Costly Bottle Of Champagne

Some years ago Mr. Gladstone had met a possible claimant for a civil list pension whom he believed to be in sufflciently poor circumstances, and had almost decided to grant it, when he received an iavitation to dinner with the person in question. This raised some doubt in hie mind. On the one hand, should a ei1 ;1 list pensioner be able to afford to entertain? On the other band, it might only be a dinner of herbs, and it seemed hard to deprive a public benefactor of a pension because he was res,dy to share his crust and water. Knowing that in any case there would bé a feast of reason and a flow of soul, Mr. Gladstone accepted the invitation, and on the way propounded to his companion the following text: "No champagne, pension; champagne, no pension." There was champagne, and the host lost his pension. It was the dearest bottle of wine on record, for It cost the purchaser L100 a year, ■