to what she likes and goes
to her place.

If the cake is very soft and sticky or filled with cream, small forks must
be laid on the tea-table.

As said above, if jam is to be eaten on toast or bread, there must be
little butter knives to spread it with. Each guest in taking her plate
helps herself to toast and jam and a knife and carries her plate over to
her own little table. She then carries her cup of tea to her table and
sits down comfortably to drink it. If there are no little tables, she
either draws her chair up to the tea-table, or manages as best she can to
balance plate, cup and saucer on her lap--a very difficult feat!

In fact, the hostess who, providing no individual tables, expects her
guest to balance knife, fork, jam, cream cake, plate and cup and saucer,
all on her knees, should choose her friends in the circus rather than in
society.

=THE GARDEN PARTY=

The garden party is merely an afternoon tea out of doors. It may be as
elaborate as a sit-down wedding breakfast or as simple as a miniature
strawberry festival. At an elaborate one (in the rainy section of our
country) a tent or marquise with sides that can be easily drawn up in fine
weather and dropped in rain, and with a good dancing floor, is often put
up on the lawn or next to the veranda, so that in case of storm people
will not be obliged to go out of doors. The orchestra is placed within or
near open sides of the tent, so that it can he heard on the lawn and
veranda as well as where they are dancing. Or instead of a tea with
dancing, if most of the guests are to be older, there may be a concert or
other form of professional entertainment.

On the lawn there are usually several huge bright-colored umbrella tents,
and under each a table and a group of chairs, and here and there numerous
small tables and chairs. For, although the afternoon tea is always put in
the dining-room footmen or maids carry varieties of food out on large
trays to the lawn, and the guests hold plates on their knees and stand
glasses on tables nearby.

At a garden party the food is often much more prodigal than at a tea in
town. Sometimes it is as elaborate as at a wedding reception. In addition
to hot tea and chocolate, there is either iced coffee or a very melted
cafe parfait, or frosted chocolate in cups. There are also pitchers of
various drinks that have rather mysterious ingredients, but are all very
much iced and embellished with crushed fruits and mint lea