Morning visits are usually paid between the hours of two
and four p. m. in winter, and two and five in summer. The
object in view in observing this rule is to avoid intruding be-
fore the luncheon is removed, and leave in sufficient time to
allow the lady of the house leisure for her dinner toilet.
Should the lady you desire to call upon be from home,
leave your card; no message is requisite. If your visit is in-
tended for two persons, leave two cards. Do not turn down
the corner of your card; that fashion has now exploded.
When introduced to strangers, bow slightly and enter at
once into conversation with them; to bow and take no further
notice of them, but to continue your conversation with the
lady on whom you are calling, is a great want of good
breeding. Visits of congratulation should be short, and must
always be made before dinner.
Visits of condolence are to be paid with as little delay as
possible after the occurrence that calls them forth. Unless you
are very intimate, it is an evidence of better taste to leave a
card than to intrude upon private sorrow. Should you be so
nearly related as to render a personal visit necessary, take care
to appear in a quiet dress, and, if the occasion be the death of
M ETIQUETTE.
a person even slightly related to you, go in mourning— deep or
otherwise, according to the degree of relationship. It is con-
sidered in good taste for ladies to make their calls in black
silk or plain colored apparel. It denotes that they sympathize
with the afflictions of the family, and such attentions are always
pleasing.
Cards must be left on all occasions of a formal character.
A lady leaves her own, and two of her husband's — one is in-
tended for the gentleman of the house, and one for the lady.
The names of the lady's daughters are often printed on the
same card with the name of their mother, and when such a
card is left, it implies that mother and daughters have called.
When you arrive in town it is proper to call and leave your
card, as an intimation that you are in the neighborhood, thus
acting the reverse of what is considered polite when in the
country, where the rule is that the stranger wait until called
upon.
If the cards are left preparatory to leaving town, the initials
P. P. C. [^pour prendre conge) should be written in pencil on the
corner of them.
Cards sent during the illness of a* member of a family
should be accompanied by verbal inquiries as to the patient's
state. Upon the birth of a child, cards may be sent twice or
thrice a week for two weeks. Cards may be left or sent the
day after a ball. After a dinner party, cards should be left
within a week.
A lady's card should be thin and not glazed. Some people
omit the prefix "Miss" to their names on the card. This is an
affectation of simplicity which takes away all appearance of
that quality. It is a thing unknown in English society, though
the fashion on the Continent, for a lady to have only her Chris-
tian name and her surname on the card.
The Visited. — Having invited a friend to pass a few days
Page 13
Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Morning visits are usually paid between the hours of two and four p. m. in winter, and two and five in summer. The object in view in observing this rule is to avoid intruding before the luncheon is removed, and leave in sufficient time to allow the lady of the house leisure for her dinner toilet.
Should the lady you desire to call upon be from home, leave your card; no message is requisite. If your visit is intended for two persons, leave two cards. Do not turn down the corner of your card; that fashion has now exploded.
When introduced to strangers, bow slightly and enter at once into conversation with them; to bow and take no further notice of them, but to continue your conversation with the lady on whom you are calling, is a great want of good breeding. Visits of congratulation should be short, and must always be made before dinner.
Visits of condolence are to be paid with as little delay as possible after the occurrence that calls them forth. Unless you are very intimate, it is an evidence of better taste to leave a card than to intrude upon private sorrow. Should you be so nearly related as to render a personal visit necessary, take care to appear in a quiet dress, and, if the occasion be the death of
a person even slightly related to you, go in mourning— deep or otherwise, according to the degree of relationship. It is considered in good taste for ladies to make their calls in black silk or plain colored apparel. It denotes that they sympathize with the afflictions of the family, and such attentions are always pleasing.
Cards must be left on all occasions of a formal character. A lady leaves her own, and two of her husband's — one is intended for the gentleman of the house, and one for the lady. The names of the lady's daughters are often printed on the same card with the name of their mother, and when such a card is left, it implies that mother and daughters have called.
When you arrive in town it is proper to call and leave your card, as an intimation that you are in the neighborhood, thus acting the reverse of what is considered polite when in the country, where the rule is that the stranger wait until called upon.
If the cards are left preparatory to leaving town, the initials P. P. C. (pour prendre congé) should be written in pencil on the corner of them.
Cards sent during the illness of a* member of a family should be accompanied by verbal inquiries as to the patient's state. Upon the birth of a child, cards may be sent twice or thrice a week for two weeks. Cards may be left or sent the day after a ball. After a dinner party, cards should be left within a week.
A lady's card should be thin and not glazed. Some people omit the prefix "Miss" to their names on the card. This is an affectation of simplicity which takes away all appearance of that quality. It is a thing unknown in English society, though the fashion on the Continent, for a lady to have only her Christian name and her surname on the card.
The Visited. — Having invited a friend to pass a few days