Never put your own knife, fork or spoon into a dish from which others are to be helped. The table being a meeting place where everything should be nice and conducive to good manners, a gentleman will never appear at it in his shirt sleeves. A lady should observe the same care in her dress. Untidy hair and dirty nails are especially repellant. The one who serves at table, should not help too abundantly, or flood food with gravies.
Water is poured at the right of a guest everything else is passed from the left.
Do not watch the dishes as they are uncovered. Or talk with the mouth full. If you discover something objectionable in the food do not attract the attention of others to it, but quietly deposit it under the edge of your plate. Never sop up your gravy or preserves with bread, And do not scrape your plate so as to obtain the last bit, or drink as though you were dying of thirst. It is quite an art to drink gracefully.