The Marine and the Bottle
A story told of William the Fourth, if genuine, shows that king possessed on occasion of a ready tact which is so happy as to be wit. The story runs that when dining with several officers he ordered a waiter to “take away that marine,” pointing to an empty bottle. “Your Majesty!” exclaimed one of the officers, “do you compare an empty bottle to a member of our branch of the service?” “Yes,” answered the king. “I mean to say that it has done its duty once and is ready to do it again.”