A Parisian Dinner Party.

Manawatu Herald, 20 December 1894, Page 3

A Parisian Dinner Party.

Paris may now be said to have quite resumed its regular winter aspect, and the ranks of the fashionable world being almost filled up again, and dinners, official and private, looming largely in the near future. At the former entertainments especially, stiange occurrences j often take place. The guests at many very grand dinners are frequently recruited among people who, though for one reason or another they .may have some claim to occasional official recognition, are still not au courant of all the little amenities which polite society considers so essential. At a dinner given some yeara ago by General Calvaignae, acting chief of the executive, a captain of Zouaves was present. Though as brave as a Hop when f ton ting the enemy, his gas* tronimic exploits hitherto, had all been oonducted under a tent, or in restaurants where the company was not of tho most brilliant description. In suoh restaurants, the customers have a habit in Franoe of carefully cleaning the cutlery and the plates with their napkins before beginning to eat, as well as breathing into the glasses which they afterwards polish. Our brave Zouave from long habit had come to look upon such pres liminaries as a necessary part of the proceedings at every dinner. With much deliberation, therefore, he conscientiously proceeded to rub the knives and forks in front of him, following this up by wiping out his wine glasses. General Cavaignac noticing his guest's manoeuvres, and, thinking, something was wrong, whispered to a footman, who immediately gave the captain a fresh set of cutlery and glasses. On these the SSouave operated as he had done on the others. Again the General motioned to the servant ; again the silver and steel were replaced ; but no sooner were the new articles on the table then they were put through the cleansing process. The operation was repeated six times ; the simple warrior's face gradually growing as red as his trousers as it began to dawn upon him that something must be wrong or that he was made a fool of; When the footman for the seventh time prepared to carry off the glasses, the old African campaigner leaped to his feet and with a wild wnr whoop, clapped a salad ; bowl which was standing on a sideboard near, over the astonished attendant's head, yelling out at him, " Did I come here, do you think, to clean all the confounded plate in tho house ?" The master of the house, after much trouble managed to explain matter sufficiently to put his angry guest onoe more in a good humour.