Mary Lee Mattison

Victuals and Drink

This character is described as an old woman and not an old wife
I think she lives alone. “She lived upon nothing but victuals and drink”. Victual is a word meaning food. Drink, on the other hand, is not used here as a verb but as a noun. Without the preposition a (drink) it is commonly taken to mean alcoholic beverages.

The last line is a bit of humorous satire. Everyone knows that the more alcohol you drink the louder and more eloquent you become. [sic]