css: table height won't cooperate

I can't make a table I've 'embedded' in another div arbit开发者_如何转开发rarily tall/short:

#header table.rates {
    float: left;
    width: 210px;
    border: 1px solid black;
    border-collapse: collapse;
    padding:0;
    margin: 5px;
    font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;
    font-size: 10px;
}

#header {
    clear:both;
    float:left;
    width:100%;
    border-bottom:1px solid #000;
    background: #9c9;
    padding-top: 10px;
    padding-bottom: 10px;
    font: small-caps 40px/40px "Times New Roman", serif;
    color: #282;
}

And in the html it's <div id='header'>...<table class='rates'>...

The table vertically expands the header div and no amount of tinkering with the tr, td or table elements will get it to cooperate. What am I missing?

Sorry for the cyber-perturbation here folks, the problem was with

#header { font: small-caps 40px\40px "Times New Roman", serif; }

Modifying the line to font: small-caps 40px "Times New Roman", serif; allowed me access to my table's height properties, as desired.

Lille