“Not at home” is no discourtesy to a caller if she is so informed when the maid opens the door.  The maid should know whether her mistress wishes to see callers or not.

P. p. c. on a card means “To take leave,” and intimates your friend is leaving town for a season.

It is customary for mother and daughter to use a card on which hath names appear when calling together.  A debutante, in our most conventional society, has no separate card of her own.  If she calls without her mother, she uses this double card, running a pencil mark lightly through her mother’s name.

Sisters may use a card in common; it should be engraved “The Misses Jones,” and used when calling together or sending gifts.

The divorced woman, if she drops her husband’s name by permission of the court, uses her maiden name on her cards, with the prefix Mrs. If she retains her husband’s name, she usually combines her family name with it, as Mrs. Jones Brown.

A card should never be handed to a hostess or any member of the family.  Lay it on the table.  If a member of the family opens the door, a card need not be used, though one is often left as above.

At afternoon teas, receptions and “At Homes” the visitor leaves a card for the hostess on the tray in the hall, and one for the guest of honor, or the debutante if one is being introduced.

A card to an “At Home” or an afternoon reception does not require either acceptance or regret.  If the person invited attends she leaves her card; if not, she sends it by mail to reach the home on the day of the reception.

[784 Mothers’ remedies]

An invitation to a dinner must be answered immediately, and unconditionally accepted or declined.

If, having accepted, it becomes absolutely impossible to keep the engagement, the earliest possible notice must be given to the hostess.

It is unpardonable to be late at a dinner party.  Arrivals are expected within ten minutes of the hour named.

One wears the best she has that is suitable for a dinner party.

The reply to an invitation must follow the style of the invitation.  If formal, that is, in the third person, the reply must also be in the third person.  If informal, the personal form being employed, the reply is also informal.

Do not send your card with “Regrets” written upon it, in response to any invitation, formal or informal.

Telephone invitations are admissible only for informal affairs.  General invitations, given verbally, have no social footing.  “Do come and dine with us some day,” unless followed by a definite date or note of invitation, means nothing.

An invitation given by a man to dine or visit, or to a home entertainment, is not to be accepted unless seconded by his wife.

A girl, sending invitations to commencement exercises, encloses her card.

It is bad form to show that one feels slighted or affronted at not having been invited to any function, or not given the precedence one feels herself entitles to.  The hostess, in her own home, obeys such rules as she believes correct.