red waiter" wears a dress suit, but
never a butler in a "smart" house; he does not put on his evening clothes
until after six o'clock. In a smart house, the footmen wear their dress
liveries, and a waitress and other maids wear their best uniforms.

=THE GUESTS LEAVE=

The usual lunch hour is half past one. By a quarter to three the last
guest is invariably gone, unless, of course, it is a bridge luncheon, or
for some other reason they are staying longer. From half an hour to
three-quarters at the table, and from twenty minutes to half an hour's
conversation afterwards, means that by half past two (if lunch was prompt)
guests begin leaving. Once in a while, especially at a mixed lunch where
perhaps talented people are persuaded to become "entertainers" the
audience stays on for hours! But such parties are so out of the usual that
they have nothing to do with the ordinary procedure, which is to leave
about twenty minutes after the end of the meal.

The details for leaving are also the same as for dinners. One lady rises
and says good-by, the hostess rises and shakes hands and rings a bell (if
necessary) for the servant to be in the hall to open the door. When one
guest gets up to go, the others invariably follow. They say "Good-by" and
"Thank you so much."

Or, at a little luncheon, intimate friends often stay on indefinitely; but
when lunching with an acquaintance one should never stay a moment longer
than the other guests. The guest who sits on and on, unless earnestly
pressed to do so, is wanting in tact and social sense. If a hostess
invites a stranger who might by any chance prove a barnacle, she can
provide for the contingency by instructing her butler or waitress to tell
her when her car is at the door. She then says: "I had to have the car
announced, because I have an appointment at the doctor's. Do wait while I
put on my things--I shall be only a moment! And I can take you wherever
you want to go!" This expedient should not be used when a hostess has
leisure to sit at home, but on the other hand, a guest should never create
an awkward situation for her hostess by staying too long.

In the country where people live miles apart, they naturally stay somewhat
longer than in town.

Or two or three intimate friends who perhaps (especially in the country)
come to spend the day, are not bound by rules of etiquette but by the
rules of their own and their hostess' personal preference. They take off
their hats or n