The Theory and Practice of Etiquette
The instructor pauses, as if waiting for you to say something, and you take the opportunity to enjoy a brief moment of silence.
She frowns and continues, "Well, in any event, you seem like the sort who may not be able to spare the time for the entirety of our program—you likely only have a few months left before your scheduled sitting of the Assessment—so I suppose we'll have to content ourselves with a only brief overview of the curriculum, which, as I believe I previously mentioned, begins with courtesy—the practice of setting aside one's personal needs, accomodating one's peers and guests, and creating a comfortable, inviting, and respectful personal environment—and then continues on with confidence—the skill of asserting oneself, asking without demanding, and feeling content with one's own choices and actions—and concludes with a study of when to apply one and when the other is most suitable; if I may put things bluntly for a moment, a knack for this last ability is quite frequently what separates those with true empathy for the people around them from those who are merely putting on a show to convince themselves of their rightheadedness."
As she's been talking, the two of you have walked from the school's entrance to a corridor deep within the building.