You'll hoodoo it--you Scotchmen are the devil when it comes to anything fit to drink," and he winked at Prim.
"How much is there left of it, St.George ?" asked Latrobe, watching the major manipulate the nutpick.
"Not a drop outside that bottle." "Let us pray--for the cork," sighed Latrobe.

"Easy--E-A-SY, major--think of your responsibility, man!" It was out now, the major dusting the opening with one end of his napkin--his face wreathed in smiles when his nostrils caught the first whiff of its aroma.
"By Jupiter!--gentlemen!--When I'm being snuffed out I'll at least go like a gentleman if I have a drop of this on my lips.

It's a bunch of roses--a veritable nosegay.

Heavens!--what a bouquet! Some fresh glasses, Todd." Malachi and Todd both stepped forward for the honor of serving it, but the major waved them aside, and rising to his feet began the round of the table, filling each slender pipe-stem glass to the brim.
Then the talk, which had long since drifted away from general topics, turned to the color and sparkle of some of the more famous wines absorbed these many years by their distinguished votaries.

This was followed by the proper filtration and racking both of Ports and Madeiras, and whether milk or egg were best for the purpose--Kennedy recounting his experience of different vintages both here and abroad, the others joining in, and all with the same intense interest that a group of scientists or collectors would have evinced in discussing some new discovery in chemistry or physics, or the coming to light of some rare volume long since out of print--everybody, indeed, taking a hand in the discussion except Latrobe, whose mouth was occupied in the slow sipping of his favorite Madeira--tilting a few drops now and then on the end of his tongue, his eyes devoutly closed that he might the better relish its flavor and aroma.
It was all an object lesson to Harry, who had never been to a dinner of older men--not even at his father's--and though at first he smiled at what seemed to him a great fuss over nothing, he finally began to take a broader view.