Suppose you are bold, however; with a call, instead of merely leaving your card, you inquired if the lady were "at home." She was free to peer out of her drawing-room window on the second floor, see you and then whisper an emphatic "no" to her servant. This was perfectly acceptable, and it was understood that many people were physically at home when they were not socially "at home," although it was crass if they got caught.
( Daniel Pool )
[ What Jane Austen Ate and ]
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