“The idea is, a funeral is for the best in a man. You say he was a good soldier even if he wasn’t, that people will miss him even if they don’t; you wish him the best for where he goes next, even if you expect the worst. We all need that last charity; none of us look good on a close accounting. But sometimes you need to say other things too, so we had what the classics fellow called libations. Drinks for the dead.”
