"People used in England, not very long ago, to drink a bottle or two of wine after dinner each man," said Meredith; "but it is not quite so bad as that nowadays."
Flora was vexed, but silent; she too remembered bowls of punch and baskets of champagne in her father's time.
"And gaming—" said Maggie, and stopped.
"What?" said Meredith.
"I was thinking how fond Fenton was of it."
"Oh hush, Maggie! he wasn't!" Esther exclaimed.
"It was just the same thing, Uncle Eden said."
"Where is Fenton?" said Meredith.
"He's coming to-morrow. He likes champagne too, and other wine when he can get it. And Bolivar—Bolivar put something in his lemonade!"
"Why, Maggie," said Meredith, smiling and passing his hand gently over the little girl's head, "you are taking gloomy views of life!"