The Luncheon

The narrator is a young writer

The narrator is a young writer living in Paris with very little money. He has eighty gold francs to last the rest of the month and even plans to cut o

The lady had read one

The lady had read one of the narrator’s books, wrote to him, and invited herself to luncheon at Foyot’s. She says her only free time is the following

Foyot’s is an expensive restaurant

Foyot’s is an expensive restaurant, far beyond the narrator’s means. The narrator understands that even a modest meal there may strain his budget.

The lady repeatedly claims that she

The lady repeatedly claims that she never eats much, even saying she never eats anything for luncheon. Yet she eats caviar, salmon, asparagus, ice cre

As the meal grows more expensive

As the meal grows more expensive, the narrator becomes frightened about the bill. He thinks of pretending that his pocket was picked, and if needed, l