The Gentlemen's Club

Every major city of England is littered with several clubs of this sort. In such an establishment, a gentleman may drink, socialize and pass the time with reading or billiards. Many clubs have rigorous criteria for membership. Usually the club is an entire building. There's usually no bar as such; a steward takes orders for drinks or food, which are then delivered. Since in a gentleman's establishment no money changes hands within the walls, all expenses are billed and settled by invoice.

A committee of gentlemen voted from the ranks by the other members conducts the business discussions of a club. The be barred from a club is a mark of great shame for a gentleman, as it invariably means being effectively divorced from his peers. Barring offenses include: not paying the bill, disrupting other members, ungentlemanly conduct in or outside the club, becoming bankrupt or losing one's class position.