The dinner table is usually laid for courses.

First.—Soup and rolls, croutons or baked crackers.

Second.—Meat, potatoes and vegetables.

Third.—Dessert.

Arrange the cloths, knives and forks, etc., as directed for the breakfast table. Place at the right of each knife a soupspoon, and a teaspoon or two, if needed.

For the first course, place a ladle with handle at the right, in front of the one who serves the soup, and hot plates at the left. Soup should be dipped away, not toward, the one who serves it, and the same rule holds in eating it. Sip it quietly from the side of the spoon.

After the soup course is finished, remove the plates by taking them singly in each hand, or on a tray. Never pile soiled dishes to carry away, since it is not pleasing to see and it makes double work in scraping the dishes before they are washed.

The meat and plates for the second course may be arranged as for the breakfast table. After the second course remove everything but the dessertspoons and the tumblers. Pass to the left of each person and scrape off the crumbs, using a tray and a knife, which is cleaner and more thorough than a brush. Place the dessert in front of the one who is to serve it, with the plates or saucers at the left.