Sentence:  People talked in the play of the “<WSD>English vice</WSD>” till at<!-- PAGE BREAK --> length the protagonist, Mr. Daventry, turns round and asks: “Is there such a thing, Lady Hillington, as an English vice<!-- Not emboldened, since this is not a proper-noun sense. -->?” /  / “Oh,” retorted the clever woman, “I thought every one knew that, Mr. Daventry; the <WSD>English vice</WSD> is adultery with home comforts.” 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The practice of indulging in an extramarital affair that resembles a second household.