The Ghost of the Late Mr James Barber by Charles Dickens. Short summary

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One day a young lieutenant was talking to his older brother, who was an elderly midshipman. The latter, upon hearing the news of Mr. Barber’s passing, described the latter’s identity.

1 minute

At one time the young officer was in dialogue with his own brother, who was an elderly midshipman. The latter, having learned from the former of Mr. Barber’s death, began to share with the lieutenant the details of the departed man’s life.

The older brother told the younger one that in life the deceased gentleman had been a very cheerful person. He calls Mr. Barber «Jolly Jammy,» and adds that no voyage was made without the latter’s participation. The elderly midshipman believes that his mate had a wealth of life experience and had an excellent understanding of how to use it properly.
The lieutenant’s brother states that the deceased man had one interesting trait — he knew a very large number of people with whom he easily found common ground.

The elderly midshipman states that Jams was an excellent judge of the varieties of champagne, was good at music, and liked to attend balls.