unending council.

When the relentless morning came, and breakfast with the visitors again
in their seats unapproachable, the drunkards felt the crisis to be a
strain upon their sobered nerves. They glanced up from their plates, and
down; along to Dean Drake eating his hearty porridge, and back at one
another, and at the hungry, well-occupied strangers.

"Say, we don't want trouble," they began to the strangers.

"Course you don't. Breakfast's what you're after."

"Oh, well, you'd have got gay. A man gets gay."

"Sure."

"Mr. Drake," said Half-past Full, sweating with his effort, "we were
sorry while we was a-fogging you up."

"Yes," said Drake. "You must have been just overcome by contrition."

A large laugh went up from the visitors, and the meal was finished
without further diplomacy.

"One matter, Mr. Drake," stammered Half-past Full, as the party rose.
"Our jobs. We're glad to pay for any things what got sort of broke."

"Sort of broke," repeated the boy, eyeing him. "So you want to hold your
jobs?"