here. Everybody wants 
to do it. Yesterday the butcher didn't open his shop, he was being shot all the 
morning. Today, nobody could find the four policemen, they were taking part in