of four or six, an agreeable
quartette or sextette can be secured. Parties are never less than four,
and a girl who sups alone with a man, even at the Patriarchs', is
considered very fast, and by such impudent behavior would lose caste.
You should arrange with your partner, therefore, to be as near the
supper-room door as possible about the supper hour. There is always a
rush and a crush, and no tables are reserved except those for the
patronesses or the Patriarchs. Two of the party should get in early and
reserve the table and wait until the rest arrive. Ball suppers are
nearly all alike. Four or five courses, which commence with oysters,
are followed by bouillon, and then terrapin and birds, and salad and
ices, fruit and coffee. Three kinds of wine are served, and champagne
forms the chief. Many matrons even will not allow their daughters to go
to supper without being chaperoned, and so when you ask your partner she
will sometimes have her parents obtain the table. Should you be asked to
the table of one of the patronesses, you will have a partner provided
for you. Remember the first engagement should always be kept, and if a
patroness should honor you with such an invitation, and you have made
prior arrangements, you should at once explain by note your position,
which will be a sufficient excuse to your would-be hostess.

After supper the cotillon, or German, as it is sometimes called, is
danced.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE COTILLON.

At large balls, like the Patriarchs', there is hardly time for more than
two or three figures and one favor figure. It is almost useless for me
to go into the history of the cotillon, and I do not believe that it
would be of any service to my readers. We imported it from France about
the same time as the English, and it owes its origin, I believe, to
Germany. For the past thirty years it has been a favorite form of dance.
It is picturesque and amusing, and, besides, gives the opportunity for
the exchange among the dancers of pretty trifles provided by the
generosity of the host. At large semipublic balls like the Patriarchs'
(I use "semipublic" simply because given by a number and not in a
private house) the favors are very simple, but at special cotillons or
at those danced at private houses they are extremely elaborate and
costly.

Cotillon seats are generally secured in the early part of the evening by
tying handkerchiefs to the backs of the chairs. At the Patriarchs' and
othe