He knew, or thought that he
knew, that the best wine in the world was brought to England. He
knew, or thought he knew, that in no other country was wine so well
understood, so diligently sought for, and so truly enjoyed as in
England. And he imagined that it was less understood and less
sought for and less enjoyed in the States than in any other
country. He did not as yet know the Senator well enough to fight
with him at his own table, and could only groan and moan and look
up at the ceiling. Doctor Nupper endeavoured to take away the sting
by smacking his lips, and Reginald Morton, who did not in truth
care a straw what he drank, was moved to pity and declared the
claret to be very fine. "I have nothing to say against it," said
the Senator, who was not in the least abashed.
But when the cloth was drawn, for the rector clung so lovingly to
old habits that he delighted to see his mahogany beneath the wine
glasses,--a more serious subject of dispute arose suddenly, though
perhaps hardly more disagreeable. "The thing in England," said the
Senator, "which I find most difficult to understand, is the matter
of what you call Church patronage."
"If you'll pass half an hour with Mr. Surtees to-morrow morning,
he'll explain it all to you," said the rector, who did not like
that any subject connected with his profession should be mooted
after dinner.
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