Chapter 1 Part 4: In Which The Devil Is In The Details

[al-shairan.livejournal.com]

Much later the same night. We find ourselves at the Whitechapel Club - often called Chapel, for the amusement that name affords the club's members, as the organisation is decidely unsacred. The outside of the club is of a rather shabby townhouse. The exterior has been left deliberately dilapidated so that it better fits in to its down-at-heel surroundings. Inside, however, the club is the picture of opulence. After ringing the bell and being offered admittance, one passes through the sober hallway. A servant will take your coat and bags to the cloakroom. Downstairs there are a number of rooms. The most familiar is the drawing room, a convivial location for men to meet, talk, smoke cigars and read the latest periodicals. In the evening this is a place of lively conversation and raucous celebrations. Downstairs there is also a library well stocked with the classics and the latest titles, as well as probably England's finest collection of erotic and exotic books and prints. There is a strict rule that there is no smoking or sex in the library - the only place where these provisions apply. Upstairs there is a dining room. The walls of this room are frescoed with a charming erotic scene of characters from classical antiquity, who perform many surprising and acrobatic feats. Adjoining the dining room there is a salon decorated in a classical style with couches for reclining. This room is sometimes used for interesting theatrical performances. At the next storey there are bedrooms for gentlemen wishing to room for the night or week. Admittance is strictly members only. Members may bring one guest with them at a time.

I have enjoyed quite a quiet afternoon and evening. Having attended to some matters of business, I dined with my dear Arabella, who was as delighted as usual to see me. Having been apart for so long, the dear creature makes her appreciation of me plain, which is always pleasing to my pride. I have now come to the Whitechapel. This evening it has proved quiet. I dined with only half-a-dozen others, consuming a good quantity of port, and am now relaxing in the drawing room with a book and a cigar. I expect that after the theatres and public houses shut we may see a few more of our members appear.