“Robert Wilson has been discharged from the shop where he had worked for twenty years, for, as he says, 'just that bit of a spree I had last week.' His friend, worthy of that name, Thomas Walters, reminds him that he has had many such sprees lately. Yes, Wilson agrees, a short life and a merry one is his motto. Walters shows him how short indeed is the so-called merry life, and that he has nothing to show for it but himself out of work, his wife overworked, a heavy score to pay at the Blue Boar, and a bad character. After being out of work for a fortnight, Walters manages to get another situation for him, and Wilson, seeing the foolishness of his previous conduct, steadily makes amends.”