OUTSTAYING A WELCOME

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 3, Issue 12, 1 June 1925, Page 48

OUTSTAYING A WELCOME

A SOCIAL PROBLEM

T he thought a guest should always keep in mind is the avoidance of any possibility of outstaying her welcome. However hospitable one’s hostess, an extra person in the household involves additional work for the servants, possibly augmented meals, and a variation in her usual habits and arrangements for the entertainment of her guest. When invited for a week-end visit, unless otherwise specified, it is usual to bring this to an end on the Monday, and arrangements should be made accordingly. If the remark that you are thinking of leaving on Monday morning draws an insistence from your hostess that you stay at least to lunch, all well and good; but it is better not to prolong your visit beyond the afternoon. “Come and spend a few days with us,” is an elastic term, but should not be interpreted to mean an indefinite period. It is sometimes difficult to fit in one’s visits, sandwiching the short ones between those of specified length, and there is often an inclination to stretch the “few days” into a convenient week or so, especially when the stay is proving a particularly pleasant one.

hen a guest observes, tentatively and half-heartedly, that she “must really be going home tomorrow,” the hostess is sometimes in a quandary between the dictates of hospitality and the inconvenience she may be put to if her politely conventional suggestion that the visit should not be brought to an end just yet is hastily and eagerly accepted. The guest should use her observation and common sense when her host and hostess overwhelm her with warm assurances that they are delighted with her company and want her to stay. The status of the household, its position as regards the servant problem, and the many small incidents which reveal “which way the wind blows,” are matters the considerate guest will remember, and use her judgment accordingly. Vague representations of the demands of business in town or the necessity of paying important other visits serve as an excuse to bring her stay to a close. Sudden illness, a bereavement in the family, or other unexpected happening upsetting to the household should be the signal for the tactful guest to insist upon taking her leave at the earliest possible moment.