r really to get the most out of an opera a great deal of study
and preparation is required in advance; I have not space at this time to
cover these preliminaries thoroughly, but would recommend to the earnest
student such supplemental information as can be obtained from Lady
Duff-Gordon, or Messrs. Tiffany, Tecla and Pinaud.

Upon entering one's box the true opera lover at once assumes a musical
attitude; this should be practised at home, by my lady, before a mirror
until she is absolutely sure that the shoulders and back can be seen
from any part of the house. Then, with the aid of a pair of strong opera
glasses, she may proceed to scrutinize carefully the occupants of the
boxes--noting carefully any irregular features. Technical phraseology,
useful in this connection, includes "unearthly creature," "stray
leopard" or, simply, "that person."

Your two magical formulas--the Russian "w" and the sad story about
Rachmaninoff's daughter--may, of course, be held in reserve--but the
chances are that you will be unable to use them, for during an evening
at the opera there will probably be no mention of music.

CHAPTER FIVE: ETIQUETTE FOR DRY AGENTS

SOME BROADER ASPECTS OF PROHIBITION

In spite of the great pride and joy which we Americans feel over the
success of National Prohibition; in spite of the universal popularity of
the act and the method of its enforcement; in spite of the fact that it
is now almost impossible to obtain in any of our ex-saloons anything
in the least resembling whiskey or gin,--there still remains the
distressing suspicion that quite possibly, at some of the dinner
parties and dances of our more socially prominent people, liquor--or its
equivalent--is openly being served. Dry agents have, of course, tried on
several occasions to verify this suspicion; their praiseworthy efforts
have met, for the most part, with scant success.

The main difficulty has been, I believe, that the average dry agent is
too little versed in the customs and manners of polite society. It is
lamentably true that, too often, has a carefully planned society dry
raid been spoiled because the host noticed that one of his guests was
wearing white socks with a black tie, or that the intruder was using his
dessert spoon on the hors d'oeuvres.

The solution of this difficulty lies, of course, in the gradual
procuring of a better class of dry agent. There are signs (though,
unfortunately, in the wrong direction) that some o