Your first concern should be, of course, your costume. If you
have a high voice (although really there is no reason for
supposing that all Dry Agents have high voices), you might well
attend the masquerade disguised as a lady. One of the neatest
and, on the whole, most satisfactory of ladies’ disguises is that
of Cleopatra. Cleopatra, as you know, was once Queen of Egypt and
the costume is quite simple and attractive. It may be, however,
that you would prefer to appear as a modern rather than an
ancient queen. A modern Queen (if one may judge from the
illustrated foreign periodicals) always wears a plain suit and
carries a tightly rolled umbrella. Should you care to attend the
masquerade as an allegorical figure—say “2000 Years of
Progress”—you might wear the Cleopatra costume and carry the
umbrella. Or you might go attired as some other less prominent
member of the nobility—for instance, Lady Dartmouth, whose
delightful costume is more or less featured in the advertising on
our better class subways and street cars, and can be obtained at
a comparatively small cost at any reliable dry goods store.
Should you, however, feel that you would be more at ease in a
male costume, there are several suggestions which might cleverly
conceal your real identity. You might, for example, attend the
ball as Jurgen—a costume which would assure you a pleasurable
evening and many pleasing acquaintances. You might, with equal
satisfaction, go as an Indian.
It occurs to me that it might even be a clever move to attend the
party dressed as a Dry Agent. All suspicion would be instantly
lost in the uproar of laughter which would greet your
announcement of your disguise; many men would probably so far
enter into the spirit of the joke as to offer you drinks from
their flasks, and much valuable evidence could be obtained in
this way. And the costume is quite easy—simply wear a pleated
soft-bosom dress shirt with your evening dress, and tuck the ends
of your black tie under your collar.
[Illustration]
Packets of Old Letters Make Acceptable Wedding Gifts _Packets of old
letters, bits of verse, locks of hair, pressed flowers, inscribed
books, photographs, etc., all make acceptable wedding gifts. By telling
you whether they should be presented to the Bride or to the Groom_
PERFECT BEHAVIOR _has, we feel, settled the question of future
happiness in many a new-made home._
[Illustration]
Correct Methods of Using Table Hardware _You are, let us say, one of
the Ushers attending the Bachelor Dinner. You are handed a bottle of
Chateau Lafitte ’69. Can you select, from the diagram above, the proper
implement to use in getting at its contents? The correct methods of
choosing and using table hardware are explained in_ PERFECT BEHAVIOR.
[Illustration]
It Is Sometimes Best to Be Frank _The young couple in the picture are
trying to word a plausible letter of regret in answer to an invitation
to a house-party. Had they consulted their_ PERFECT BEHAVIOR _they
would have known that there is no plausible excuse for not accepting
any invitation whatever, and that the simplest and most dignified,
method is to write the attached model letter._