Puff, of course, was in the chair; and Captain Guano coming last into the room, and being very fond of office, was vice.
When men run to the 'noble science' of gastronomy, they generally outstrip the ladies in the art of dinner-giving, for they admit of no makeweight, or merely ornamental dishes, but concentrate the cook's energies on sterling and approved dishes.

Everything men set on is meant to be eaten.

Above all, men are not too fine to have the plate-warmer in the room, the deficiency of hot plates proving fatal to many a fine feast.

It was evident that Puff prided himself on his table.

His linen was the finest and whitest, his glass the most elegant and transparent, his plate the brightest, and his wines the most costly and _recherche_.