come back.
His face was very red and shiny. He wore a truculent look.

"'Ullo!" he said thickly. "'Ere's quite a family party. 'Ope you've
been enjoyin' of yourselves as I 'ave, subjec' to _re_strictions. A
bob don't go fur in liquor now-a-days. You might ha' made it two."

"One seems to have been quite enough for you," said Patsy, with a light
of battle in eyes no longer dreamy.

"I don't deny as I 'ad a bob myself to spend," said the ruffian.
"'Ere, you, Georgie! You wake up, you lazy young devil! 'Tis time we
was on the road."

Patsy stepped between the man and the child who had come out of his
sleep with a cry of fear. He put a open hand on Mr. Baker's chest and
pushed him backward. Somewhat contrary to his expectations the man did
not resent his action, beyond remarking that no one had the right to
interfere between a man and his kid.

"Now it comes to that," he said, with a sudden change to jocularity,
"if so be as you've a fancy for 'er I'd sell her for five quid an'
throw in the kid. It's no catch draggin' 'em round an' me 'avin' to
carry the cans 'arf the time because o' your blasted coppers."

The full enormity of the speech seemed to reveal itself only gradually
to Patsy's mind. He turned red and then pale. The poor woman was
quivering as though a lash had struck her.

"You're a bad brute," said Patsy quietly. "The woman's too good for
you."

"You can 'ave her for nothink if you like. She never was much good to
me."

He sat down suddenly in the chair Georgie had left empty.

"I want to see your boss," he said: and his tone was bullying.

"I was thinkin' about that myself," said Patsy.

"You go along the road an' wait for me," he said with a sudden ferocity
which made the woman start. "Off with ye now. I'll come up with ye:
unless this gentleman 'ud make it a matter of a five-pun' note."

"Hold your dirty tongue," said Patsy, and landed Mr. Baker one in the
chest.

The man rushed at him with his head down, a shower of foul words coming
from his lips. Before anything could happen some one
intervened,--Terry O'Gara, dazzlingly clean as he always looked.

"Here, you keep quiet, you ruffian!" he said, delivering a very neat
blow just under the man's chin. "What is it all about, Patsy? Hadn't
I better send for the police?"

Mr. Baker had fallen back against the stone bench and subsided on to
it, feeling his jaw bone.

"I'll make you pay for this yere conduck to an 'armless m