er with the decks filled with flowers, or a
floral piece may be obtained from the florists, who now construct
extremely realistic steamers with flowers, green, and moss; but flowers
are never at their best under such circumstances, and the toy steamer is
to be preferred. Very pretty and inexpensive bonbon boxes are to be had
in the shapes of steamer trunks, dress-suit cases, travelling bags,
trunks ready labelled with the names of foreign cities, and dainty
little lunch baskets tied up with ribbon, as well as the more expensive
but useful favours made to resemble rugs in shawl straps which are to be
used as penwipers after the day is over. The cards may bear the picture
of a steamer disappearing in the distance with its trail of smoke
curving back to form the name of the guest, or the words "Bon Voyage."

The menu could, of course, consist of foreign dishes such as the
traveller is presumably to eat during her absence; but as few of them
are as good as our own luncheon dishes this is not altogether to be
commended. An attractive menu would be:--

MENU

CLAMS COCKTAIL IN TOMATO BASKETS.
CONSOMME WITH HOT CRACKERS.
DEVILLED CRABS.
CHICKEN LIVERS ON SKEWERS.
ROAST DUCKLINGS. JELLY. MASHED POTATO.
CAULIFLOWER SALAD.
NESSELRODE PUDDING. CAKES.
COFFEE. BONBONS.

The tomatoes are to be cut into baskets with handles and filled with the
clam cocktail just before serving. The crabs are to be boiled, removed
from their shells, well seasoned, and wet with a little cream, put back
into the shells with bread crumbs and bits of butter over them and
browned in the oven. The chicken livers are to be stewed, cut in halves,
and put on the small skewers with bits of bacon between the pieces and
turned in the frying-pan until they brown in the bacon fat; they are to
be sent to the table on strips of toast. The ducklings should be young,
and a thick slice of breast or the second joint served to each person
before the plates are sent to the table; the potato should be browned in
the oven and passed.

The salad is made by cooking cauliflower, breaking it into bits, and
serving on lettuce with mayonnaise. The Nesselrode pudding is made in
various ways, most of them very elaborate; probably the simplest is a
caramel cream with preserved figs and marrons cut up fine in it, with a
flavouring of wine. It is also made by putting marrons into a plain rich
white cream, flavouring it with the wine and serving it on whipped
cre