THE LUNCHEON

1. What made the writer agree to the proposal of the lady admirer?
Ans: The Luncheon is an interesting short story of W. S. Maugham. The story tells us how a
young writer was flattered by a cunning lady.
It was twenty years ago and the writer was living in Paris. He was earning barely enough money
to keep body and soul together. One day he received a letter from a woman. She had read a book
of him and in her letter she praised it highly. The young writer took her to be his admirer and sent
her a letter of thanks.
After a few days, in the second letter she wrote that she was passing through Paris and would like
to have a chat with the writer. She also requested him to give her a little luncheon at Foyots.
Foyots is a very expensive restaurant. So the writer could never think of going there. But he was
a young man. As a young man, he was eager to come in contact with a woman. As he says, I was
too young to have learned to say no to a woman. He expected his admirer to be young and
attractive and was tempted to enjoy her company.
So it may be said that the youthful curiosity led the writer to invite the lady at Foyots.
2. Narrate briefly the painful experience of the writer at Foyots.
Ans: W. S. Maughams The Luncheon is a remarkable short story in English literature. The
story depicts how a young writer was flattered by a cunning lady.
Twenty years ago the writer was living in Paris and earned just enough for him. A lady admirer
wrote to him praising one of his books. She tempted him as a young man and made him agree to
entertain her at Foyots.
They met at Foyots on the fixed date. The lady assured the writer that she never ate anything for
luncheon. But in fact, she took caviare, a salmon, asparagus, ice-cream and a peach and drank
champagne and coffee. And almost all of them were the most costly item on the menu. Moreover,
she admonished the writer every now and then for taking a mutton chop.
At Foyots the poor writer experienced a serious mental torture. He feared that the bill might
exceed the amount he had with him. He had to think what he would do if the bill exceeded the
money he had. All his eighty francs were spent to entertain the lady and when he walked out of
the restaurant he had the whole month before him but not a penny in his pocket.
In this way the lady exploited the writer at Foyots and the writer experienced a painful
experience.
3. What was the financial condition of the writer when he agreed to entertain his guest at
Foyots? What calculation did he make before giving the luncheon?
Ans: W. S. Maughams The Luncheon is a story of a ladys flattering to a poor writer. The
financial condition of the writer was not good. When he agreed to entertain his lady guest at
Foyots, he was then completely new as a writer. He had no other job or income. He was earning
barely enough money to keep body and soul together. However, he had only eighty francs with
him when he entertained the lady guest at Foyots.
The writer calculated that a modest luncheon would not cost him more than fifteen francs. He
thought that cutting out coffee for the next two weeks he could manage it well. It was his
planning of calculation.
4. Why did the lady take the writer to task?
Ans: The short story of W. S. Maugham reveals the cunning nature of the lady guest. Actually
she was a voracious eater. For the first time of meeting with the writer at Foyots, she assured the
writer that she had never eaten more than one thing for luncheon. But when the writer came she
ordered one after another item of rich foods. But the writer had only eighty francs. He was afraid
that what the bill would come to. However, thinking that the young writer ordered a mutton chop
for himself which was the cheapest dish on the menu. But the lady said that she would eat only
one thing for the luncheon and the items of food should be light. But a mutton chop is a heavy
piece of chop. The lady said that a man like the writer should not eat such heavy thing for
luncheon. This is why the lady guest took the writer to task.

THE LUNCHEON
5. What did the lady say in her second letter?
Ans: We get the picture of a tempting lady in The Luncheon of W. S. Maugham. The lady
admirer wrote two letters to the young writer. In the first letter the lady wrote about one of his
books that she had read. The writer wrote a letter thanking her. The lady could realize that the
writer was flattered by her letter, and she wrote another letter to him. This is known as the second
letter.
In the second letter she told him that she was passing through Paris and would like to have a chat
with him but her time was limited. So she had some free moments on the following Thursday.
She was spending the morning at the Luxembourg and would be obliged if he gave her a little
luncheon at Foyots afterwards.
This letter shows the ladys cunning nature.

THE LUNCHEON

6. What punishment did the immortal gods impose upon the lady?
Ans: W. S. Maughams The Luncheon is a story of a ladys flattering to a poor writer.
The writer fells a victim of circumstances at Foyots. But he could not say anything to the lady
guest. Actually the lady took the weakness of the writer. So the writer had nothing to do.
The immortal gods punished the lady for her greed and voracity. The immortal gods gave her an
enormous weight of twenty one stone and then made her look abnormally fat and ugly.
After a long, we mean after twenty years the writer met the lady at the play. The writer could not
recognise her, if she willingly did not introduce herself to him. However the writer was satisfied
and pleased with him, saying that he had his revenge and the immortal gods imposed a
punishment on her.
7. Sketch in brief the character of the lady admirer in The Luncheon.
Ans: The lady guest in The Luncheon of W. S. Maugham is an interesting character.
She is imposing rather than attractive.
She gives the writer an impression of having more teeth---white, large and even than were
necessary for any practical purpose. She is talkative as well.
She is an expert into the art of flattery. She exploits the young man and makes him agree to
entertain her at Foyots.
She always says that she does not take more than one things for luncheon. But she takes as many
as seven items of food and drink under various excuses. And even then she does not feel ashamed
to advise the writer to follow her example in eating.
In fact, she is an abandoned woman. Finally she weights twenty-one stone and looks funny. She is
rightly served for her greed, hypocrisy and falsehood.
8. Why was the young writer disappointed to see the lady at Foyots?
Or, How did the lady look when the writer met her at Foyots?
Ans: W. S. Maughams The Luncheon is a story of a ladys flattering to a poor writer. Twenty
years ago the writer was living in Paris and earned just enough for him. A lady admirer wrote to
him praising one of his books. She tempted him as a young man and made him agree to entertain
her at Foyots. The writer agreed to entertain the lady thinking that the lady might be young and
attractive.
But when he met the lady at Foyots, he did not find her so young as he expected. In appearance
she was imposing rather than attractive. She was in fact a woman of forty. It seemed to the writer
that she had more teeth, white, large and even, than were necessary for any practical purpose. So
the writer was disappointed to see the lady guest at Foyots.