ufficing. Even
should the conversation become very animated, do not prolong your stay
beyond this period. It is far better that your friends should regret
your withdrawal than long for your absence. A lull in the
conversation, a rising from her seat, or some pretext on the part of
the hostess, or the arrival of a guest, all give an opportunity for
leave-taking which should be made use of at once.

The Art of Leaving.

Cultivate the art of leaving; nothing will contribute more to your
social success. It is said of so brilliant a woman as Madame de Stael
that she failed lamentably in this particular, and, on the occasion of
her visit to Weimar, made with the avowed intention of intellectually
captivating the literary lions of the age, Goethe and Schiller, she
made one fatal mistake, she stayed too long! Goethe wrote to Schiller:
"Madame de Stael is a bright, entertaining person, but she ought to
know when it is time to go!" It is also evident from her own statement
that she did not know _how_ to go. She lingered after she had started,
and if this were an unpardonable sin on the part of so marvelous a
woman, it is surely a capital crime on the part of ordinary mortals.

The art of leaving is more thoroughly understood by men than by women.
The necessities of business life teach the value of time, and the
press and hurry of city circles teach them the art of leaving quickly,
so that a social call on the part of a business man is a model of good
manners. When he has "had his say" and politely listened to yours, he
takes his hat, says "good day," and is gone from your presence without
giving opportunity for those tedious commonplaces of mutual
invitations and promises to come again which seem a social formula
with so many women.

When Ready to Leave, Go at Once.

Never say, "I must go," but, when you have finished your visit and
rise to depart, go! Never permit yourself to be drawn into touching
upon any subject at this critical moment that will necessitate lengthy
discourse for yourself and hostess, or force upon you the awkward
alternative of reseating yourself to finish the conversation. There is
always a certain awkwardness in thus repeating the ceremony of
leave-taking which may be avoided by a quick and graceful departure
that leaves both host and guest with feelings of the utmost amiability
toward one another.

On the other side it is necessary that the host and hostess supplement
this laudable endeavor on