Pipe and ladies' society
In Chapter 5 of Great Expectations, when Joe finishes the fixing of handcuffs, he proposes that men join the soldiers on the marsh to watch the hunt for the escaped convicts. Mr Pumblechook and Mr Hubble make an excuse to stay indoors. By choosing a "pipe and ladies' society" they are choosing to stay indoors to enjoy the warmth of indoors, smoke a pipe and the society of Mrs Hubble and Mrs Joe. In Victorian times, smoking a pipe at the end of a gathering was a common relaxing social ritual for men, when contrasted with chasing criminals.