GEXEEAL SUGGESTIONS

On Monday, wash ; Tuesday, iron ; Wednesday, l)ake and scrub kitchen and pantry ; Thursday, clean the silver-ware, examinine the jiots and kettles, and look after the store-room and cellar ; Friday, devote to general sweeping and dusting ; Saturday, bake and scrub kitchen and pantry floors, and prepare for Sundays. When the clothes are folded off the frame after ironing examine each piece to see that none are laid away that need a button or a stitch. Clean all the silver on the last Friday of each month, and go through each room and closet to see if things are kept in order and nothing going to waste. Have the sitting-room tidied up every night before retiring. Make the most of your brain and your eyes, and let no one dare tell you that you are devoting yourself to a low sphere of action. Keep cool and self-possessed. Work done quietly about the house seems easier. The slamming of oven doors, and the rattle and clatter of dishes, tire and bewilder every body about the house. Those who accomplish most in housekeeping — and the same is true of every other walk in life — are the quiet workers.

To Prevent Hinges Creaking. — Rub with a feather dipped in oil.

Rainy Days. — Make the house as bright and sunshiny as possible.

To Drive off Fleas. — Sprinkle about bed a few drops of oil of lavender.

Soap. — It is a great saving to have bars of soap dry. It should be bought by the quantity.

Red Ants. — A small bag of sulphur kept in a drawer or cupboard will drive away red ants,

To Prevent Pails from Shrinking. — Saturate pails and tubs with glycerine, and they will not shrink.

To Destroy Cockroaches, etc. — Sprinkle the floor with hellebore at night. They eat it and are poisoned.

To Keep Flies off Gilt Frames. — Boil three or four onions in in a pint of water and aj^ply with a soft brush.

To Remove Old Putty from Window-Frames. — Pass a red-hot poker slowly over it, and it will come oflF easily.

To Soften Hard Water. — Hard water becomes nearly soft by boiling. A piece of chalk will soften hard spring-water.

Icy Windows. — Windows may be kept free from ice and polished by rub- bing the glass with a sponge dipped in alcohol.

Lost Children. — Label children's hats with the name and place of resi deuce so that, if lost, they may be easily restored.

944 HOUSEKEEPIXa.

Provide on Saturday for Monday, so as not to take up the fire with cook- ing, or time in running errands on washing-day.

Coal Axhes make excellent garden walks. They become very hard l>y use and no weeds or gi-asss will grow through them.

To Soften Cistern- Water. — Cistern-water that hais become hard from long standing, can be softened by adding a little borax.

To Destroy the Smell of Fresh Paint. — Sprinkle hay with water in which chloride of lime has been mixed, and place on floor.

Parcels. — "When parcels are brought to the house, fold paper and put awaj* in drawer, and roll the string on a ball kept for the purpose.

Ants and Insets. — Dissolve two poiuids alum in three quarts water. Ap- ply with a brush while hot to every crevice where vermin harbor.

Silver-ivare when set away, keeps best wrapped in blue tissue paper ; or when put in a tight cupboard place a piece of camphor gum with it.

Cement for China. — To a thick so}ution of gum arabic add enough plaster of paris to form a sticky paste ; apply with a l)rush, and stick edges together.

Sheets. — "When sheets are beginning to wear in the middle, sew the salvage sides together and rip open the old seam, or tear in two and hem the sides.

To Make Artificial Coral. — Melt together four parts yellow resin and one part vermilion. Dip twigs, cinders, or stones in this, and when dry they will look like coral.

To Sew Carpet-rags on a Machine. — Make the stitch short, run it obliquely across the rags where the}' are to be joined, and sew a good many before cut- ting the thread.

Mendinf]. — Never put away clean clothes without examining every piece to see if they are in any way out of order. Stocl»uigs, particularly, should be, carefully darned.

To Destroy Weeds in Walks — Boil ten pounds stone-lime, five gallons water and oue pound flour of sulpliur, let settle, pour ofl" clean part, and sprinkle freely on the weedy walks.

To Cleanse a Sponge. — By rubbing a fresh lemon thoroughly into a soured sponge and rinsing it several times in lukewarm water, it will become as sweet as when new.

A Rnstic Frame. — A neat rustic frame for pictures may be made of cat-tail rods. Hide the corners where they are joined with ivy, or a vine made of leather leaves or handsome autumn leaves and the berries of bitter-sweet.

To Mend Tin. — Scrape the tin about the hole free from greese and rust, rub on a piece of resin until a i)owder lies about the hole, over it lay a piece of solder, and hold on it a hot poker or soldering iron until it melts.

Bad Smells. — Articles of clothing, or of any other character, which have become impregnated with bad-smelling substances, will be freed from them by burpng for a daj' or two in the ground. "Wrap up lightly before burying.

To Temper Lamp Chi)>uieys — Lamp chimneys and glass-ware for hot water are made less liable to liraki' l)y jiuttiiig in cold water, bringing slowly to boiling point, boiling for an hour, and allowing to cool before removing from water.

HOUSEKEEPING. 945

To Restore White Spots. — Oil, lard, or butter, rubbed on white spots on a dining table, caused by hot dishes or flat irons, will bring back their original color. This is sometimes good for spots on varnished articles whitened by dampness.

To Hang Pictures. — The cheapest and best material with which to hang pictures is copper wire, of a size proportioned to the weight of the picture. When hung, the wire is scarcely visible, and its strength and durability is wonderful.

Care of Slate Hearth. — These are preferable to marble, as thej^ are not so easily soiled. To wash them, use a clean cloth and warm water. Many oil them thoroughly when new with linseed oil ; thus prepared they never show grease spots.

To Clean Hearths. — Soapstone or sandstone hearths are cleaned by wash- ing in pure water, then sprinkling with powdered marble or soapstone, and rubbing with a piece of the stone as large as a brick, and having at least one flat surface.

Lightning Cream for Paint on Clothes. — Four ounces white castile soap, four of ammonia, two of ether, two of alcohol, one of glj^cerine ; cut the soap fine, dissolve in one quart of soft water over the fire, and when dissolved add the other ingredients.

Lamp-wicks — To insure a good light, wicks must be changed often, as they soon become clogged, and do not permit the free passage of the oil. Soaking wicks in vinegar twenty-four hours before placing in lamjj insures a clear flame. Felt wicks are best.

A Cheap Carpet. — Make a cover for the floor of the cheapest cotton cloth. Tack it down like a carpet, paper it as j'ou would a wall with paper resem- bling a carpet in figures, let it dry, varnish with two coats of varnish, and with reasonable usage it will last two years.

To Make Rag Rugs. — Cut rags and sew hit and miss, or fancy striped as you choose ; use wooden needles, round, smooth, and pointed at one end, of any convenient length. The knitting is done back and forth (like old fashion- ed suspenders), always take ofl"the first stitch.

^lending Plaster of Paris. — Gum shellac makes an excellent strong cement for joining broken pieces together, and is more convenient than glue. The shellac should be flowed upon the surfaces to be joined, firmly pressed to- gether, and carefulh^ set away for about an hour.

To Keep Ice Water. — Make a hat-shaped cover of two thicknesses of strong brown paper with cotton-batting quilted between, large enough to drop over and completely envelop the pitcher. This prevents the warm air from com- ing in contact with the pitcher, and the ice will last a long time.

To Sweep a Rag Carpet. — Set a pail of water outside the door and dip the broom in it, shaking the water ofi", so there will be no wet streaks on the car- pet ; sweep but a small portion, and then dip the broom again ; in this way the dust is taken up in the broom, instead of being sent whirling through the air.

Cement for Attaching Metal to Glass. — Mix two ounces of a thick solution of glue with one ounce of linseed oil varnish, and half an ounce of pure spirits of turpentime ; boil the whole together in a close vessel. After it has been applied to the glass and metal, clamp together for two or three days until dry

To Imitate Old Oak. — To make oak paneling look like old oak, put some common soda into hot water, let the solution be very strong and sponge the

946 HOUSEKEEPING.

oak over two or three times with it. "When it is quite dry rub with fine sand paper, as the soda raises the grain of the wood, and finish off with the best linseed oil.

To Take Out Rusted Screws from Woodwork. — Apply heat to the liead of screw. A small bar or rod of iron, flat at the end, if reddened in the fire and applied for a couple or three miniites to the head of the rusted screw, renders its withdrawal as easy by the screw driver as if it was only a recenth' insert- ed screw.

To Paste Paper on Tin. — Make a thin paste of gum-tragacanth and water, to which add a few drops of oil of vitriol. 3Iix a pound each of transparent glue and very strong vinegar, one quart alcohol, a small quantity of alum, and dissolve by means of a water bath. This is useful for uniting horn, pearl, shell and bone .

Cane Chair Bottoms. — To clean and restore the elasticity of cane chair- bottoms, turn the chair bottom upward, and with hot water and a sponge wash the cane w^ork well, so that it is well soaked ; should it be dirty use soap, let it dry well in the air, and it will be tight and firm as new, provided none of the canes are broken.

To Paint Houses. — Have them painted in the fall ; October or November is the best time for it. The wood does not absorb the oil so readily, and dur- ing the winter it hardens and forms a compact coating. When put on during the spring or summer the wood takes up the oil and leaves the paint dry and it will soon crumble and wash oflF.

To Start a Fire in Damp, Still Weather. — Light a few bits of shavings or paper placed upon the top of the grate ; thus by the heated air's forcing itself into the chimney and establishing there an upward current, the room is kept free from the gas and smoke which is so apt to fill it, and the fire can then be lighted from below with good success.

To Clear Cistern Water. — Add two ounces powdered alum and two ounces borax to a twenty l)arrel cistern of rain-water that is blackened or oily, and in a few hours the sediment will settle, and the water be clarified and fit for washing and even for cooking purposes, or to clear a small quantity use a teaspoon powdered alum to four gallons water.

A Good Cement, for stopping holes in castings, covering screws or mend- ing broken potterv is made by taking equal parts of gum arable, plaster of l>aris and iron filings, with a little pulverized glass. This mixture forms a verv hard cement that will resist the action of fire and water. It should be kept dry and soffened with a little water when used.

Dust from Carpets. — A good way to remove dust from a carpet is to fasten a damp cloth over the broom ; witli this the dust may be literally taken up. This will be found useful in the sick room, and also in any room where there are many small articles to catch dust. It brightens a carpet to wipe it off in this way even after the usual sweeping has been done.

Putting Away Clothes.— Beiore putting away summer or winter clothes, mend, clean, brush, shake well, fold smoothly, sprinkle gum-camphor on every fold, and on the botton of trunks or closets (unless cedar chests are used"). Fine dresses, cloaks, etc., should be wrapped in towels or sheets by themselves, and placed in a tray or a separate apartment of the trunk.

How to Wash Chamois Leather.— yiake a good, tepid suds with hard ur soft soap, put in leather, rub it on the wash-l>oard, put soap on skin and rub again on board, and wash in this way through one or two suds, or untd per-

HOUSEKEEPING. 947

fectly clean ; rinse in tepid water without bluing, squeeze dry (do not wring), hang in sun and keep snapping and pulling it till perfectly dry. The leather will be as soft as new if the snapping and pulling are done thoroughly.

To Clean Silver-ware Easily. — Save water in which potatoes have been boiled with a little salt, let it become sour, which it will do in a few days ; heat and wash the articles with a woolen cloth, rinsing in pure water, dry and polish with chamois leather. For wiping silver, an old linen table-cloth cut up in pieces of convenient size, hemmed, and marked "silver," is very nice.

Economical Mats for use in front-doors, fire-places, bureus, stands, etc., may be made of coffee sacking, cut to any desired size, and worked in bright worsted or Germantown wool. Any simple pattern may be used or it may be entirely filled in with a plain green. The edges of the sacking may be fringed by raveling. To give it weight, line with an old piece of carpet or heavy cloth.

A Good Cement. — For mending almost anything, may be made by mixing litharge and glycerine to the consistency of thick cream or fresh putty. This cement is useful for mending stone jars, stopping leakes in seams of tin-pans or wash-boilers, cracks and holes in iron kettles, fastening on lamp-tops; in all cases the article mended should not be used till the cement has hardened. This cement will resist the action of water, hot or cold, acids, and almost any degree of heat.

To Preserve BooJcs. — Bindings may oe preserved from mildew by brush- ing them over with the spirits of wine. A few drops of any perfumed oil will secure libraries from the consuming effects of mold and damp. Russia leath- er which is perfumed with the tar of the birch-tree, never molds or sustains injury from damp. The Romans used oil of cedar to preserve valuable man- uscripts. Russia-leather covered books, placed in a stationer's window, will destroy flies and other insects.

Badly Fitting Doors. — When blinds and doors do not close snugly, but leave cracks through which drafts enter, the simplest remedy is this : Place a strip of putty all along the jambs, cover the edge of the blind or door with chalk, and shut it. The putty will then fill all spaces which would remain open and be pressed out where it is not needed, while the excess is easily re- moved with a knife. The chalk rubbed on the edges prevents adhesion, and the putty is left in j^lace, where it soon dries and leaves a perfectly fitting jamb.

Cellar Floor. — A cellar floor may be cemented as follows : Level the sur- face very carefully, without making any hollows that will require filling, oth- erwise the surface should be beaten hard and rammed. Then cover the floor with two inches of broken stone and cement mortar, and beat this down thoroughly, making a smooth surface with a trowel. Finally put on a surface coat of half an inch of clear cement (Portland is best) and water, rub smooth with a mason's float. If troubled with rats strew lime and coperas over floor.

Finish for Room. — A room with plain white walls is finished beautifully by placing a black walnut (or the same wood with which the room is finished) molding around the rouni where the border of paper is usually placed, at the junction of wall and ceilJng, or when live room is papered or frescoed place it at bottom of the bnrder or frieze. The molding fini^^hed in oil, costs from one to five cents a foot, and is easily put up. The ujtper edge should be rounded, and a space of a quarter inch left between it and ceiling. To hang pictures buy an S hook, sold at all hardware stores, ] tice one hook over the moulding, hang the picture cord on the other, and slip to the right or left to the desired position. This saves the wall from injury from picture-hooks.

948 HOUSEKEEPING.

Perpetual Paste. — Dissolve a teaspoon of alum in a quart of water. AVhen cold, stir in as much flour as will give it the consistency of thick cream, being particular to boat lip all the lumps ; stir in as much powdered resin as will laj' on a five cent piece, and throw in half a dozen cloves to give it a i)leasant odor. Have on the fire a tea-cup of boiling water, pour the flour mixture in- to it, stirring well at the time. In a few minutes it will be of the consistency of mush, Poiu- it into an earthen vessel, let it cool, lay a cover on, and put in a cool place. AVhen needed for use, take out a portion and soften it with warm water. Paste made in this way will last a year. It is better than gum, as it does not gloss the paper.

Indelible Ink. — Two drams lunar caustic, six ounces distilled or rain- water ; dissolve, and add two drams gum-water. AVet the linen with the fol- lowing preparation : Dissolve one-half an ounce prepared natron, four ounces water, add half ounce gum-water, (recipe below) ; after smooting it with a warm iron, write with the ink, using a gold, a quill, or anew steel pen. The writing must be exposed to a hot sun for twelve hours ; do not wash for one week, then be particulartogetout the stain which the preparation will make. If this is followed in every particular, there need be no failure. Gum-water for the above is composed of two drams gum-arabic to four ounces water. One teaspoon makes two drams, two tablespoons make one ounce. If at anytime the ink becomes too pale add a little of pure lunar caustic. Never write without using the preparation, as it will rot the cloth.

Farmer's Door Mat. — Every doorstep should be proAdded with a foot- scraper and a brush or broom, and every one, as he comes in, should take the time to use them before appearing on the carpet or clean floor. If a regular scraper — one made for the purpose — is not at hand, one can make one from a bit of hoop-iron, which is to be placed on a step or edge of the porch in a convenient place. It is well to provide a "mud-mat," which is simply strips an inch or so square — fence pickets will answer — screM'cd to three or four cross-pieces an inch apart, or a more elaborate one can be made by stringing the slats upon fence wires. One Avith muddy boots is very apt to stamp and rub them on the steps or floor of the porch ; a mud-mat will clean them off more eff(;ctually, and save the porch hard wear. A very excellent mat may be made by boring holes in a boai'd, and drawing corn husks through the holes. Careful persons change their foot-gear when they enter the house to remain any length of time — a custom conducive not only to neatness, but so greatly to comfort, that it is to be commended.

Moving . — When about to move to another house, begin packing two weeks beforehand. Carefully packing small and fragile articles in boxes and barrels. In this way, china and glassware, and fragile ornaments may be stowed away Avith odd articles of clothing, bedding, etc. Books should be packed in box- es, or Avrapped several in a package, in several thicknesses of newspaper, and tied with strong twine. They can thus be transported with very little hand- ling. Larger pictures should be taken down and tied in couples, face to face, with rolls of soft paper between the corners to prevent rubbing. Small pic- tures may be packed with clothing in bureau drawers and trunks. Take up carpets last. When about ready to move, select one room up-stairs into which remove everything possi])le from the other rooms, and another below for the same purpose. If the occupants of the house into which you are to move will do the same, you can easily make some rooms there ready for occupancy. Of course each room must be swept down and scrubbed. As soon as the floors are dry, carpets may be put down in the more important rooms, and the fur- niture moved in. On the day the transfer is made, see that coal or fuel is provided, so that a fire may be started, and take along a basket, with match- es, towels, napking, knives and forks, sugar, tea, bread and other materials

HOUSEKEEPING. 949

for lunching. With all the caution you can exercise, you wfll find Franklin's old saying true, that "three removes are as bad as a fire." Houses that have been empty may become fever breeders when they come to be re-occupied. An English sanitary oflicer alleges that he has observed typhoid, diphtheria, or orther zymotic afi"ections to arise under these circumstances. The cause is supposed to be in the disuse of the cisterns, pipes and drains, the process of putrefaction going on in the impure air in them, and unobstructed access of this air into the house, while the closure of windows and doors effectually shuts out fresh air. Persons moving from the city to their country homes in the summer, should see that the drains and pipes are in perfect order, that cellars and closets are cleared of rubbish, and the whole house thoroughly aired before occupying. Copperas used freely in the cellar is a good and cheap disinfectant.

Labor-saviag Contrivances. — Every good housewife has neatly arranged cupboard and dish closet. Everything has its appropriate shelf and division. But there are other things for which provision should be made. A pile of books is sometimes seen in one part of a dining-room, a few newspapers in another, and a pair of shoes in a third. The inside of a closet is sometimes a mass of confusion — "a place for everything," and everything thrown pro- miscuously into it. Half a dozen garments are hung upon one nail, to crowd each other out of shape ; others are thrown upon the floor amid heaps of boots and shoes. And so on to the end of the chapter of carelessness and slovenly disorder. There is no excuse for such carelessness, and no satisfaction in such housekeeping. Want of time is no excuse, for such want of system and order is the cause of the most prodigal waste of time. It is only necessary to use the brain a little to save the hands. Systematic habits, doing every thing well, and the hundred little contrivances which will suggest themselves to every neat and ingenuous housekeeper, will save time, and establish order and cleanliness. Have shelves in the closet, and regular rows of hooks, and plenty of them ; let one side be appropriated to one kind of clothing, with a hook for each article If necessary to preserve the order, make a neat label, and paste over each hook. Make Shoe-pockets (these pockets are made of about two and a half yards of calico ; one yard of which makes the back, to be tacked to the door when done. Split the remaining yard and a half in two, lengthwise, and, placing the strips about one inch apart, make, across the back, three rows of pockets, by stitching first the ends

950 HOUSEKEEPING.

fingers delight in tumbling the contents of the basket. If a basket is used, it should be divided into compartments. A circular basket, with divisions about the edge for smaller articles, and larger spaces in the center, is con- venient, and easily kept in order. All these, and hundreds of other devices like them, are labor-savers, which relieve housekeeping of a large share of its burdens. And a calculation of the time spent every year in hunting through closets for lost overshoes or slippers, or in cleaning up the scattered items in the sitting-room when company is coming in, and searching for missing let- ters among a miscellaneous pile thrown into a drawer, will give a startling result, and convey some adequate idea of the real money and time-value of that love of neatness and order which is one of the cardinal virtues in women.

HOrSEKEEPERS ALPHABET.

Apples — Keep in dry place, as cool as possible without freezing. Brooms — Hang in the cellar-way to keep soft and pliant. Cranberries — Keep under water, in cellar, change water monthly. Dish of hot water set in oven prevents cakes, etc., from scorching. Economize time, health, and means, and you will never beg. Flour — Keep cool, dry and securely covered.

Glass — Clean with a quart of water mixed with table-spoon of ammonia. Herbs — Gather when beginning to blossom ; keep in paper sacks. Ink Stains — AVet with spirits turpentine, after three hours rub well. Jars — To prevent, coax "husband" to buy "Buckeye Cookery." Keep an account of all supplies, with cost and date when purchased Love lightens labor.

Money — Count carefully when j'ou receive change. Nutmegs — Prick with a pin, and if good, oil will run out. Orange and Lemon Peel — Dry, pound, and keep in corked bottle. Parsnips — Keep in ground until spring. Quicksilver and white of an egg destroy bedbugs. EiCE — Select large, with a clear fresh look ; old rice may have insects. SuciAR — For general family use, the fine granulated is best. Tea — Equal parts of Japan and green are as good as English breakfast. L^^SE a cement made of ashes, salt, and water for cracks in stove. Variety is the best culinary spice. Watch your back yard for dirt and bones. Xantippe was a scold. Don't imitate her. Youth is best preserved by a cheerful temper. Zinc-lined sinks are better than wooden ones.

& regulate your clock by your husband's watch, and in all apportion- ments of time remember the Giver.

THE DINING-ROOM. &51

THE DINING^-ROOM.

It may not be amiss to give a page or two to the observance of formal dinijers in "society," lest some reader — who may hope, if she becomes the rare housekeeper we expect, to be called to give such dinners as the wife of a Congressman, Governor, or even as mistress of the White House itself — should be taken unawares. In every house, great or small, the Dining Room should be as bright, cheerful and cosey as possible, and at the table the mis- tress should wear her brightest smile. If there are trials and troubles, do not bring them to the table. They impair digestion, and send husband and children out to business or school, glum or gloomy, instead of refreshed and strengthened. The plainest room may be made beautiful by taste, and the homeliest fare appetizing by neatness and skill. Little attentions to decora- tion or pretty arrangement of the table charm the eye and whet the appetite, and make the home table powerfully attractive. The every-day observance of sensible and simple table manners ought always to be encouraged, because, in the long run, it j)romotes the comfort and the cultivation of the family, and takes the pain of embarasssment out of state occasions. Above all, the room, the table and its furniture should be scrupulously neat and orderly. For formal dinners, a round table, five to seven feet in diameter, is the best fitted to display the dinner and its fine wares ; but the extension table, about four feet wide and any length desired, is generally used . At the round table, conversation is, of course, easily made general, the party being small. The table cloth must be spotless, and Under-cover of white felt, flannel or baiie gives the linen a heavier and finer appearance. A center

952 THE DINING-ROOM.

in variety and tastefully arranged with green leaves, and surrounded with choice dessert-dishes, is always attractive and elegant. It is also a pretty custom to place a little bouquet by the side of each lady's plate, and to fold a bunch of three or four flowers in the napkin of each gentleman, to be at- tached to the left lapel of the coat as soon as seats are taken at the table. Na])kins, which should never be starched, are folded and laid on the plates, with a small piece of bread or a cold roll jdaced on the top, or half concealed by the last fold. Beside each plate are placed as many knivt-s, forks and spoons as will be needed in all the courses Cunless the lady prefers to have them brought with each new plate, which makes more work and confusion), and a glass, to be filled with fresh water just before dinner is announced. The plates which will be needed are counted out. Such as are to be filled with ready-])repared dessert-dishes are filled and set in a convenient place. Dish- es that need to be warm, not hot, are left on the top shelf of the range or else- where where they will be kept Avarm until needed. When the soup-tureen (with the soup at the boilingpoint) and the soup-plates are placed before the seat of the hostess, dinner may be quietly announced. The host or hostess, has of course previously, indicated to each gentleman the lady with whose escort he is charged, the guest of honor, if a gentleman, escorting the hostess, and taking a seat at her right; if a lady, being escorted by the host to a seat at his right. Each gentleman offers the lady assigned to him his right arm, and escorts her to a seat at his left, passing her in front of him to her chair which he has

The attendant places each dish in succession before the host or hostess (the soup, salad and dessert only being served by the hostess) with the pile of plates. Each plate is supplied, taken by the attendant on a small salver, and set before the guest from the left. Any second dish which belongs to the course is presented at the left of the guest, who helps himself. As a rule the lady at the right of the host, or the oldest lady, should be served first. As soon as one has finished, his plate is promptlj* removed, and when all are done, the next course is served in the same way. Before the dessert is brought on, all crumbs should be brushed from the cloth. The finger-bowls, which are brought in on the napkin on the dessert-plate and setoff to the left of the

THE DINING-ROOM. 953

plate, are used by dipping the fingers in lightly and drying them on the nap- kin. They should be half full of warm water with a bit of lemon floating in it. When all have finished dessert, the hostess gives the signal that dinner is ended by pushing back her chair, and the ladies repair to the drawing- room, the oldest leading and the youngest following last, and the gentlemen repairing to the library or smoking room. In about half an hour, tea is served in the drawing-room with a cake-basket of crackers or little cakes, the gentle- men join the ladies, and after a little chat over their cups, all are at liberty to take leave.

It is, of course, i^resuj^posed that the host carves, and carves well. If he does not he should forego the pleasure of inviting his friends to dinner, or the dinner should be from chops, ribs, or birds which do not require carving.

In making up a dinner party, it is all important to know who will accept ; and invitations, which may be written or printed, and should be sent by mes- senger and never mailed to i)ersons in the same town, should receive a prompt reply, a day's delay being the extreme limit. The simplest foi'm of invita- tion and reply is best, but both must be formal, this being one of the occasions on which the wings of genius must be promptly clipped. Ten minutes be- yond the appointed time, is the utmost limit of tardiness admissable in a guest, and ten minutes early are quite enough.