A distinguished lady appeared at an evening assemblage so
Judiciously attired that her personal defects did not prevent
her from looking really well. Over a rich black satin
dress she wore a long, loose sacque of black lace, lined with
grey silk. From beneath the short sleeves of her sacque
came down long, wide sleeves of white lace, confined with
bracelets round her fair and delicate little hands. Her throat
was covered closely with a handsome collar of French em-
broidered muslin, and her beautiful and becoming cap was of
white lace, white flowers, and white satin ribbon; her light
hair being simply parted on her broad and intellectual fore-
head. With her lively blue eyes and the bright and pleasant
expression of her countenance, no one seemed to notice the
faults of her nose, mouth, and complexion, and those of her
60 ETIQUETTE.
figure were so well concealed as to be scarcely apparent;
and then her lady-like ease and the total absence of all
affectation rendered her graceful and prepossessing. True it
is that, with a good heart and a good mind, no woman can be
ugly; at least they soon cease to be so considered, even if na-
ture has been unkind to them in feature, figure, and complex-
ion. An intelligent eye and a good-humored mouth are ex-
cellent substitutes for the want of regular beauty.
Now, as a deformed lady may render herself very agreeable
as a conversationist, she has no occasion to exhibit the defects
of her person in a dance, more especially going down in a
country dance.
At a large party, or at a wedding, there is generally a sup-
per table, lemonade and cake having been sent round during
the evening. The host and hostess should see that all the
ladies are conducted thither, and that none are neglected, par-
ticularly those that are timid and stand back. It is the busi-
ness of the host to attend to those himself, or to send the
waiters to them.
If the party is so large that all the ladies cannot go to the
table at once, let the matrons be conducted thither first, and
the young ladies afterwards. If there is a crowd, it is not un-
usual to have a cord (a handsome one, of course) stretched
across the door of the supper room and guarded by a servant,
who explains that no more are allowed to pass till after that
cord is taken down. Meanwhile the younger part of the com-
pany amuse themselves in the adjacent rooms. No lady should
take the liberty of meddling with the flowers that ornament the
table.
At a summer evening party the refreshments are of a much
lighter description than at a winter entertainment, consisting
chiefly of ice-creams, water-ices, fresh fruits, and cake.
At a fashionable dinner party the following were the ar-
rangements: The guests were twenty-four in number, and
they began to assemble at half -past seven punctually. They
were received in the library, where the host and hostess were
standing ready to receive them, introducing those who were
strangers to each other. When all had arrived the butler
enteredp and, going up to the lady of the house, told her, in a
ETIQUETTE. 61
Page 40
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
A distinguished lady appeared at an evening assemblage so Judiciously attired that her personal defects did not prevent her from looking really well. Over a rich black satin dress she wore a long, loose sacque of black lace, lined with grey silk. From beneath the short sleeves of her sacque came down long, wide sleeves of white lace, confined with bracelets round her fair and delicate little hands. Her throat was covered closely with a handsome collar of French embroidered muslin, and her beautiful and becoming cap was of white lace, white flowers, and white satin ribbon; her light hair being simply parted on her broad and intellectual forehead. With her lively blue eyes and the bright and pleasant expression of her countenance, no one seemed to notice the faults of her nose, mouth, and complexion, and those of her
figure were so well concealed as to be scarcely apparent; and then her lady-like ease and the total absence of all affectation rendered her graceful and prepossessing. True it is that, with a good heart and a good mind, no woman can be ugly; at least they soon cease to be so considered, even if nature has been unkind to them in feature, figure, and complexion. An intelligent eye and a good-humored mouth are excellent substitutes for the want of regular beauty.
Now, as a deformed lady may render herself very agreeable as a conversationist, she has no occasion to exhibit the defects of her person in a dance, more especially going down in a country dance.
At a large party, or at a wedding, there is generally a supper table, lemonade and cake having been sent round during the evening. The host and hostess should see that all the ladies are conducted thither, and that none are neglected, particularly those that are timid and stand back. It is the business of the host to attend to those himself, or to send the waiters to them.
If the party is so large that all the ladies cannot go to the table at once, let the matrons be conducted thither first, and the young ladies afterwards. If there is a crowd, it is not unusual to have a cord (a handsome one, of course) stretched across the door of the supper room and guarded by a servant, who explains that no more are allowed to pass till after that cord is taken down. Meanwhile the younger part of the company amuse themselves in the adjacent rooms. No lady should take the liberty of meddling with the flowers that ornament the table.
At a summer evening party the refreshments are of a much lighter description than at a winter entertainment, consisting chiefly of ice-creams, water-ices, fresh fruits, and cake.
At a fashionable dinner party the following were the arrangements: The guests were twenty-four in number, and they began to assemble at half -past seven punctually. They were received in the library, where the host and hostess were standing ready to receive them, introducing those who were strangers to each other. When all had arrived the butler entered and, going up to the lady of the house, told her, in a