HOW TO… MAKE SMALL TALK AT A BALL

To misquote Darcy, it pays to talk by rule when dancing

DO... Arrange conversation to say as little as possible.

As Lizzie tells Darcy, remark on the size of the room, or the number of couples.

Do the basics.

Echo Henry Tilney: “How long you have been in Bath; were you ever here before?”

DON’T... Mix your topics.

As Lizzie Bennet says, it’s hard to “talk of books in a ball-room”.

Save all your conversation for just one partner.

In Northanger Abbey Isabella Thorpe and James Morland’s exclusivity sets “the old ladies in Bath in a bustle.”

Jeopardise your children’s marriage prospects by discussing your children’s marriage prospects.

You will leave them, like Lizzie Bennet, “blushed and blushed again with shame and vexation.”

Always expect chat.

In the words of Mansfield Park’s Edmund: “let us have the luxury of silence”.