he men used to go in there to take a drink
before going home.

'Last Thursday night about five o'clock, 'Unter comes inter the
paint-shop an' ses to me, "I wants a pail o' wash made up tonight,
Crass," 'e ses, "ready for fust thing in the mornin'," 'e ses. "Oh," I
ses, lookin' 'im straight in the bloody eye, "Oh, yer do, do
yer?"--just like that. "Yes," 'e ses. "Well, you can bloody well make
it yerself!" I ses, "'cos I ain't agoin' to," I ses--just like that.
"Wot the 'ell do yer mean," I ses, "by comin' 'ere at this time o'
night with a order like that?" I ses. You'd a larfed,' continued
Crass, as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand after taking
another drink out of his glass, and looking round to note the effect of
the story, 'you'd a larfed if you'd bin there. 'E was fairly
flabbergasted! And wen I said that to 'im I see 'is jaw drop! An'
then 'e started apoligizing and said as 'e 'adn't meant no offence, but
I told 'im bloody straight not to come no more of it. "You bring the
horder at a reasonable time," I ses--just like that--"and I'll attend
to it," I ses, "but not otherwise," I ses.'

As he concluded this story, Crass drained his glass and gazed round
upon the audience, who were full of admiration. They looked at each
other and at Crass and nodded their heads approvingly. Yes,
undoubtedly, that was the proper way to deal with such bounders as
Nimrod; take up a strong attitude, an' let 'em see as you'll stand no
nonsense!

'Yer don't blame me, do yer?' continued Crass. 'Why should we put up
with a lot of old buck from the likes of 'im! We're not a lot of
bloody Chinamen, are we?'

So far from blaming him, they all assured him that they would have
acted in precisely the same way under similar circumstances.

'For my part, I'm a bloke like this,' said a tall man with a very loud
voice--a chap who nearly fell down dead every time Rushton or Misery
looked at him. 'I'm a bloke like this 'ere: I never stands no cheek
from no gaffers! If a guv'nor ses two bloody words to me, I downs me
tools and I ses to 'im, "Wot! Don't I suit yer, guv'ner? Ain't I done
enuff for yer? Werry good! Gimmie me bleedin' a'pence."'

'Quite right too,' said everybody. That was the way to serve 'em. If
only everyone would do the same as the tall man--who had just paid for
another round of drinks--things would be a lot more comfortable than
they was.

'Last summer I was workin' for ole Buncer,' said a litt