past one o'clock. It will be a great
pleasure to meet the Misses Irving.

With best wishes, I am
Yours sincerely,
Grace Emerson.

_Regretting_

911 Sutton Place,
May 2, 1922.

My dear Mrs. Evans,

Thank you for your very kind invitation to luncheon on Friday,
May the fifth, but I am compelled, with great regret, to
decline it.

My mother and aunt are sailing for Europe on Friday and their
ship is scheduled to sail at one. I have arranged to see them
off. It was good of you to ask me.

Very sincerely yours,
Grace Emerson.

_For an informal tea_

My dear Miss Harcourt,

Will you come to tea with me on Tuesday afternoon, April the
fourth, at four o'clock? I have asked a few of our friends.

Cordially yours,
Katherine Gerard Evans.
April first

Telephone invitations are not good form and may be used only for the
most informal occasions.

Invitations to the theatre, concert, and garden party, are mostly
informal affairs and are sent as brief letters.

A garden party is a sort of out-of-doors at home.

_To a garden party which is not formal or elaborate_

Locust Lawn,
June 29, 1922.

My dear Miss Burton,

Will you come to tea with me informally on the lawn on
Thursday afternoon, July the fourth, at four o'clock? I know
you always enjoy tennis and I have asked a few enthusiasts. Do
try to come.

Cordially yours,
Ruth L. Anson.

Such an invitation is acknowledged in kind--by an informal note.

It may be of interest to read a letter or two from distinguished persons
along these lines. Here, for example, is the delightfully informal way
in which Thomas Bailey Aldrich invited his friend William H. Rideing to
dinner on one occasion:[1]

April 6, 1882.

Dear Rideing:

Will you come and take an informal bite with me to-morrow
(Friday) at 6 P. M. at my hamlet, No. 131 Charles Street?
Mr