Yeah, the swords explanation is the one I learned in my Western European style upbringing. As a coda to that, the men walked to the right of the lady so that their sword arm was then free. (BTW a left handed fencer has a great advantage because he/she comes from an unexpected direction.)
Which brings me back to...Lois and Clark! In "We Have a Lot to Talk About" Clark and Lois are walking along the street after the rainstorm. Clark automatically switches from inside to outside of Lois (i.e. near the curb) when they turn a corner. I always thought that was a great indication of Clark's gentlemanly upbringing. Why the curbside? To protect the woman from mud splattered by horse carriages on unpaved streets. We just still do it today even though most streets are paved and the gentleman would probably be as distressed about his suit getting splattered as the woman.
Ah, the trivia I know!
Artemis
