British drama. The first time she witnessed the real thing, which
happened just precisely a month later, long after the conversation
here recorded had been forgotten by the parties most concerned, no one
could have been more utterly astonished than was Mrs. Korner.

How it came about Mr. Korner was never able to fully satisfy himself.
Mr. Korner was not the type that serves the purpose of the temperance
lecturer. His "first glass" he had drunk more years ago than he could
recollect, and since had tasted the varied contents of many others.
But never before had Mr. Korner exceeded, nor been tempted to exceed,
the limits of his favourite virtue, moderation.

"We had one bottle of claret between us," Mr. Korner would often
recall to his mind, "of which he drank the greater part. And then he
brought out the little green flask. He said it was made from
pears--that in Peru they kept it specially for Children's parties. Of
course, that may have been his joke; but in any case I cannot see how
just one glass--I wonder could I have taken more than one glass while
he was talking." It was a point that worried Mr. Korner.

The "he" who had talked, possibly, to such bad effect was a distant
cousin of Mr. Korner's, one Bill Damon, chief mate of the steamship
_La Fortuna_. Until their chance meeting that afternoon in Leadenhall
Street, they had not seen each other since they were boys together.
The _Fortuna_ was leaving St. Katherine's Docks early the next morning
bound for South America, and it might be years before they met again.
As Mr. Damon pointed out, Fate, by thus throwing them into each
other's arms, clearly intended they should have a cosy dinner together
that very evening in the captain's cabin of the _Fortuna_.