it was full
he passed it to the Semi-drunk, who threw it bodily, pail and all, on
to the bench in front of the window, smashing one of the panes of
glass. The water poured off the table and all over the floor.

Bill brought the next pailful in and threw it at the kitchen door,
splitting one of the panels from top to bottom, and then they threw
about half a dozen more pailfuls over the dresser.

'We'll show the b--rs how to clean paintwork,' they shouted, as they
hurled the buckets at the walls and doors.

By this time the floor was deluged with water, which mingled with the
filth and formed a sea of mud.

They left the two taps running in the scullery and as the waste pipe of
the sink was choked up with dirt, the sink filled up and overflowed
like a miniature Niagara.

The water ran out under the doors into the back-yard, and along the
passage out to the front door. But Bill Bates and the Semi-drunk
remained in the kitchen, smashing the pails at the walls and doors and
the dresser, and cursing and laughing hysterically.

They had just filled the two buckets and were bringing them into the
kitchen when they heard Hunter's voice in the passage, shouting out
inquiries as to where all that water came from. Then they heard him
advancing towards them and they stood waiting for him with the pails in
their hands, and directly he opened the door and put his head into the
room they let fly the two pails at him. Unfortunately, they were too
drunk and excited to aim straight. One pail struck the middle rail of
the door and the other the wall by the side of it.

Misery hastily shut the door again and ran upstairs, and presently the
'coddy' came down and called out to them from the passage.

They went out to see what he wanted, and he told them that Misery had
gone to the office to get their wages ready: they were to make out
their time sheets and go for their money at once. Misery had said that
if they were not there in ten minutes he would have the pair of them
locked up.

The Semi-drunk said that nothing would suit them better than to have
all their pieces at once--they had spent all their money and wanted
another drink. Bill Bates concurred, so they borrowed a piece of
blacklead pencil from the 'coddy' and made out their time sheets, took
off their aprons, put them into their tool bags, and went to the office
for their money, which Misery passed out to them through the trap-door.

The news of this exploit sprea