. The first [-fifth] reader of the school and family series. in shops and at the streetcorners, and borne about in kettles by itinerant merchants,Avho sell small cups—without sugar or milk, as it is univers-ally taken in the East—at a trifling price. A tea-drinking iiia rich mans house is, however, a very ceremonious affair. Notea-pots are used, but a portion of leaves is put into eachcup, and boiling water poured on them. It would be highlyindecorous to spill a drop out of the cups during the bowingswhich precede the drinkingj and to jorevent this they arebut half-filled. The guests drink at
. The first [-fifth] reader of the school and family series. in shops and at the streetcorners, and borne about in kettles by itinerant merchants,Avho sell small cups—without sugar or milk, as it is univers-ally taken in the East—at a trifling price. A tea-drinking iiia rich mans house is, however, a very ceremonious affair. Notea-pots are used, but a portion of leaves is put into eachcup, and boiling water poured on them. It would be highlyindecorous to spill a drop out of the cups during the bowingswhich precede the drinkingj and to jorevent this they arebut half-filled. The guests drink at many sips, and it is apoint of politeness for all to empty their cups exactly at thesame time, that they may put them down at once. * The downward inflection is appropriate here, because it is, really, the conclusion of thepentiment, the remaining three lines being merely a repetition of the sentiment previouslyexpressed. If we had given only the last six liies, beginning with Ix>vely flower, therising inflection would have been required at 150 WILLSON S yiiTU KKAi>KK. PakT IV. 6. Tea is served very hot; but it is a flagrant breach of eti-quette in any one to notice this unpleasant fact. Sliould tlieweather be very warm, when tlie cups are emptied the masterof tlie house says, I invite you to take up your fans. Butshould any unlucky guest have forgotten his fan, the rest ofthe company do not permit themselves the liberty of usingtheirs, for fear of hurting his feelings. Finally, after innumer-able tedious acts of politeness, in which each individual aimsto produce the impression that, in his own opinion, his insig-nificant person is by no means worthy the exalted honor ofdrinking with the illustrious company among whom he is in-finitely surprised to be received, the signal for leave-taking isgiven oy the highest in rank rising and saying to the host, Ihave been troublesome to you a very long time—which isprobably the only true word spoken during the entert
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, bookpublishernewyo, bookyear1860
