Hi Paul -- on Sep 29 2017 at 17:44, you wrote:

PQ> I fear that Dallas stopped short of a more definitive explanation,
PQ> in terror of possible local household retribution.  I can verbalize
PQ> it without any such fear...

:-)

PQ> It would appear to describe a private "men's only" club, separate
PQ> from pesky interruptions from the females of the species.  It
PQ> provides a quiet place for conversation and contemplation amongst a
PQ> temporarily happy collection of likewise-minded men folk.  ;-)

I have to disagree, Paul -- it's not a club, it's a room within a private
residence. Common in the 18th and 19th Centuries, a really large house might
have several drawing rooms with differing levels of formality. One might be for
 dinner guests, another for family members when there were no guests, yet
another for honoured guests who were staying overnight. The term is not very
precise.


Cheers... Dallas

--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+