Excerpt from Thicker Than Water: A Novel It is better to come to a feast when you are not asked, observed Charley, with a philosophic air, than to be asked and not come. And much better manners, assented Mrs. Beckett, warmly. For my part, I don't understand such conduct. Guests who come late to lunch are almost as bad as those who come late to dinner, and they are unpardonable. For my part, I cannot understand Why society tolerates it. Still, it is a sign of good position, remarked Charley, with a twinkle in his blue eyes. It is only important people who venture to do it. They are titled, and say to themselves, 'our host is an inferior person, so will not re sent our rudeness or they are rich, and he owes them mone and dares not. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.