at," he cried. "Come on, Liz."

The others had sprung to their feet, astonished at this prodigal waste
of a delicacy fit for kings. Chook stood for a moment, glowering with
rage, and then ran at his enemy; but Pinkey jumped between them.

"You do!--you do!" she cried, pushing him away with the desperate
valour of a hen defending her chickens.

"Orl right, not till next time," said Chook, smiling grimly.

She pulled Stinky by the arm, and they disappeared in the crowd.

"It's all right, missis; I'll pay fer the glass," said Chook to the
dealer, who began to jabber excitedly in Italian. The woman began to
scrape the pieces of broken glass together, and the sight reminded
Chook of the insult. His face darkened.

"Cum on, blokes, an' see a bit o' fun," he cried with a mirthless grin
that showed he was dangerously excited. The three larrikins caught up
with Stinky and the girl as they were crossing into Belmore Park.
Stinky was explaining to some sympathizers the events that had led up
to the quarrel.

"Wot would yous do if a bloke tried to sneak yer moll?" he inquired in
an injured tone.

"Break 'is bleedin' neck," said Chook as he stepped up.

"When I want yer advice, I'll ask fer it," cried Stinky.

"Yer'll git it now without askin'," said Chook. "Don't open yer mouth
so wide, or yer'll ketch cold."

"I don't want ter talk ter anybody as 'awks rotten cabbages through the
streets," cried Stinky.

"The cabbages don't stink worse than some people I've met," Chook
replied.

Stinky, who was very touchy on the score of the vile smell of his
trade, boiled over.

"Never mind my trade," he shouted, "I'm as good a man as yous."

"Garn, that's only a rumour! I wouldn't let it git about," sneered
Chook.

The smouldering hate of months burst suddenly into flame, and the two
men rushed at each other. The others tried to separate them.

"Don't be a fool."

"Yer'll only git lumbered."

"'Ere's the traps." But the two enemies, with a sudden twist, broke
away from their advisers, and threw off their hats and coats.

And as suddenly, the others formed a ring round the two antagonists,
who faced each other with the savage intensity of gamecocks, with no
thought but to maim and kill the enemy in front of them.

A crowd gathered, and Pinkey was pushed to the outside of the ring,
where she could only judge the progress of the fight by the cries of
the onlookers.

"Use yer left, Chook."

"Wot price that?"