"Please yourself," 'e ses, when I 'ad finished. "You're an old man, and
five bob a week can't be much loss to you. You've got nothing to spend
it on, at your time o' life. And you've got a very soft job 'ere. Wot?"

I didn't answer 'im. I just turned round, and, arter giving a man wot
stood in my way a punch in the chest, I got up on deck and on to the
wharf, and said my little say all alone to myself, behind the crane.

I paid the fust five bob to George Tebb the next time the ship was up,
and arter biting 'em over and over agin and then ringing 'em on the
deck 'e took the other chaps round to the Bear's Head.

"P'r'aps it's just as well it's 'appened," he ses. "Five bob a week for
nearly two years ain't to be sneezed at. It's slow, but it's sure."

I thought 'e was joking at fust, but arter working it out in the office
with a bit o' pencil and paper I thought I should ha' gorn crazy. And
when I complained about the time to George 'e said I could make it
shorter if I liked by paying ten bob a week, but 'e thought the steady
five bob a week was best for both of us.

I got to 'ate the sight of 'im. Every week regular as clockwork he used
to come round to me with his 'and out, and then go and treat 'is mates to
beer with my money. If the ship came up in the day-time, at six o'clock
in the evening he'd be at the wharf gate waiting for me; and if it came
up at night she was no sooner made fast than 'e was over the side patting
my trouser-pocket and saying wot a good job it was for both of us that I
was in steady employment.