_Mrs. Marian Doe, St. Caroline's Court._
Asking for Invitations.
Asking for invitations for one's visiting friends, while permissible
on some occasions, such as requesting the favor of bringing a
gentleman to a ball where dancing men are always at a premium, or an
unexpected guest of your family to a reception or evening party,
should never be resorted to when a dinner party is in question, for,
to gratify the request would, in all probability, throw the whole of a
carefully arranged table into disorder. This rule is only to be broken
when the guest to be included is some really celebrated character
whose addition to the company would compensate for the extra covers to
be laid and the re-arrangements to be made before the unexpected guest
can be accommodated. No one, however, should feel offense when a
request of this nature is refused. The hostess, in all probability,
had good and sufficient reasons for her course of action. Invitations
for a married couple should never be requested.