light, and pass up the carpeted
steps to the entrance door. On such occasions gentlemen are excluded
from the carriage if possible, as all the space within the vehicle is
needed for the lady's skirts. The lady is accompanied by a maid whose
business it is to adjust her _toilette_ in the dressing room, and see
that everything is in its proper place.

At the door stands some one, generally the inevitable Brown, to receive
the cards of invitation. Once admitted, the ladies and gentlemen pass
into the dressing rooms set apart for them. Here they put the last
touches to their dress and hair, and, the ladies having joined their
escorts, enter the drawing room and pay their respects to the host and
hostess. When from one to two thousand guests are to be received, the
reader may imagine that the labors of the host and hostess are not
slight.

Every arrangement is made for dancing. A fine orchestra is provided, and
is placed so that it may consume as little space as possible. A row of
chairs placed around the room, and tied in couples with
pocket-handkerchiefs, denotes that "The German" is to be danced during
the course of the evening. There is very little dancing, however, of any
kind, before midnight, the intervening time being taken up with the
arrivals of guests and promenading.

About midnight the supper room is thrown open, and there is a rush for
the tables, which are loaded with every delicacy that money can buy. The
New York physicians ought to be devoutly thankful for these suppers.
They bring them many a fee. The servants are all French, and are clad in
black swallow-tail coats and pants, with immaculate white vests, cravats
and gloves. They are as active as a set of monkeys, and are capital
hands at anticipating your wants. Sometimes the refreshments are served
in the parlors, and are handed to the guests by the servants.

The richest and costliest of wines flow freely. At a certain
entertainment given not long since, 500 bottles of champagne, worth over
four dollars each, were drunk. Some young men make a habit of abstaining
carefully during the day, in order to be the better prepared to drink at
night. The ladies drink almost as heavily as the men, and some of them
could easily drink their partners under the table.

After supper the dancing begins in earnest. If The German is danced it
generally consumes the greater part of the evening. I shall not
undertake to describe it here. It is a great