human
Thank you, Mr. Ridley was able to say,
gpt
Oh, excuse me, said the gentleman, setting down the glass quickly.
human
I was not aware of that.
gpt
Will you take a glass of wine with me, Mr. Elliott?
human
Something very choice,
gpt
Very choice indeed, sir, he replied.
human
But you always have good wine.
gpt
If it is to be had, returned the host, a little, proudly;
human
Exactly; wine that is pure hurts no one, unless, indeed, his appetite has been vitiated through alcoholic indulgence, and even then I have sometimes thought that the moderate use of strictly pure wine would restore the normal taste and free a man from the tyranny of an enslaving vice.
gpt
You strike the keynote of a true temperance reformation, Mr. Elliott, returned the host.
human
Give men pure wine instead of the vile stuff that bears its name, and you will soon get rid of drunkenness. I have always preached that doctrine.
gpt
And I imagine you are about right, answered Mr. Elliott.
human
Wine is one of God's gifts, and must be good. If men abuse it sometimes, it is nothing more than they do with almost every blessing the Father of all mercies bestows upon his children. The abuse of a thing is no argument against its use.