Long TextExercise 2 of 81

I had this story from one who had no business to tell it to me. I may credit the seductive influence of an old vintage upon the narrator for the beginning of it, and my own sceptical incredulity during the days that followed for the balance of the strange tale. When my convivial host discovered that he had told me so…

• Who found the paperwork that supported the story?
• What is the gist of the narrator's message to the reader about the credibility of the story?