the form of words generally made use of. They, however, can be varied in
proportion to the intimacy or position of the hosts and guests:--
Mr. and Mrs. A---- present their compliments to Mr. and Mrs. B----,
and request the honour, [or hope to have the pleasure] of their
company
to dinner on Wednesday, the 6th of December next.
A---- STREET,
_November 13th, 1859. R. S. V. P._
The letters in the corner imply "_Répondez, s'il vous plaît;_" meaning,
"an answer will oblige." The reply, accepting the invitation, is couched
in the following terms:--
Mr. and Mrs. B---- present their compliments to Mr. and Mrs. A---, and
will do themselves the honour of, [or will have much pleasure in]
accepting their kind invitation to dinner on the 6th of December next.
B---- SQUARE,
_November 18th, 1859._
Cards, or invitations for a dinner-party, should be issued a
fortnight or three weeks (sometimes even a month) beforehand,
and care should be taken by the hostess, in the selection of the
invited guests, that they should be suited to each other. Much
also of the pleasure of a dinner-party will depend on the
arrangement of the guests at table, so as to form a due
admixture of talkers and listeners, the grave and the gay. If an
invitation to dinner is accepted, the guests should be punctual,
and the mistress ready in her drawing-room to receive them. At
some periods it has been considered fashionable to come late to
dinner, but lately _nous avons changé tout cela_.