Sentence:  At half-past nine on this Saturday evening, the parlour of the Salutation Inn, High Holborn, contained most of its customary visitors....In former days every tavern of repute kept such a room for its own select circle, a club, or <WSD>society</WSD>, of habitués, who met every evening, for a pipe and a cheerful glass. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A group of people who meet from time to time to engage in a common interest; an association or organization.