THE LITTLE TEA BOOK 



all that, no statistics are at hand to show that 

 their arguments have made teetotalers of tea- 

 drinkers. One of the best things, however, said 

 against tea-drinking is distinctly in its favor to 

 a certain extent. It is from one Dr. Paulli, 

 who laments that u tea so dries the bodies of 

 the Chinese that they can hardly spit." This 

 will find few sympathizers among us. We sug- 

 gest the quotation to some enterprising tea- 

 dealer to be used in a street-car advertisement. 



Of all methods of making tea, that hit upon 

 by Heine's Italian landlord was perhaps the most 

 economical. Heine lodged in a house at Lucca, 

 the first floor of which was occupied by an Eng- 

 lish family. The latter complained of the cook- 

 ery of Italy in general, and their landlord's in 

 particular. Heine declared the landlord brewed 

 the best tea he had ever tasted in the country, 

 and to convince his doubtful English friends, in- 

 vited them to take tea with him and his brother. 

 The invitation was accepted. Tea-time came, 

 but no tea. When the poet's patience was ex- 

 hausted, his brother went to the kitchen to ex- 

 pedite matters. There he found his landlord, 

 who, in blissful ignorance of what company the 

 Heines had invited, cried : " You can get no 

 tea, for the family on the first floor have not 

 taken tea this evening." 



The tea that had delighted Heine was made 

 from the used leaves of the English party, who 

 found and made their own tea, and thus afforded 

 the landlord an opportunity of obtaining at once 

 praise and profit by this Italian method of serv- 

 ing a pot of tea. Chambers^ Journal. 



44 



