CHAPTER XII.
Mr George Vavasor at Home It cannot perhaps fairly be said that George Vavasor was an unhospitable man, seeing that it was his custom to entertain his friends occasionally at Greenwich, Richmond, or such places; and he would now and again have a friend to dine with him at his club.
But he never gave breakfasts, dinners, or suppers under his own roof.

During a short period of his wine-selling career, at which time he had occupied handsome rooms over his place of business in New Burlington Street, he had presided at certain feasts given to customers or expectant customers by the firm; but he had not found this employment to his taste, and had soon relinquished it to one of the other partners.

Since that he had lived in lodgings in Cecil Street,--down at the bottom of that retired nook, near to the river and away from the Strand.

Here he had simply two rooms on the first floor, and hither his friends came to him very rarely.

They came very rarely on any account.