The Luncheon by W. Somerset Maugham. Short summary

5 seconds

An admirer of the writer invites him to have breakfast together at Fuayo’s restaurant, which was clearly beyond the author’s means. He could not refuse the lady and accepted the invitation.

1 minute

During intermission at the theater, the narrator meets an old acquaintance of his. The woman recalls their first meeting when he invited her to breakfast. The hero remembered that incident well. It took place twenty years ago, when he was living in Paris.

The young man rented a small apartment in the Latin Quarter, the windows of which overlooked the cemetery. His earnings were barely enough to make ends meet. The heroine read one of the books he wrote and wrote to the author.

A correspondence between the writer and an admirer of his talent began. One day the woman wrote that she would be passing through Paris and wanted to meet. They could have breakfast at the Foieux restaurant. It was a place frequented by French senators, and the hero clearly could not afford it. But he was flattered by the lady’s attention and said nothing to her.

The prices in the restaurant were much higher than the writer expected. The guest was not shy and ordered everything in a row. In the end, the author’s money was barely enough to pay the bill.