other hot breads at noon with less after-dis- comfort than at any other season, and dishes of this sort are usually acceptable on the luncheon-table. With their help the meal can hardly fail to be appetizing. 05 A SMALL LUNCHEON LUNCHEOKS are among the most popu- lar forms of entertainment that can be selected, when only a limited number are to be honored. To these affairs men are seldom invited, and there are not wanting those among the sterner sex who do not hesitate to attribute their banishment to desire on the women's part for the opportunity to chat un- interruptedly and unreservedly on those sub- jects presumed dear to their hearts — dress, babies, and servants. Other men go so far as to hint that gossip, and even scandal, engage the tongues of these much-maligned women, while even the most charitable husbands and brothers cannot refrain from openly express- ing their pity for the unfortunate ladies de- barred, for even a limited period, from the delights of the society of the lords of crea- tion. 96 A SMALL LUNCHEON Casting aside the intimations respecting gossip or scandal as unworthy of notice, and tracing the animus of the other slurs to their source, in the overpowering jealousy on the part of their perpetrators that they are ex- cluded from the select assemblages they af- fect to condemn, it may be said in refutation of the last charge that there are few women who do not agree in considering a luncheon among the most delightful of their social ex- periences. An invitation to one is usually hailed with joy, and a woman will undergo a good deal of inconvenience sooner than con- sent to decline it. A luncheon is elastic in its nature, and may be of any size the hostess's fancy or judg- ment dictates. One woman may invite an- other to share the meal with her, and to help form that solitude a deux so delightful to two congenial souls. In such a case a long and elaborate Qnenu is out of place, and not in the best form. "What dishes there are should be wisely selected, perfectly prepared, and care- fully served ; but a multiplication of courses or viands is unnecessary, and savors of vulgar 7 97 . WHAT TO EAT — HOW TO SERVE IT display. The same principle applies at any mnall luncheon. The definition of size is a rather difficult matter, but a company of this sort of not more than five or six persons may fitly be called small. With every addition to the number the need increases for more items in the menu. For a small and unpretentious luncheon the invitations should not be issued long in advance, unless the hostess finds it necessary to do so in order to secure the presence of some especial guests. In that case, if the entertainment is to be very simple, it is as well to inform the guests of the fact when writing to them. Either a written or a ver- bal invitation is admissible. It should al- ways be clearly understood, however, that the engagement, when once made, is no less binding than if it were a promise to attend the largest and most ceremonious dinner. Indeed, fidelity to one's acceptance and prompt attendance are even more obligatory at a small than at a large affair, because at the latter the defection of one person is less noticeable than it w^ould be were very few 98 A SMALL LUNCHEON expected to be present. In either case fail- ure to keep the engagement is a grave breach of etiquette. It may be said, in this connec- tion, that more of a compliment is implied by the request to be one of a small and — by inference — select band than is shown when the invitations embrace a larger party. An even number is usually better than an odd number at a luncheon, unless the table is a large round one, about which the guests can gather without leaving an awkward gap on one side.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

other hot breads at noon with less after-discomfort than at any other season, and dishes of this sort are usually acceptable on the luncheon-table. With their help the meal can hardly fail to be appetizing. LUNCHEOKS are among the most popular forms of entertainment that can be selected, when only a limited number are to be honored. To these affairs men are seldom invited, and there are not wanting those among the sterner sex who do not hesitate to attribute their banishment to desire on the women's part for the opportunity to chat uninterruptedly and unreservedly on those subjects presumed dear to their hearts — dress, babies, and servants. Other men go so far as to hint that gossip, and even scandal, engage the tongues of these much-maligned women, while even the most charitable husbands and brothers cannot refrain from openly expressing their pity for the unfortunate ladies debarred, for even a limited period, from the delights of the society of the lords of creation. Casting aside the intimations respecting gossip or scandal as unworthy of notice, and tracing the animus of the other slurs to their source, in the overpowering jealousy on the part of their perpetrators that they are excluded from the select assemblages they affect to condemn, it may be said in refutation of the last charge that there are few women who do not agree in considering a luncheon among the most delightful of their social experiences. An invitation to one is usually hailed with joy, and a woman will undergo a good deal of inconvenience sooner than consent to decline it. A luncheon is elastic in its nature, and may be of any size the hostess's fancy or judgment dictates. One woman may invite another to share the meal with her, and to help form that solitude a deux so delightful to two congenial souls. In such a case a long and elaborate menu is out of place, and not in the best form. "What dishes there are should be wisely selected, perfectly prepared, and carefully served ; but a multiplication of courses or viands is unnecessary, and savors of vulgar 7 97 . display. The same principle applies at any small luncheon. The definition of size is a rather difficult matter, but a company of this sort of not more than five or six persons may fitly be called small. With every addition to the number the need increases for more items in the menu. For a small and unpretentious luncheon the invitations should not be issued long in advance, unless the hostess finds it necessary to do so in order to secure the presence of some especial guests. In that case, if the entertainment is to be very simple, it is as well to inform the guests of the fact when writing to them. Either a written or a verbal invitation is admissible. It should always be clearly understood, however, that the engagement, when once made, is no less binding than if it were a promise to attend the largest and most ceremonious dinner. Indeed, fidelity to one's acceptance and prompt attendance are even more obligatory at a small than at a large affair, because at the latter the defection of one person is less noticeable than it would be were very few expected to be present. In either case failure to keep the engagement is a grave breach of etiquette. It may be said, in this connection, that more of a compliment is implied by the request to be one of a small and — by inference — select band than is shown when the invitations embrace a larger party. An even number is usually better than an odd number at a luncheon, unless the table is a large round one, about which the guests can gather without leaving an awkward gap on one side.

What to eat, how to serve it