-- She adroitly directed their attention first
to a barrel of bottled brown stout,
One of the men knocking off the
neck of a bottle took a draught
& pithily expressed his abhorrence of
the "bitter stuff" -- "How should you
like what gentlemen like"? she asked,
in a tone of derision bitterer than the
brown stout -- "Is there nothing better
here"? they asked -- 'Gentlemen want nothing
better" -- she answered, and they partly
disappointed, but more down crest
fallen by her contempt, turned back
& left untasted liquor which they would
have been as ready as Caliban to swear
was 'not earthly' was 'celestial liquor' --
She managed her defensive warfare to
the end with equal adroitness -- She