this instance of welcoming her home, takes precedence over her
elders. The guest of honor is always led in to dinner by the host and
placed on his right, the second in importance sits on his left and is
taken in to dinner by the gentleman on whose right she sits. The hostess
is always the last to go into the dining-room at a formal dinner.

=THE ENVELOPES FOR THE GENTLEMEN=

In an envelope addressed to each gentleman is put a card on which is
written the name of the lady he is to take down to dinner. This card just
fits in the envelope, which is an inch or slightly less high and about two
inches long. When the envelopes are addressed and filled, they are
arranged in two neat rows on a silver tray and put in the front hall. The
tray is presented to each gentleman just before he goes into the
drawing-room, on his arrival.

=THE TABLE DIAGRAM=

A frame made of leather, round or rectangular, with small openings at
regular intervals around the edge in which names written on cards can be
slipped, shows the seating of the table at a glance. In a frame holding
twenty-four cards, twelve guests would be indicated by leaving every other
card place blank, or for eight, only one in three is filled. This diagram
is shown to each gentleman upon his arrival, so that he can see who is
coming for dinner and where he himself is placed. At a dinner of ten or
less this diagram is especially convenient as "envelopes" are used only at
formal dinners of twelve and over.

=WHEN THE HOSTESS SITS AT THE SIDE=

When the number of guests is a multiple of four, the host and hostess
never sit opposite each other. It would bring two ladies and two gentlemen
together if they did. At a table which seats two together at each end, the
fact that the host is opposite a gentleman and the hostess opposite a lady
is not noticeable; nor is it ever noticeable at a round table. But at a
narrow table which has room for only one at the end, the hostess
invariably sits in the seat next to that which is properly her own,
putting in her place a gentleman at the end. The host usually keeps his
seat rather than the hostess because the seat of honor is on his right;
and in the etiquette governing dinners, the host and not the hostess is
the more important personage!

When there are only four, they keep their own places, otherwise the host
and hostess would sit next to each other. At a dinner of eight, twelve,
sixteen, twenty, etc., the host keeps his place,