LUNCHEON

Luncheon is the simplest, daintiest, most informal meal of the day—­just a little halting place between breakfast and dinner, where one’s pretty china comes out strongly.  The setting of the doily-spread table follows the usual arrangement.  Everything necessary for serving tea is placed at the head of the table, with the meat or other substantial dish at the opposite end.  Most of the food is placed on the table before the meal is announced, and as there are usually but two courses the plates are changed only once.  The only difference between luncheon and tea being the hour of serving, the same rules govern both.  The lunch cloth or the hemstitched linen strips may be used instead of the place doilies.

DINNER

Dinner is a more solemn matter.  On goes our immaculate tablecloth now, over a thick pad, its one crease exactly in the middle of the table, and all wrinkles and unevennesses made smooth and straight.  Centerpiece and posy go squarely—­or roundly—­in the center, with silver, salts, and carving set arranged as usual.  The butter plate is frequently omitted from this meal, an oblong slice of bread, a dinner roll, or a bread stick being placed between the folds of each napkin, or on the butter plate, if used, with the butter ball and knife.  If soup is to be served, the spoon is placed at the right of the knives.  There is a preference for the use of a “service plate” at this meal—­the plate which is at each place when dinner is announced, and is not removed until the first hot course after the soup—­but this is usually dispensed with when there is but one servant.  Proper cutlery for carving has its place before the carver, the carving cloth being removed before dessert.  If black coffee is served as the last course, the after-dinner coffee spoons are placed in the saucers before serving.  Finger bowls appear the last thing.

THE FORMAL DINNER

The formal dinner follows the general idea and arrangement of the family dinner, with considerable elaboration.  Out come our dress-up table linen, china, glass, and silver, and we add certain festive touches in the way of vines and cut flowers loosely and gracefully disposed in glass or silver bowls and vases.  At the four sides of the centerpiece go the dainty glass candlesticks, which cost 35 cents apiece, coming up to 91 cents with the candle lamp, candle, mica chimney, and shade complete, the shade matching the flowers in color.  The lesser light which thus rules the night casts a witching glamour over the table, shadowing imperfections, softening features, warming heart cockles, and loosening tongues.  Yellow is always good, green cool in summer, red heavy, and pink of the right shades genial.  Lace and ribbon have been banished from the table as being inconsistent with simplicity, but a small bunch of