ht the only thing he has left to eat it
with is a slender fork with a long handle and three very tiny prongs. He
knows that he has tripped up somewhere along the line, but he asks the
waiter to bring him a spoon (he should have asked for a fork) and goes
ahead.

The next day he is invited out to dinner with a man who has all of his
life been accustomed to first-class hotels and restaurants and the
dining tables of wealthy and cultured people. He is somewhat older than
our young banker and he has had a great deal of experience in
entertaining men who have come into the city from small towns. He is
thoughtful, sympathetic, an excellent host. He leads the way into the
dining room (though they stand together in such a way that it seems that
neither is leading) and chooses a table. This nearly always means
accepting the one the head waiter indicates, though it is quite correct
for the host to suggest the table he would like to have.

"Does this suit you?" he asks the young banker before they sit down.

It suits him exactly. He says as much.

"Now, what will you have to eat?"

The waiter has given him a menu card, containing, so it seems to the
young man, a million things that he might have. A dinner served in
courses was something beyond his knowledge until the night before, and
the dinner then was _table d'hote_ instead of _a la carte_. He flounders
through the card and is about ready to thrust it aside and say, "Just
bring me some ham and eggs" when his host sees his predicament.

"Blue Points are usually good at this time of the year," he says. "Shall
we try them?"

The young man has not the remotest idea what Blue Points are but he
thinks it will be very delightful to try them.

"What kind of soup do you like?" the host continues when the waiter has
departed. "I see they have vegetable soup and consomme."

The young man clutches at the familiar straw. He will have vegetable
soup.

Throughout the meal the host makes comments and suggestions and guides
his guest through to the end, and does it so graciously that the young
man from Smithville is not aware that he is doing it, and feels that it
is all due to his own quick observation that he is getting along so
well. No business man is a perfect host until he can accomplish this.

Our young man knows already that one should sit up at a table and not
lean forward or lounge back, that he should not take large mouthfuls and
that he should not snap at his food, that