"Not for all qualities!" an eager little man shrilly interposed. "For richness of general tone I don't say that it has a rival. But for delicacy of modulation——for what one may call the 'harmonics' of flavour——give 'me' good

old raspberry-jam!"

"Allow me one word!" The fat red-faced man, quite hoarse with excitement, broke into the dialogue. "It's too important a question to be settled by Amateurs! I can give you the views of a Professional——perhaps the most experienced jam-taster now living. Why, I've known him fix the age of strawberry-jam, to a day——and we all know what a difficult jam it is to give a date to——on a single tasting! Well, I put to him the very question you are discussing. His words were cherry-jam is best, for mere chiaroscuro of flavour: raspberry-jam lends itself best to those resolved discords that linger so lovingly on the tongue: but, for rapturous utterness of saccharine perfection, it's apricot-jam first and the rest nowhere!" That was well put, wasn't it?"

"Consummately put!" shrieked the eager little man.