idy knot, slipped from the hairpins, and
fell, grey and scanty, over her neck; her bony shoulders, barely
covered by the thin garment, moved convulsively.

"'Ere, missis, take this, or you'll ketch cold," said a man kindly,
pulling off his coat.

Then, with the quick sympathy of the people, they began to make light
of the matter, trying to persuade her that his injuries were not
serious. A friendly rivalry sprang up among them as they related
stories of wonderful recoveries made by men whose bodies had been
beaten to a jelly. One, carried away by enthusiasm, declared that it
did a man good to be shattered like glass, for the doctors, with
satanic cunning seized the opportunity to knead the broken limbs like
putty into a more desirable shape. But their words fell on deaf ears.
The woman crouched over the prostrate man, stroking the bruised limbs
with a stupid, mechanical movement as an animal licks its wounded mate.

The crowd divided as a policeman came up with an important air. Brisk
and cheerful, he made a few inquiries, enchanted with this incident
that broke the monotony of the night's dreary round. The crowd
breathed freely, feeling that the responsibility had shifted on to the
official shoulders. He blew shrilly on his whistle, and demanded a cab.

"Cab this time o' night? No chance," was the common opinion.

But by great good luck a cab was heard rattling along the next street.
Two men ran to intercept it.

The woman clung desperately to the crippled body as they lifted it into
the cab, impeding the men in their efforts, imploring them to carry him
to his own house, with the distrust of the ignorant for the hospitals,
where the doctors amuse themselves by cutting and carving the bodies of
their helpless patients. The policeman, a young man, embarrassed by
the sight of this half-dressed woman, swore softly to himself.

"'Ere, missis, you'd better get 'ome, you can't do any good 'ere," he
said, kindly. "Don't you worry; I've seen worse cases than this go
'ome to breakfast the next day."

As the cab drove off, some neighbours led her away, her thin, angular
body shaken with sobs.

The street was quiet again, but some groups still lingered, discussing
with relish the details of the outrage, searching their memories for
stories of brutal stoushings that had ended in the death of the victim.

CHAPTER 6

THE BABY DISCOVERS JONAH

An hour later Jonah and Chook, picking the most roundabout way