Page:Book of Etiquette, Volume 1, by Lilian Eichler.djvu/144

 his own home is always mentioned first. A member of a royal and reigning family is never presented to anyone unless it is someone of higher royalty; all introductions are made to him. A guest of honor at an entertainment is also given the distinction of having all guests presented to him.

It very often happens, in making introductions, that one does not quite understand the name murmured by the one who is making the introduction. There is absolutely no reason to become flustered and embarrassed. Simply smile or nod in acknowledgment, and say, "I beg your pardon, I did not hear your name." Or one might say, "I am sorry, but I did not catch the name." Profuse apologies are not good form; in fact, they are entirely out of place, for the fault lies completely with the man or woman who has made the introduction. Address yourself to the stranger, when you wish the name to be repeated, and make your request simply, directly and with calm dignity. Do not show either by haste or embarrassment that you are ill at ease because the name escaped you.

Many times it is the fault of the people who are being introduced that they do not understand the names. They do not listen for them. It is one of the secrets of social success, if there can be anything secret about a thing so obvious, to be able to remember names correctly. People in business realize this and salesmen devote special time to training themselves to remember the names of their customers.

A very bad fault is to attempt to guess at a name when it is not heard distinctly. It is perfectly correct to ask,