served first. If there are several at dinner there should be two servants, who should hand the entrées simultaneously on either side of the table, beginning at opposite ends. The waiters should be seen and not heard, but yet they must have eyes for everything and see what each person requires. Where there is a butler, he has the charge of the wine, but, if not, the principal of the two servants undertakes it. Champagne must be opened quickly and noiselessly, and great care must be taken in pouring out wine not to over-fill or spill any of it.

The cover that is laid for each person is-On the right hand, two large dinner-knives and a silver fishknife, and a table-spoon for soup; on the left hand, two large forks and a fish-fork; should there be horsd'œuvres, a dessert-spoon and fork is placed in front of the plate. The wineglasses, if for a dinner partyA champagne-glass, sherry-glass, and a hock- or claretglass, placed to each guest. Salt-cellars and little. pepper-castors are generally placed in front of every other guest. Serviettes should be nicely folded, but not elaborately. The mitre or escutcheon shapes are mostly used, though it is much the fashion now to place the serviette on the table quite plainly folded.

When the guests have all been served with soup, sherry is handed.

Hock is served with the fish, and the champagne is handed round directly after the first entrée has been served.

In changing the plates, fresh cutlery and silver must be put round to each guest, when required; for all sweet dishes, a small dessert-fork and spoon is

placed on the plate before it is put before the guest; and for savouries a fork only, generally. But it depends on the savoury, for sometimes a small knife is required as well. When an entrée consists of chicken, creams, patties, &c., it is eaten with a fork only. When salad is served, small salad-plates are handed round with the bowl and placed at the left-hand side of the dinner-plate. It is eaten with a knife and fork. Cucumber is handed round with the fish; it is taken on to the dinner-plate and eaten with a fork. The sweets are eaten with a fork only, except in the case of tarts, when a spoon should be used as well. Pastry is also only eaten with a fork. After the savouries the table is cleared of everything that appertains to dinner, and the cover is brushed with a silver brush and scoop and dessert-plates are placed on the table before each guest. Ices are handed round immediately before dessert. On each dessert-plate should be placed a d'oyley, and on this the ice-plate, and on this again the finger-bowl, and also on the plate are placed the ice-spoon and the dessert knife and fork. Wineglasses -port, sherry, and claret--are placed round to each guest. After the ices, liqueurs are handed round, poured out in liqueur-glasses placed on a silver salver. After the ices are finished, the ice-plates are removed and the dessert is handed round, and then the wine.

Coffee is served after dinner in the drawing-room to the ladies and to the gentlemen in the dining-room. Black coffee is usually taken, but cream, sugar, and milk should be handed with it. Cigars, cigarettes, and match-stands are generally handed to the gentlemen

with their coffee, as well as little glasses of champagne fin or other liqueurs.

The decoration of the dinner-table itself must be left to the taste of the mistress of the house, which depends on what plate and china she has. Dessert sweets are generally arranged in little silver dishes, and the fruit at dinner parties is seldom placed on the table, as the table is generally covered with pretty silver ornaments, china, and flowers. There is no room for the fruit.

To Clean Plate

(A Silversmith's Recipe for Cleaning Plate)

Take a little rouge and mix with spirits of wine, put it in a saucer. Place some on the silver with a pointed stick and rub briskly whilst it is wet with a clean piece of rag, and polish it finally with a leather.

The success of cleaning plate well depends on the way the powder is used, which should be very sparingly. Plate should be washed in the hottest of boiling water, with a little soda and fine whitening made into a paste with a little methylated spirit, and then put on with a soft flannel; rinsing in cold water, drying, and polishing with a buff and afterwards with a selvyt cloth or wash-leather, is about the best way. Of course, rubbing it on the palm of the hand and with the finger and thumb till the silver feels quite hot polishes the plate best, but if the servant has a damp hand it is impossible to polish it, and it becomes dull and smudgy. Where the hand is damp, it is a good plan to take an old knife-board with the emery-cloth

worn off, cover it with flannel and then with a piece of chamois-leather, and rub it hard on this; but, of course, the inside bowls of spoons cannot be rubbed in this way.

I always have all my silver boiled in the copper three times a year with a small handful of hartshorn powder in it. It is quite a necessity for entrée dishes and covers, for they will get grease worked into them if the servants are at all parsimonious in their washing.

I always use Spink's plate powder and his buff for polishing. I prefer the buff to the brush except when the silver is much chased, when the brush is a necessity. When putting away silver which is only occasionally used, pieces of camphor gum should be placed among it to prevent its tarnishing.

TERMS USED IN COOKING AND IN

THE KITCHEN

Abaisse Rolling in paste.

Allemande Reduced white sauce thickened with cream and yolks of egg and seasoned with lemon-juice.

Angelica: A preserve used for decorating.

Aspic: A savoury jelly.

Assiette: Small entrées and hors-d'œuvres, not more than a plate will hold.

Assiettes volantes: Dishes handed and not put on the table.

Attelêts: Small silver skewers used in garnishing.

Au bleu Fish dressed in such a manner as to have a bluish appear

ance.

Au gras: Dressed with meat gravy.
Au jus: In a natural juice or gravy.
Au naturel: Plain simple cooking.
Baba: A kind of light sweet cake.

Bain-marie: A metal pan which has a loose bottom to hold water,
into which small saucepans can be put for keeping warm.
Barde: A thin slice of fat bacon placed over steaks, fowls, &c.,
instead of larding.

Batterie de cuisine: A complete set of necessary apparatus for all

culinary purposes.

Bavaroise: A kind of cream and custard.

Béchamel: A rich white sauce made with cream.

Beignet: A pancake or fritter.

Bisque: A soup made with shell fish.

Blanc: White broth.

Blanch: To parboil, to scald vegetables, &c., in order to remove skins, &c., and to whiten poultry.

Blanquette: A kind of fricassée made with white sauce and thickened

with yolk of egg.

Bligner: To fritter anything in buttered egg and fry.

Bone: To remove all bones from poultry and meat.

Boudin: A rich mixture of different meats minced.

Bouilli: Beef much boiled.

Bouillon: A thin soup or broth.