Mr S .Seneviratne`s contribution on 21st Dec. where he described how the grand old man disappeared in to the house with a beautiful lady, without even bidding good-bye to his guests, prompted me to relate a true incident which I personally experienced.

In the late sixties, as a school- leaver, I joined the Kollupitiya head office of a multinational company as a trainee recruit and was posted to the foreign liquor stores. The company was the agent for most of the top brands of SCOTCH & CONGNAC from Europe. It was a usual practice for Sir John`s driver cum butler Elaris to call over in Sir john`s car bearing registration 5- SRI 0001 once or twice a month for a case of BLACK LABEL whisky. (Most senior citizens will remember, that since the SRI series was introduced by the Bandaranaike govt in the mid fifties, the first in the series, 1- SRI -0001, a Cadillac, and 2 -SRI-0001, 3 SRI 0001 etc. was always registered in sir John`s name .) , .

On one afternoon I walked up to my manager’s office to seek permission for short leave and met Elaris on the staircase. Thinking that he had come for his Black Label and was waiting for the invoice, I said " come Elaris you take the BLACK LABEL, I`m leaving right now, I can collect the invoice later". The customer was such a respected personality, that nobody in the company would have found fault with me for issuing it without an invoice. However Elaris`s sarcastic look and prompt reply surprised me, "No, no not today … it`s not Black label …but Fair Label" and turned the other way. Being unable to fathom his remark, I related this to my senior colleague, who explained, " I say you are too new to this place young man; Elaris comes only once a month for your stuff, but more often for the ‘Fair label’ and that is so and so," He mentioned the name of a young and extremely beautiful burgher damsel, a junior secretary during the good old days , at this European managed firm. I guess Sir John was in his early seventies during that time.