Why did the author invite the lady guest to take a lunch in The Luncheon? Or How was the writer exploited by the lady guest? Or How does the author play the role of a host in The Luncheon?

Answer: The author William Somerset Maugham of The Luncheon, relates a lady who is an admirer of his stories. She wins the author's favour and expresses her wish to meet him aí a high class restaurant. The writer exposes the false motives of modest eating habits of the
middle classes with a touch of humour.

It was twenty years ago, when the writer was young and inexperienced. He was exploited by one of his lady admirers
who wrote a letter to the writer appreciating one of his books.
An enother letter she requested to give a luncheon at Foyot's. The lady was a shameless flatterer. She had a design in her mind when she wrote a letter to the writer praising one of his books. The design was to exploit the writer. She was so cunning that the writer being young and inexperienced became easily prey to her. In her second letter she expressed her desire to meet him and she also requested him to give her a luncheon at Foyot's.

On the appointed day they met at Foyot's. The poor writer was startled to see the bill of fare. But the cunning lady at first
assured him that she never ate more than one thing in luncheon. She was voracious and greedy. When the writer, to maintain
courtesy requested her to take at least one thing she wanted to eat salmon. Then she very tactfully compelled the writer to order one after another costly items, She ate at the same time caviar,
salmon, asparagus, ice-cream, coffee ard peach. She drank most expensive champagne.

The writer was very much upset to see the manner of lady's voracious eating. He was panic-stricken but was helpless. When he came out of the restaurant he had no penny in his pocket but the rest of the month was before him.

She was also very talkative. Shę was the lady of forty. She was imposing rather than attractive . She was not so attractive as the writer thought. She had more teeth than necessary. Twenty years later when the writer met him for second time then she was weighted twenty-one stone and looked ugly as the purishment for her voracity and greed.