illness, accident or death should prevent us
from presenting ourselves. If such obstacles intervene, immediate notice
should be given the hostess, that she may supply the place at her table
thus made vacant.

Do not write you will "try to come;" that you will come but your husband
will not be able to do so, or in any way make your acceptance conditional.
Your hostess may wish to invite another couple; she must know who will be
present that she may arrange her table accordingly. Nothing is so annoying
to a hostess as to be obliged to rearrange her table because of some
slight excuse on the part of a guest who has once accepted,

Do not forget that an invitation to dinner is the highest social
compliment, and value it accordingly; also answer at once.

Formulas for Invitations.

The formula for a dinner invitation is this:

Mr. and Mrs. John Henry Smith
request the pleasure of
Mr. and Mrs. George Brown's company at dinner,
127 Blank Avenue.
on March fifteenth at seven o'clock.

This invitation may be written on note paper or engraved on a card.

[MANNERS AND SOCIAL CUSTOMS 693]

The correct form of reply is this:

Mr. and Mrs. George Brown
accept with pleasure the polite invitation of
Mr. and Mrs. John Henry Smith for dinner
on March fifteenth, at seven o'clock.

If the dinner is in honor of guests, the formula may be:

To meet
Mr. and Mrs. William Dash,
Mr. and Mrs. John Henry Smith request the pleasure of
Miss Anderson's
company at dinner,
on Wednesday, January twenty-sixth,
at seven o'clock.
R. S. V. P. 91 East Ninety-fourth street.

If the invitation must be declined, this form may be observed:

Mr. and Mrs. Brown
regret that owing to a previous engagement
they are unable to accept
Mr. and Mrs. John Henry Smith's
very kind invitation
for Tuesday evening, March fifteenth.

Any other reason, as illness, proposed absence, or the like, may be
substituted for a "previous engagement."

In acknowledging invitations it is better to err on the side of
over-politeness than the reverse.

If a dance or theatre party is to follow the dinner, wo