of peacemaker."]

The only thing about 'im that they didn't like was that 'e was a
teetotaler. He'd go into public-'ouses with 'em, but he wouldn't drink;
leastways, that is to say, he wouldn't drink beer, and Ginger used to say
that it made 'im feel uncomfortable to see Bill put away a bottle o'
lemonade every time they 'ad a drink. One night arter 'e had 'ad
seventeen bottles he could 'ardly got home, and Peter Russet, who knew a
lot about pills and such-like, pointed out to 'im 'ow bad it was for his
constitushon. He proved that the lemonade would eat away the coats o'
Bill's stomach, and that if 'e kept on 'e might drop down dead at any
moment.

That frightened Bill a bit, and the next night, instead of 'aving
lemonade, 'e had five bottles o' stone ginger-beer, six of different
kinds of teetotal beer, three of soda-water, and two cups of coffee. I'm
not counting the drink he 'ad at the chemist's shop arterward, because he
took that as medicine, but he was so queer in 'is inside next morning
that 'e began to be afraid he'd 'ave to give up drink altogether.

He went without the next night, but 'e was such a generous man that 'e
would pay every fourth time, and there was no pleasure to the other chaps
to see 'im pay and 'ave nothing out of it. It spoilt their evening, and
owing to 'aving only about 'arf wot they was accustomed to they all got
up very disagreeable next morning.

"Why not take just a little beer, Bill?" asks Ginger.

Bill 'ung his 'ead and looked a bit silly. "I'd rather not, mate," he
ses, at last. "I've been teetotal for eleven months now."