together and paid his fine; and if that failed, they made it hot for the
prosecutors. Generally their offences were disorderly conduct, bashing
their enemies, and resisting the police.

Both Jonah and Chook worked for a living--Chook by crying fish and
vegetables in the streets, Jonah by making and mending for Hans Paasch,
the German shoemaker on Botany Road. But Chook often lacked the few
shillings to buy his stock-in-trade, and Jonah never felt inclined for
work till Wednesday. Then he would stroll languidly down to the shop.
The old German would thrust out his chin, and blink at him over his
glasses. And he always greeted Jonah with one of two set phrases:

"Ah, you haf come, haf you? I vas choost going to advertise for a man."
This meant that work was plentiful. When trade was slack, he would shake
his head sadly as if he were standing over the grave of his last sixpence,
and say:

"Ah, it vas no use; dere is not enough work to fill one mouth."

Jonah always listened to either speech with utter indifference, took off
his coat, put on his leather apron, and set to work silently and swiftly
like a man in anger.

Although he always grumbled, Paasch was quite satisfied. He had too much
work for one, and not enough for two. So Jonah, who was a good workman,
and content to make three or four days in a week, suited him exactly.
Besides, Jonah had started with him as an errand-boy at five shillings
a week, years ago, and was used to his odd ways.

Hans Paasch was born in Bavaria, in the town of Hassloch. His father was