The guest’s answer to the invitation must be of the promptest, whether it accepts or rejects the proposal of a visit. It should, of course, be written in the first person. The wording is a matter for the individual taste, and the form following is offered merely as a suggestion.
47 Tremont St.,
New York.
April 11, 1919.
I am more pleased than I can tell you to receive your kind invitation, since there is nothing to prevent my acceptance of it. I shall take the three o’clock train on Friday afternoon for Hyde Park, and I am looking forward very eagerly to being with you so soon.
Yours sincerely,
Roberta Ashland
The declination of the invitation should contain some fitting expression of regret, and an explanation as to the causes that render an acceptance impossible.
It is imperative that a girl should be met at the station by her host in person, or, if convenient, preferably by the hostess, or perhaps by both. But this attention is not obligatory in the case of a married couple or with a bachelor guest. But these, too, should be met at the station by a servant if not by the host, and duly conveyed to the house where they are to be entertained.
The guest on arrival should be welcomed at the entrance by the hostess, if she has not been to the station, and after the greetings she escorts the guest, if this is a woman, to the chamber she is to occupy, and there leaves her to freshen herself after the journey.
When the luggage is brought in, a competent maid will unpack it and distribute the contents through the drawers of the bureau and in the closet, and render such other services as may be required. A less competent maid can at least unstrap the luggage, remove trays, and help in the disposal of the contents.
In the case of a man, after being greeted by his hostess, he is conducted to his room by the host.