The Book of Household Management by Mrs. Beeton

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_.