gton; Mr. Lear (his private secretary) and his wife, and Mrs.
Washington's grandchildren, making a part of the family. Young Custis
had a private tutor, employed by the president, who was engaged to
attend on his pupil one hour in the winter mornings, before breakfast;
and who, then, commonly breakfasted with the president and his family.
The president ate Indian-cakes for breakfast, after the Virginia
fashion, although buckwheat-cakes were generally on the table.
Washington's dining parties were entertained in a very handsome style.
His weekly dining-day, for company, was Thursday, and his dining-hour
was always four o'clock in the afternoon. His rule was, to allow five
minutes for the variation of clocks and watches, and then go to the
table, be present or absent whoever might. He kept his own clock in the
hall, just within the outward door, and always exactly regulated. When
lagging members of Congress came in, as they often did, after the guests
had sat down to dinner, the president's only apology was, 'Gentlemen (or
sir), we are too punctual for you. I have a cook who never asks whether
the company has come, but whether the hour has come,' The company
usually assembled in the drawing-room, about fifteen or twenty minutes
before dinner, and the president spoke to every guest personally on
entering the room.

"He was always dressed in a suit of black, his hair powdered and tied in
a black queue behind, with a very elegant dress-sword, which he wore
with inimitable grace. Mrs. Washington often, but not always, dined with
the company, sat at the head of the table, and if, as was occasionally
the case, there were other ladies present, they sat each side of her.
The private secretary sat at the foot of the table, and was expected to
be quietly attentive to all the guests. The president himself sat half
way from the head to the foot of the table, and on that side he would
place Mrs. Washington, though distant from him, on his right hand. He
always, unless a clergyman was present, at his own table, asked a
blessing, in a standing posture. If a clergyman were present, he was
requested both to ask a blessing, and to return thanks after dinner. The
centre of the table contained five or six large silver or plated
waiters, those of the ends circular or rather oval on one side, so as to
make the arrangement correspond with the oval shape of the table. The
waiters between the end-pieces were in the form of parallelograms, the
end