und it without straining their eyesight.

I remember one time they was home, arter being away pretty near a year,
and when they was paid off they felt like walking gold-mines. They went
about smiling all over with good-temper and 'appiness, and for the first
three days they was like brothers. That didn't last, of course, and on
the fourth day Sam Small, arter saying wot 'e would do to Ginger and
Peter if it wasn't for the police, went off by 'imself.

His temper passed off arter a time, and 'e began to look cheerful agin.
It was a lovely morning, and, having nothing to do and plenty in 'is
pocket to do it with, he went along like a schoolboy with a 'arf holiday.
He went as far as Stratford on the top of a tram for a mouthful o' fresh
air, and came back to his favourite coffee-shop with a fine appetite for
dinner. There was a very nice gentlemanly chap sitting opposite 'im, and
the way he begged Sam's pardon for splashing gravy over 'im made Sam take
a liking to him at once. Nicely dressed he was, with a gold pin in 'is
tie, and a fine gold watch-chain acrost his weskit; and Sam could see he
'ad been brought up well by the way he used 'is knife and fork. He kept
looking at Sam in a thoughtful kind o' way, and at last he said wot a
beautiful morning it was, and wot a fine day it must be in the country.
In a little while they began to talk like a couple of old friends, and he
told Sam all about 'is father, wot was a clergyman in the country, and
Sam talked about a father of his as was living private on three 'undred a
year.

"Ah, money's a useful thing," ses the man.

"It ain't everything," ses Sam. "It won't give you 'appiness. I've run
through a lot in my time, so I ought to know."

"I expect you've got a bit left, though," ses the man, with a wink.

Sam laughed and smacked 'is pocket. "I've got a trifle to go on with,"
he ses, winking back. "I never feel comfortable without a pound or two
in my pocket."

"You look as though you're just back from a vy'ge," ses the man, looking
at 'im very hard.

"I am," ses Sam, nodding. "Just back arter ten months, and I'm going to
spend a bit o' money afore I sign on agin, I can tell you."

"That's wot it was given to us for," ses the man, nodding at him.

They both got up to go at the same time and walked out into the street
together, and, when Sam asked 'im whether he might have the pleasure of
standing 'im a drink, he said he might. He talked about the different