How late is it acceptable to arrive at a social event? Fifteen minutes? Twenty? Half an hour? Does there come a point when it is just too late to turn up at all? I confess to not being particularly consistent at timekeeping. I was mindful of this in mid-January when I was invited to a very special event at Spencer House: a recital by a string quartet from the London Symphony Orchestra. I am not known for my love of classical music, but two things appealed. First, the recital was to last a mere 35 minutes, leaving plenty of time to chat to the select group of attendees and to admire the 18th-century mansion. Second, I was invited by a senior banker in the City of London whose company I enjoy very much. Thus it was that I readily responded, and resolved to be on time.
在社交活動中，遲到多久是可以接受的？15分鐘？20分鐘？還是半個鐘頭？遲到多久最好干脆不要露面？是否存在這樣的底限？我承認自己并不是一貫特別守時。1月中旬，我被邀請出席在斯賓塞宮(Spencer House)舉辦的一個極其特別的活動——倫敦交響樂團(London Symphony Orchestra)弦樂四重奏演奏會。當時我就意識到了自己這個缺點。我并不以喜愛古典音樂著稱，但這次活動有兩點很吸引人。首先，演奏只有35分鐘，這樣就有很多時間可以和組織方精心挑選的嘉賓們閑聊，順道瞻仰這幢18世紀的建筑。其次，邀請我的是倫敦金融城的一位高級銀行家，我極為欣賞此人所效力的公司。于是我欣然應允，并決心準時前往。