on soup and salad and sour wine."

"And Italians?"

"On grapes and olives."

"That will do to talk about," said Dolly; "but it does not touch the
question."

"Not touch the question! I beg your pardon--but it does touch it most
essentially. Do you think it makes no difference to a man what sort of
a dinner he eats?"

"A great difference _to_ some men; but does it make much difference in
him?"

"Yes," said Rupert; and "Yes!" said Lawrence, with a unanimity which
made Dolly smile. "I can tell you," the latter went on, "a man is one
thing or another for the day, according to whether he has had a good
breakfast or a bad one."

"I understand. That's temper."

"It is not temper at all. It is physical condition."

"It's feeling put to rights, _I_ think," said Rupert.

"I suppose all these people are suited, in their several ways," said
Dolly. "Will mother like Venice, Mr. St. Leger, when we get there? What
is it like?"

"Like a city afloat. _You_ will like it, for the strangeness and the
beautiful things you will find there. I can't say about Mrs. Copley,
I'm sure."

"What do they drink there?" said Rupert. "Water?"

"Well, not exactly. You can judge for yourself, my good fellow."

"But that is Italy," said Dolly. "I suppose there is no beer or porter?"

"Well, you can find it, of course, if you want it; there are people
enough coming and going that _do_ want it; but in Venice you can have
pure wine, and at a reasonable price, too."

"At hotels, of course," said Dolly faintly.

"Of course, at some of them. But I was not thinking of hotels."

"Of what, then?"

"Wine-shops.''

"Wine-shops! Not for people who only want a glass, or two glasses?"

"Just for them. A glass or two, or half a dozen."

"Restaurants, you mean?"

"No, I do not mean restaurants. They are just wine-shops; sell nothing
but wine. Odd little places. There's no show; there's no set out; there
are just the casks from which the wine is drawn, and the glasses-mugs,
I should say; queer things; pints and quarts, and so on. Nothing else
is there, but the customers and the people who serve you."

"And people go into such places to drink wine? merely to drink, without
eating anything?"

"They can eat, if they like. There are street venders, that watch the
custom and come in immediately after any one enters; they bring fruit
and confections and trifles."

"You do not mean that _gentlemen_ go to these places, Mr. St. Leger?"

"Certain