“That's the important thing, isn't it?”
Por qué es buena
Amid the party chatter, the tag question quietly names what actually matters to the couple.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
Being together is the important thing, isn't it?
00:00 / 03:10
00:00 / 03:10
Leslie's Party After the Trial, Explained
The Letter · 1940
Capítulo 15 de 15 · 3'10"
It looks like a happy ending: Leslie enters the party in a new dress, guests congratulate her, and a young man tells her, "I'll never forget the night it happened." But Howard keeps trying to pull Robert away, and Robert talks about Sumatra as if the family's future is already decided.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 1:20–1:45
The Young Lawyer Can't Forget Her Testimony
26s - 2:45–3:08
❝ Monólogo · 8 frases Robert Calls Leslie a Good Sport
23s
Leslie's Party After the Trial, explained
What happens
After Leslie is acquitted of murder, the Crosbies throw a party at their Singapore home. Leslie makes a late entrance in a new dress and moves through the guests, who congratulate her. The lawyer Howard Joyce keeps trying to draw Robert aside, but Robert would rather describe the Sumatra plantation he intends to buy.
What's really going on
Everyone treats the acquittal as a happy ending, and Leslie plays along—but the party is really a performance. A young lawyer tells her he "can't get over the way you gave your evidence," praising her composure as if it were a talent rather than a survival skill. Robert's talk of Sumatra is just as revealing: he calls his wife "a good sport" and says she is "not afraid of anything," turning her silence into something he can count on. Meanwhile Howard, who handled her defence, keeps trying to get Robert alone; he is brushed off with "Not now, Howard. Maybe later." The celebration starts to look less like relief and more like a marriage being quietly rearranged.
Key lines & what they mean
- “That's the important thing, isn't it?”
- Robert insists that having each other is what matters, an assurance Leslie never answers.
- “You must be very relieved that this awful business is over.”
- A guest assumes Leslie feels relief now the trial is over—an assumption the scene quietly questions.
- “Oh, Leslie, darling, I never saw anyone like you, ever.”
- Dorothy's admiration treats Leslie as extraordinary while the party avoids what she has just been through.
- “I'll never forget the night it happened.”
- The young lawyer remembers the murder as a striking case rather than the trauma it was for Leslie.
- “For me, the one house will do.”
- A dry reply to the talk of three bungalows, hinting the speaker is not sold on the Sumatra plan.
Theme
- Secrets — The party papers over what really won the verdict, and Howard's repeated attempts to get Robert alone show something is still hidden.
- Marriage — Robert decides the family's future and calls Leslie a good sport, while she smiles through a celebration she cannot enjoy.
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel3/6
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
Puntos de lengua
Toca una tarjeta para saltar a ese momentoFrases de oro
Una gran frase en sí misma: por qué y cómo usarla“You must be very relieved that this awful business is over.”
Por qué es buena
It congratulates and acknowledges the ordeal in one polite sentence.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
You must be very relieved that the audit is over.
“Oh, Leslie, darling, I never saw anyone like you, ever.”
Por qué es buena
The added ever at the end turns a compliment into overflowing affection.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
I never saw anyone handle it like you, ever.
“I'll never forget the night it happened.”
Por qué es buena
It names the night only as it happened, and the omission makes the memory heavier.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
I'll never forget the day we first met.
“For me, the one house will do.”
Por qué es buena
While others joke about three houses, this quiet line shows how little she asks for.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
For me, a simple card will do.
Monólogo
Un personaje sostiene la escena: practícalo entero❝ Bob's plantation pitch
Of course, we shall miss Singapore. Ah! Our friends are here, and we've had some mighty fine times, haven't we? No English people in that part of Sumatra, only Dutch and natives. It's going to be a little lonely at first, but we'll get used to it. Yeah. There will be the two of us, but my wife's a good sport. Always can count on her. She's not afraid of anything. And we'll have each other. That's the important thing, isn't it?
He moves from nostalgia to self-assurance, and the last line quietly exposes his vanity.
Ideas clave
Lo que te llevas- Party compliments circle the trial without naming it.
- Bob's good sport praise hides what he asks of his wife.
- One guest's admiration of her evidence sounds almost like suspicion.
Preguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhy does Howard keep asking Robert to step outside?
He wants a private word away from the guests, which suggests there is business about the case—and the verdict—that they are not meant to hear.
Why does Robert talk about the plantation instead of the trial?
He is eager to move on and start a new life in Sumatra, so he turns the celebration into a pitch about the plantation's harbor, acreage and profits.
What does the young lawyer mean by "my first case"?
This was the first case he worked on, so he keeps marveling at how calmly and precisely Leslie gave her evidence in court.
Is Leslie happy at her own party?
She greets the guests and accepts their congratulations, but the scene gives her little to enjoy, and she leaves early with "Would you excuse me, please?"