Basic Etiquette
The Gentleman
1. In riding horseback or walking along the street, the lady always has the wall.
2. Meeting a lady in the street or in the park whom you know only slightly, you wait for her acknowledging bow - the and only then may you tip you hat to her, which is done using the hand farthest away from her to raise the hat. You do not speak to her - or to any other lady - unless she speaks to you first.
3. If you meet a lady who is a good friend and who signifies that she wishes to talk to you, you turn and walk with her if you wish to converse. It is not "done" to make a lady stand talking in the street.
4. In going up a flight of stairs, you precede the lady (running according to one authority); in going down, you follow.
5. In a carriage, a gentlemen takes the seat facing backward. If he is alone in a carriage with a lady, he does not sit next to her unless he is her husband, brother, father or son. He alights from the carriage first so he may hand her down. He takes care no to step on her dress.
6. At a public exhibition or concert, if accompanied by a lady, he goes in first in order to find her a seat. If he enters such an exhibition alone and there are ladies or older gentlemen present, he removes his hat.
7. A gentleman is always introduced to a lady - never the other way around. It is presumed to be an honor for the gentlemen to meet her. Likewise, a social inferior is always introduced to a superior - and only with the latter's acquiescence.
8. A gentleman never smokes in the presence of ladies.
The Lady
1. If unmarried and under thirty, she is never to be in the company of a man without a chaperone. Except for a walk to church or a park in the early morning, she may no walk alone but should always be accompanied by another lady, a man or a servant. An evern more restrictive view is that "if she cannot walk with her younger sisters and their governess, or the maid cannot be spared to walk with her, she had better stay at home or confine herself to the square garden".
2. Under no circumstances may a lady call on a gentleman alone unless she is consulting that gentleman on a professional or business matter.
3. A lady does not wear pearls or diamonds in the morning.
4. A lady never dances more than three dances with the same partner.
5. A lady should never "cut" someone, that is to say, fail to acknowledge their presence after encountering them socially, unless it is absolutely necessary. By the same token, only a lady is ever truly justified in cutting someone: "a cut is only excusable when men persist in bowing whose acquaintance a lady does not wish to keep up." Upon the approach of the offender, a simple stare of silent iciness should suffice; followed, if necessary, by a "cold bow, which discourages familiarity without offering insult," and departure forthwith. To remark, "Sir, I have not the honour of your acquaintance" is a very extreme measure and is a weapon that should be deployed only as a last resort.