INVITATIONS, ACCEPTANCES AND REGRETS
=THE FORMAL INVITATION=
As an inheritance from the days when Mrs. Brown presented her compliments
and begged that Mrs. Smith would do her the honor to take a dish of tea
with her, we still--notwithstanding the present flagrant disregard of
old-fashioned convention--send our formal invitations, acceptances and
regrets, in the prescribed punctiliousness of the third person.
All formal invitations, whether they are to be engraved or to be written
by hand (and their acceptances and regrets) are invariably in the third
person, and good usage permits of no deviation from this form.
=WEDDING INVITATIONS=
The invitation to the ceremony is engraved on the front sheet of white
note-paper. The smartest, at present, is that with a raised margin--or
plate mark. At the top of the sheet the crest (if the family of the bride
has the right to use one) is embossed without color. Otherwise the
invitation bears no device. The engraving may be in script, block, shaded
block, or old English. The invitation to the ceremony should always
request "the honour" of your "presence," and never the "pleasure" of your
"company." (Honour is spelled in the old-fashioned way, with a "u" instead
of "honor.")
_Enclosed in Two Envelopes_
Two envelopes are never used except for wedding invitations or
announcements; but wedding invitations and all accompaning cards are
always enclosed first in an inner envelope that has no mucilage on the
flap, and is superscribed "Mr. and Mrs. Jameson Greatlake," without
address. This is enclosed in an outer envelope which is sealed and
addressed:
Mr. and Mrs. Jameson Greatlake,
24 Michigan Avenue,
Chicago.
To those who are only "asked to the church" no house invitation is
enclosed.
=THE CHURCH INVITATION=
The proper form for an invitation to a church ceremony is:
(_Form No. 1._)
Mr. and Mrs. John Huntington Smith
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Mary Katherine
to
Mr. James Smartlington
on Tuesday the first of November
at twelve o'clock
at St. John's Church
in the City of New York
(_Form No. 2._)
Mr. and Mrs. John Huntington Smith
request the honour of
[HW: Miss Pauline Town's]
presence at the marriage of their daughter
Mary Katherine
to
Mr. James Smartlington
on Tuesday the first of November
at twelve o'clock
at St. John's Church
(_The size of invitations is 5-1/8 wide by 7-3/8 deep._)
(_When the parents issue the invitations for a wedding at a house other
than their own._)
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Littlehouse
request the honour of
presence at the marriage of their daughter
Betty
to
Mr. Frederic Robinson
on Saturday the fifth of November
at four o'clock
at the house of Mr. and Mrs. Sterlington
Tuxedo Park
New York
R.s.v.p.
No variation is permissible in the form of a wedding invitation. Whether
fifty guests are to be invited or five thousand, the paper, the engraving
and the wording, and the double envelope are precisely the same.
_Church Card of Admittance_
In cities or wherever the general public is not to be admitted, a card of
about the size of a small visiting card is enclosed with the church
invitation:
Please present this card,
at St. John's Church
on Tuesday the first of November
_Cards to Reserved Pews_
To the family and very intimate friends who are to be seated in especially
designated pews:
Please present this to an usher
Pew No.
on Thursday the ninth of May
Engraved pew cards are ordered only for very big weddings where twenty or
more pews are to be reserved. The more usual custom--at all small and many
big weddings--is for the mother of the bride, and the mother of the
bridegroom each to write on her personal visiting card:
[HW: Pew No. 7]
Mrs. John Huntington Smith
FOUR WEST THIRTY-SIXTH STREET
A card for the reserved enclosure but no especial pew is often inscribed
"Within the Ribbons."
=INVITATION TO THE HOUSE=
The invitation to the breakfast or reception following the church ceremony
is engraved on a card to match the paper of the church invitation and is
the size of the latter after it is folded for the envelope:
Mr. and Mrs. John Huntington Smith
request the pleasure of
[HW: Mr. & Mrs. James Greatlake's]
company on Tuesday the first of November
at half after four o'clock
at Four West Thirty-sixth Street
R.s.v.p.
=CEREMONY AND RECEPTION INVITATION IN ONE=
Occasionally, especially for a country wedding, the invitation to the
breakfast or the reception is added to the one to the ceremony:
Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Chatterton request the
honour of
[HW: Mr. & Mrs. Worldly's]
presence at the marriage of their daughter
Hester
to
Mr. James Town, junior
on Tuesday the first of June
at three o'clock
at St. John's Church
and afterwards at Sunnylawn
Ridgefield
R.s.v.p.
Or the invitation reads "at twelve o'clock, at St. John's Church, and
afterwards at breakfast at Sunnylawn"; but "afterwards to the reception at
Sunnylawn" is wrong.
=THE INVITATION TO A HOUSE WEDDING=
Is precisely the same except that "at Sunnylawn" or "at Four West
Thirty-sixth Street" is put in place of "at St. John's Church," and an
invitation to stay on at a house, to which the guest is already invited,
is not necessary.
_The Train Card_
If the wedding is to be in the country, a train card is enclosed:
A special train will leave Grand Central Station at 12:45 P.M.,
arriving at Ridgefield at 2:45. Returning, train will leave
Ridgefield at 5:10 P.M., arriving New York at 7.02 P.M.
_Show this card at the gate._
=INVITATION TO RECEPTION AND NOT TO CEREMONY=
It sometimes happens that the bride prefers none but her family at the
ceremony, and a big reception. This plan is chosen where the mother of the
bride or other very near relative is an invalid. The ceremony may take
place at a bedside, or it may be that the invalid can go down to the
drawing-room with only the immediate families, and is unequal to the
presence of many people.
Under these circumstances the invitations to the breakfast or reception
are sent on sheets of note paper like that used for church invitations,
but the wording is:
Mr. and Mrs. Grantham Jones
request the pleasure of your company
at the wedding breakfast of their daughter
Muriel
and
Mr. Burlingame Ross, Jr.
on Saturday the first of November
at one o'clock
at Four East Thirty-Eighth Street
The favor of an
answer is requested
The "pleasure of your company" is requested in this case instead of the
"honour of your presence."
=THE WRITTEN WEDDING INVITATION=
If a wedding is to be so small that no invitations are engraved, the notes
of invitation should be personally written by the bride:
Sally Dear:
Our wedding is to be on Thursday the tenth at half-past twelve,
Christ Church Chantry. Of course we want you and Jack and the
children! And we want all of you to come afterward to Aunt
Mary's, for a bite to eat and to wish us luck.
Affectionately,
Helen.
or
Dear Mrs. Kindhart:
Dick and I are to be married at Christ Church Chantry at noon on
Thursday the tenth. We both want you and Mr. Kindhart to come to
the church and afterward for a very small breakfast to my
Aunt's--Mrs. Slade--at Two Park Avenue.
With much love from us both,
Affectionately,
Helen.
=WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENTS=
If no general invitations were issued to the church, an announcement
engraved on note paper like that of the invitation to the ceremony, is
sent to the entire visiting list of both the bride's and the groom's
family:
Mr. and Mrs. Maynard Barnes
have the honour to announce
the marriage of their daughter
Priscilla
to
Mr. Eben Hoyt Leaming
on Tuesday the twenty-sixth of April
One thousand nine hundred and twenty-two
in the City of New York
=THE SECOND MARRIAGE=
=INVITATIONS=
Invitations to the marriage of a widow--if she is very young--are sent in
the name of her parents exactly as were the invitations to her first
wedding, excepting that her name instead of being merely Priscilla is now
written Priscilla Barnes Leaming, thus:
Mr. and Mrs. Maynard Barnes
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Priscilla Barnes Leaming
to
etc.
=ANNOUNCEMENTS=
For a young widow's marriage are also the same as for a first wedding:
Mr. and Mrs. Maynard Barnes
have the honour to announce
the marriage of their daughter
Priscilla Barnes Leaming
to
Mr. Worthington Adams
etc. But the announcement of the marriage of a widow of maturer years is
engraved on note paper and reads:
Mrs. Priscilla Barnes Leaming
and
Mr. Worthington Adams
have the honour to announce their marriage
on Monday the second of November
at Saratoga Springs
New York
=CARDS OF ADDRESS=
If the bride and groom wish to inform their friends of their future
address (especially in cities not covered by the Social Register), it is
customary to enclose a card with the announcement:
Mr. and Mrs. Worthington Adams
will be at home
after the first of December
at Twenty-five Alderney Place
Or merely their visiting card with their new address in the lower right
corner:
Mr. and Mrs. Worthington Adams
25 Alderney Place
=INVITATION TO WEDDING ANNIVERSARY=
For a wedding anniversary celebration, the year of the wedding and the
present year are usually stamped across the top of an invitation.
Sometimes the couple's initials are added.
1898-1922
Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Johnson
request the pleasure of
[HW: Mr. & Mrs. ILLEGIBLE]
company at the
Twenty-fifth Anniversary of their marriage
on Wednesday the first of June
at nine o'clock
Twenty-four Austin Avenue
R.s.v.p.
=ANSWERING A WEDDING INVITATION=
An invitation to the church only requires no answer whatever. An
invitation to the reception or breakfast is answered on the first page of
a sheet of note paper, and although it is written "by hand" the spacing of
the words must be followed as though they were engraved. This is the form
of acceptance:
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gilding, Jr.,
accept with pleasure
Mr. and Mrs. John Huntington Smith's
kind invitation for
Tuesday the first of June
The regret reads:
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Brown
regret that they are unable to accept
Mr. and Mrs. John Huntington Smith's
kind invitation for
Tuesday the first of June
=OTHER FORMAL INVITATIONS=
All other formal invitations are engraved (never printed) on cards of thin
white matte Bristol board, either plain or plate-marked like those for
wedding reception cards. Note paper such as that used for wedding
invitations is occasionally, but rarely, preferred.
Monograms, addresses, personal devices are not used on engraved
invitations.
The size of the card of invitation varies with personal preference from
four and a half to six inches in width, and from three to four and a half
inches in height. The most graceful proportion is three units in height to
four in width.
The lettering is a matter of personal choice, but the plainer the design,
the better. Scrolls and ornate trimmings are bad taste always. Punctuation
is used only after each letter of the R.s.v.p. and it is absolutely
correct to use small letters for the s.v.p. Capitals R.S.V.P. are
permissible; but fastidious people prefer "R.s.v.p."
=INVITATION TO A BALL=
The word "ball" is never used excepting in an invitation to a public one,
or at least a semi-public one, such as may be given by a committee for a
charity or a club, or association of some sort.
For example:
The Committee of the Greenwood Club
request the pleasure of your company
at a Ball
to be held in the Greenwood Clubhouse
on the evening of November the seventh
at ten o'clock.
for the benefit of
The Neighborhood Hospital
Tickets five dollars
Invitations to a private ball, no matter whether the ball is to be given
in a private house, or whether the hostess has engaged an entire floor of
the biggest hotel in the world, announce merely that Mr. and Mrs. Somebody
will be "At Home," and the word "dancing" is added almost as though it
were an afterthought in the lower left corner, the words "At Home" being
slightly larger than those of the rest of the invitation. When both "At"
and "Home" are written with a capital letter, this is the most punctilious
and formal invitation that it is possible to send. It is engraved in
script usually, on a card of white Bristol board about five and a half
inches wide and three and three-quarters of an inch high. Like the wedding
invitation it has an embossed crest without color, or nothing.
The precise form is:
Mr. and Mrs. Titherington de Payster
At Home
On Monday the third of January
at ten o'clock
One East Fiftieth Street
The favour of an answer
is requested Dancing
or
Mr. and Mrs. Davis Jefferson
At Home
On Monday the third of January
at ten o'clock
Town and Country Club
Kindly send reply to
Three Mt. Vernon Square Dancing
(_If preferred, the above invitations may be engraved in block or shaded
block type._)
=BALL FOR DÉBUTANTE DAUGHTER=
Very occasionally an invitation is worded
Mr. and Mrs. Davis Jefferson
Miss Alice Jefferson
At Home
if the daughter is a débutante and the ball is for her, but it is not
strictly correct to have any names but those of the host and his wife
above the words "At Home."
The proper form of invitation when the ball is to be given for a
débutante, is as follows:
Mr. and Mrs. de Puyster
request the pleasure of
[HW: Miss Rosalie Gray's]
company at a dance in honour of their daughter
Miss Alice de Puyster
on Monday evening, the third of January
at ten o'clock
One East Fiftieth Street
R.s.v.p.
or
Mr. and Mrs. Titherington de Puyster
Miss Alice de Puyster
request the pleasure of
[HW: Mr. and Mrs. Greatlake's]
company on Monday evening the third of January
at ten o'clock
One East Fiftieth Street
Dancing
R.s.v.p.
The form most often used by fashionable hostesses in New York and Newport
is:
Mr. and Mrs. Gilding
request the pleasure of
company at a small dance
on Monday the first of January
at Ought Ought Fifth Avenue
Even if given for a débutante daughter, her name does not appear, and it
is called a "small dance," whether it is really small or big. The request
for a reply is often omitted, since everyone is supposed to know that an
answer is necessary. But if the dance, or dinner, or whatever the
entertainment is to be, is given at one address and the hostess lives at
another, both addresses are always given:
Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Oldname
request the pleasure of
company at a dance
on Monday evening the sixth of January
at ten o'clock
The Fitz-Cherry
Kindly send response to
Brookmeadows
L.I.
If the dance is given for a young friend who is not a relative, Mr. and
Mrs. Oldname's invitations should
request the pleasure of
company at a dance in honour of
Miss Rosalie Grey
=WHEN AND HOW ONE MAY ASK FOR AN INVITATION FOR A STRANGER=
One may never ask for an invitation for oneself anywhere! And one may not
ask for an invitation to a luncheon or a dinner for a stranger. But an
invitation for any general entertainment may be asked for a
stranger--especially for a house-guest.
Example:
Dear Mrs. Worldly,
A young cousin of mine, David Blakely from Chicago, is staying
with us.
May Pauline take him to your dance on Friday? If it will be
inconvenient for you to include him, please do not hesitate to
say so frankly.
Very sincerely yours,
Caroline Robinson Town.
Answer:
Dear Mrs. Town,
I shall be delighted to have Pauline bring Mr. Blakely on the
tenth.
Sincerely yours,
Edith Worldly.
Or
A man might write for an invitation for a friend. But a very young girl
should not ask for an invitation for a man--or anyone--since it is more
fitting that her mother ask for her. An older girl might say to Mrs.
Worldly, "My cousin is staying with us, may I bring him to your dance?" Or
if she knows Mrs. Worldly very well she might send a message by telephone:
"Miss Town would like to know whether she may bring her cousin, Mr.
Michigan, to Mrs. Worldly's dance."
=CARD OF GENERAL INVITATION=
Invitations to important entertainments are nearly always especially
engraved, so that nothing is written except the name of the person
invited; but, for the hostess who entertains constantly, a card which is
engraved in blank, so that it may serve for dinner, luncheon, dance,
garden party, musical, or whatever she may care to give, is indispensable.
The spacing of the model shown below, the proportion of the words, and the
size of the card, are especially good.
Mrs. Stevens
requests the pleasure of
company at
on
at o'clock
Two Elm Place
=THE DINNER INVITATION=
The blank which may be used only for dinner:
Mr. and Mrs. Huntington Jones
request the pleasure of
company at dinner
on
at eight o'clock
at Two Thousand Fifth Avenue
(_For type and spacing follow model on p. 118._)
=INVITATIONS TO RECEPTIONS AND TEAS=
Invitations to receptions and teas differ from invitations to balls in
that the cards on which they are engraved are usually somewhat smaller,
the words "At Home" with capital letters are changed to "will be at home"
with small letters, and the time is not set at the hour. Also, except on
very unusual occasions, a man's name does not appear. The name of the
débutante for whom the tea is given is put under that of her mother, and
sometimes under that of her sister or the bride of her brother.
Mrs. James Town
Mrs. James Town, junior
Miss Pauline Town
will be at home
On Tuesday the eighth of December
from four until six o'clock
Two Thousand Fifth Avenue.
Mr. Town's name would probably appear with that of his wife if he were an
artist, and the reception was given in his studio to view his pictures, or
if a reception were given to meet a distinguished guest such as a bishop
or a governor, in which case "In honour of the Right Reverend William
Powell," or "To meet His Excellency the Governor," is at the top of the
invitation.
=THE FORMAL INVITATION WHICH IS WRITTEN=
When the formal invitation to dinner or lunch is written instead of
engraved, note paper stamped with house or personal device is used. The
wording and spacing must follow the engraved models exactly.
350 PARK AVENUE
Mr. and Mrs. John Kindhart
request the pleasure of
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gilding Jr.'s
company at Dinner
on Tuesday the sixth of December
at eight o'clock.
It must _not_ be written:
350 PARK AVENUE
TELEPHONE 7572 PLAZA
Mr. & Mrs. J. Kindhart request the pleasure of Mr. & Mrs. James
Town's Company at Dinner on Tuesday etc.
The foregoing example has four faults:
(1) Letters in the third person must follow the prescribed form. This does
not. (2) The writing is crowded against the margin. (3) The telephone
number should be used only for business and informal notes and letters.
(4) The full name John should be used instead of the initial "J." "Mr. and
Mrs." is better form than "Mr. & Mrs."
=RECALLING AN INVITATION=
If for illness or other reason invitations have to be recalled the
following forms are correct. They are always printed instead of engraved,
there being no time for engraving.
Owing to sudden illness
Mr. and Mrs. John Huntington Smith
are obliged to recall their invitations
for Tuesday the tenth of June.
The form used when the invitation is postponed:
Mr. and Mrs. John Huntington Smith
regret exceedingly
that owing to the illness of Mrs. Smith
their dance is temporarily postponed.
When a wedding is broken off after the invitations have been issued:
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Nottingham
announce
that the marriage of their daughter
Mary Katharine
and
Mr. Jerrold Atherton
will not take place
=FORMAL ACCEPTANCE OR REGRET=
Acceptances or regrets are always written. An engraved form to be filled
in is vulgar--nothing could be in worse taste than to flaunt your
popularity by announcing that it is impossible to answer your numerous
invitations without the time-saving device of a printed blank. If you have
a dozen or more invitations a day, if you have a hundred, hire a staff of
secretaries if need be, but answer "by hand."
The formal acceptance to an invitation, whether it is to a dance, wedding
breakfast or a ball, is identical:
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Lovejoy
accept with pleasure
Mr. and Mrs. Smith's
kind invitation for dinner
on Monday the tenth of December
at eight o'clock
The formula for regret:
Mr. Clubwin Doe
regrets extremely that a previous engagement
prevents his accepting
Mr. and Mrs. Smith's
kind invitation for dinner
on Monday the tenth of December
or
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Kerry
regret that they are unable to accept
Mr. and Mrs. Smith's
kind invitation for dinner
on Monday the tenth of December
In accepting an invitation the day and hour must be repeated, so that in
case of mistake it may be rectified and prevent one from arriving on a day
when one is not expected. But in declining an invitation it is not
necessary to repeat the hour.
=VISITING CARD INVITATIONS=
With the exception of invitations to house-parties, dinners and luncheons,
the writing of notes is past. For an informal dance, musical, picnic, for
a tea to meet a guest, or for bridge, a lady uses her ordinary visiting
card:
To meet Miss Millicent Gilding
=MRS. JOHN KINDHART=
Tues. Jan. 7. Dancing at 10. o'ck. 350 PARK AVENUE
or
Wed. Jan. 8. Bridge at 4. o'ck.
=MRS. JOHN KINDHART=
R.s.v.p. 350 PARK AVENUE
Answers to invitations written on visiting cards are always formally
worded in the third person, precisely as though the invitation had been
engraved.
=INVITATIONS IN THE SECOND PERSON=
The informal dinner and luncheon invitation is not spaced according to set
words on each line, but is written merely in two paragraphs. Example:
Dear Mrs. Smith:
Will you and Mr. Smith dine with us on Thursday, the seventh of
January, at eight o'clock?
Hoping so much for the pleasure of seeing you,
Very sincerely,
Caroline Robinson Town.
=THE INFORMAL NOTE OF ACCEPTANCE OR REGRET=
Dear Mrs. Town:
It will give us much pleasure to dine with you on Thursday the
seventh, at eight o'clock.
Thanking you for your kind thought of us,
Sincerely yours,
Margaret Smith.
Wednesday.
or
Dear Mrs. Town:
My husband and I will dine with you on Thursday the seventh, at
eight o'clock, with greatest pleasure.
Thanking you so much for thinking of us,
Always sincerely,
Margaret Smith.
or
Dear Mrs. Town:
We are so sorry that we shall be unable to dine with you on the
seventh, as we have a previous engagement.
With many thanks for your kindness in thinking of us,
Very sincerely,
Ethel Norman.
=INVITATION TO COUNTRY HOUSE=
To an intimate friend:
Dear Sally:
Will you and Jack (and the baby and nurse, of course) come out
the 28th (Friday), and stay for ten days? Morning and evening
trains take only forty minutes, and it won't hurt Jack to commute
for the weekdays between the two Sundays! I am sure the country
will do you and the baby good, or at least it will do me good to
have you here.
With much love, affectionately,
Ethel Norman.
To a friend of one's daughter:
Dear Mary:
Will you and Jim come on Friday the first for the Worldly dance,
and stay over Sunday? Muriel asks me to tell you that Helen and
Dick, and also Jimmy Smith are to be here and she particularly
hopes that you will come, too.
The three-twenty from New York is the best train--much. Though
there is a four-twenty and a five-sixteen, in case Jim is not
able to take the earlier one.
Very sincerely,
Alice Jones.
Confirming a verbal invitation:
Dear Helen:
This note is merely to remind you that you and Dick are coming
here for the Worldly dance on the sixth. Mother is expecting you
on the three-twenty train, and will meet you here at the station.
Affectionately,
Muriel.
Invitation to a house party at a camp:
Dear Miss Strange:
Will you come up here on the sixth of September and stay until
the sixteenth? It would give us all the greatest pleasure. There
is a train leaving Broadway Station at 8.03 A.M. which will get
you to Dustville Junction at 5 P.M. and here in time for supper.
It is only fair to warn you that the camp is very primitive; we
have no luxuries, but we can make you fairly comfortable if you
like an outdoor life and are not too exacting. Please do not
bring a maid or any clothes that the woods or weather can ruin.
You will need nothing but outdoor things: walking boots (if you
care to walk), a bathing suit (if you care to swim in the lake),
and something comfortable rather than smart for evening (if you
care to dress for supper). But on no account bring evening, or
any _good_ clothes!
Hoping so much that camping appeals to you and that we shall see
you on the evening of the sixth,
Very sincerely yours,
Martha Kindhart.
=THE INVITATION BY TELEPHONE=
Custom which has altered many ways and manners has taken away all
opprobrium from the message by telephone, and with the exception of those
of a very small minority of letter-loving hostesses, all informal
invitations are sent and answered by telephone. Such messages, however,
follow a prescribed form:
"Is this Lenox 0000? Will you please ask Mr. and Mrs. Smith if
they will dine with Mrs. Grantham Jones next Tuesday the tenth at
eight o'clock? Mrs. Jones' telephone number is Plaza, one two
ring two."
The answer:
"Mr. and Mrs. Huntington Smith regret that they will be unable to
dine with Mrs. Jones on Tuesday the tenth, as they are engaged
for that evening.
Or
"Will you please tell Mrs. Jones that Mr. and Mrs. Huntington
Smith are very sorry that they will be unable to dine with her
next Tuesday, and thank her for asking them."
Or
"Please tell Mrs. Jones that Mr. and Mrs. Huntington Smith will
dine with her on Tuesday the tenth, with pleasure."
The formula is the same, whether the invitation is to dine or lunch, or
play bridge or tennis, or golf, or motor, or go on a picnic.
"Will Mrs. Smith play bridge with Mrs. Grantham Jones this
afternoon at the Country Club, at four o'clock?"
"Hold the wire please * * * Mrs. Jones will play bridge, with
pleasure at four o'clock."
In many houses, especially where there are several grown sons or
daughters, a blank form is kept in the pantry:
Will
with M
on the
at o'clock. Telephone number
Accept
Regret
These slips are taken to whichever member of the family has been invited,
who crosses off "regret" or "accept" and hands the slip back for
transmission by the butler, the parlor-maid or whoever is on duty in the
pantry.
If Mr. Smith and Mrs. Jones are themselves telephoning there is no long
conversation, but merely:
Mrs. Jones:
"Is that you Mrs. Smith (or Sarah)? This is Mrs. Jones (or
Alice). Will you and your husband (or John) dine with us
to-morrow at eight o'clock?"
Mrs. Smith:
"I'm so sorry we can't. We are dining with Mabel."
Or
"We have people coming here."
Invitations to a house party are often as not telephoned:
"Hello, Ethel? This is Alice. Will you and Arthur come on the
sixteenth for over Sunday?"
"The sixteenth? That's Friday. We'd love to!"
"Will you take the 3:20 train? etc."
[Illustration: "A GEM OF A HOUSE MAY BE NO SIZE AT ALL, BUT ITS LINES
ARE HONEST, AND ITS PAINTING AND WINDOW CURTAINS IN GOOD TASTE ... AND ITS
BELL IS ANSWERED PROMPTLY BY A TRIM MAID WITH A LOW VOICE AND QUIET,
COURTEOUS MANNER." [Page 131.]]