id waiting
where there is any haste, the butters may be filled before the family
are seated.

If oatmeal, or any porridge, is to be served, the dish should be
placed upon the table before the house mistress, together with the
requisite number of small bowls, or saucers, in which she serves it,
adding sugar and cream, or passing these, as seems best to her.
Afterwards these plates and the dish itself should be removed, when
the hot plates and the remainder of the breakfast should be brought
in.

Where there is fruit, as is the case in very nice homes, it is to form
a third course; all other dishes are to be removed before the fruit is
placed upon the table, and each person provided with a small plate
with a doily, or fruit napkin, laid upon it, a silver fruit knife,
and possibly a finger-bowl set upon the doily; also a teaspoon or
orange-spoon when oranges are on the table. If berries are served
fruit saucers will be required. In busy homes the fruit is frequently
placed upon the table at the beginning of the repast and served at its
end without change of plates. Many persons prefer to begin their
breakfast with fruit. The napery at breakfast may be colored if so
desired.

The Dinner Table.

The dinner table for home meals is laid very much after the fashion of
the breakfast table with the omission of the server. If there is to be
more than one course, such as a salad, another fork must be added, in
which case it will be best to place the forks at the left of the
plate. If there is fish, another extra fork, or else the appropriate
little fish knife and fork, is demanded. If a fork only is used, the
flakes of fish may be pushed upon the fork by means of a bit of bread.

A half slice of bread should lie in, or beside, the folded napkin. The
soup tureen is placed before the mistress of the house, together with
the soup dishes. Into each of these she puts a ladle full of soup and
passes it along. Where there is a servant to wait, he, or she, takes
each dish from her hand and serves those at table, always passing to
their left hand in so doing. When the soup is removed, the under
plates should also be taken and hot plates brought in for the next
course.

The meat is placed before the carver, dishes of vegetables flanking
either side. The plates are filled and passed, or else handed around
by a servant. Sometimes the meat only is put on the plates and the
dishes of vegetables are passed from one to another at the ta