nown to her by sight, so that
their announcement is not a mere matter of form but of necessity.

=THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF DINNER=

When the butler on entering the room to announce dinner, happens to catch
the attention of the hostess, he merely bows. Otherwise he approaches
within speaking distance and says, "Dinner is served." He never says,
"Dinner is ready."

At a large dinner where it is quite a promenade to circle the table in
search of one's name, the butler stands just within the dining-room and
either reads from a list or says from memory "right" or "left" as the case
may be, to each gentleman and lady on approaching. In a few of the
smartest houses a leaf has been taken from the practise of royalty and a
table plan arranged in the front hall, which is shown to each gentleman at
the moment when he takes the envelope enclosing the name of his partner at
dinner. This table plan is merely a diagram made in leather with white
name cards that slip into spaces corresponding to the seats at the table.
On this a gentleman can see exactly where he sits and between whom; so
that if he does not know the lady who is to be on his left as well as the
one he is to "take in," he has plenty of time before going to the table to
ask his host to present him.

At the end of the evening, the butler is always at the front door--and by
that time, unless the party is very large, he should have remembered
their names, if he is a perfect butler, and as Mr. and Mrs. Jones appear
he opens the door and calls down to the chauffeur "Mr. Jones' car!" And in
the same way "Mr. Smith's car!" "Miss Gilding's car!" When a car is at the
door, the chauffeur runs up the steps and says to the butler: "Miss
Gilding's car" or "Mrs. Jones' car." The butler then announces to either
Mr. or Mrs. Jones, "Your car, sir," or "Your car, madam," and holds the
door open for her to go out, or he may say, "Your car, Miss," if the
Gilding car comes first.

=DINING-ROOM SERVICE AT PRIVATE ENTERTAINMENTS=

Supper at a ball in a great house (big enough for a ball) is usually in
charge of the butler, who by "supper time" is free from his duties of
"announcing" and is able to look after the dining-room service. The
sit-down supper at a ball is served exactly like a dinner--or a wedding
breakfast; and the buffet supper of a dance is like the buffet of a
wedding reception.

At a large tea where the butler is on duty "announcing" at the same time
that other guests are