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.51Fashionable people in very large cities take introductions lightly; they areveritable ships that pass in the night.They show their red or green signals whichare merely polite sentences and pleasant manners and they pass on again.52When you are introduced to some one for the second time and the first occasionwas without interest and long ago, there is no reason why you should speak of theformer meeting.53If some one presents you to Mrs.Smith for the second time on the same occasion,you smile and say I have already met Mrs.Smith, but you say nothing if you metMrs.Smith long ago and she showed no interest in you at that time.54Most rules are elastic and contract and expand according to circumstances.You donot remind Mrs.Smith of having met her before, but on meeting again any one whowas brought to your own house, or one who showed you an especial courtesy youinstinctively say, I am so glad to see you again. 55INCLUDING SOMEONE IN CONVERSATION WITHOUT AN INTRODUCTIONOn occasions it happens that in talking to one person you want to include anotherin your conversation without making an introduction.For instance: suppose you aretalking to a seedsman and a friend joins you in your garden.You greet your friend,and then include her by saying, Mr.Smith is suggesting that I dig up these cannasand put in delphiniums. Whether your friend gives an opinion as to the change incolor of your flower bed or not, she has been made part of your conversation.56This same maneuver of evading an introduction is also resorted to when you arenot sure that an acquaintance will be agreeable to one or both of those whom anaccidental circumstance has brought together.57INTRODUCTIONS UNNECESSARYYou must never introduce people to each other in public places unless you arecertain beyond a doubt that the introduction will be agreeable to both.You cannotcommit a greater social blunder than to introduce, to a person of position, some oneshe does not care to know, especially on shipboard, in hotels, or in other very small,rather public, communities where people are so closely thrown together that it iscorrespondingly difficult to avoid undesirable acquaintances who have been giventhe wedge of an introduction.58As said above, introductions in very large cities are unimportant.In New York,where people are meeting new faces daily, seldom seeing the same one twice in ayear, it requires a tenacious memory to recognize those one hoped most to seeagain, and others are blotted out at once.Get any book for free on: www.Abika.com ETIQUETTE IN SOCIETY, IN BUSINESS, IN POLITICS AND AT HOME1959People in good society rarely ask to be introduced to each other, but if there is agood reason for knowing some one, they often introduce themselves; for instance,Mary Smith says:60 Mrs.Jones, aren t you a friend of my mother s? I am Mrs.Titherington Smith sdaughter. Mrs.Jones says:61 Why, my dear child, I am so glad you spoke to me.Your mother and I haveknown each other since we were children! 62Or, an elder lady asks: Aren t you Mary Smith? I have known your mother sinceshe was your age. Or a young woman says: Aren t you Mrs.Worldly? Mrs.Worldly, looking rather freezingly, politely says Yes and waits.And the strangercontinues, I think my sister Millicent Manners is a friend of yours. Mrs.Worldlyat once unbends. Oh, yes, indeed, I am devoted to Millicent! And you must be ? 63 I m Alice. 64 Oh, of course, Millicent has often talked of you, and of your lovely voice.I wantvery much to hear you sing some time. 65These self-introductions, however, must never presumingly be made.It would bein very bad taste for Alice to introduce herself to Mrs.Worldly if her sister knewher only slightly [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]