Astuteness

Soda was added to an interval pregnant with legal stultifications, and the trooper continued to say nothing till he had taken a swig at his almost neat whisky. It fulfilled its function of humanizing him on the spot, though he refused to concede his astuteness to a mere gulp of liquor.

And this arose not so much from his greater virtue, nor even his superior style, but from his astuteness in understanding that his frame is best served by custom tailoring.