e. You're tall. Long arms. You get a longer reach than any
one in the brasted vault. Gobblimey, but I thought I'd got a Tough on.
'Stead of which ... 'Scuse me. I wouldn't have _'it_ you if I'd known.
It's like fighting sacks. 'Tisn' right. Y'r arms seemed 'ung on 'ooks.
Reg'lar--'ung on 'ooks. There!"

Denton stared, and then surprised and hurt his battered chin by a sudden
laugh. Bitter tears came into his eyes.

"Go on," he said.

The swart man reverted to his formula. He was good enough to say he
liked the look of Denton, thought he had stood up "amazing plucky. On'y
pluck ain't no good--ain't no brasted good--if you don't 'old your
'ands.

"Whad I was going to say was this," he said. "Lemme show you 'ow to
scrap. Jest lemme. You're ig'nant, you ain't no class; but you might be
a very decent scrapper--very decent. Shown. That's what I meant to say."

Denton hesitated. "But--" he said, "I can't give you anything--"

"That's the ge'man all over," said the swart man. "Who arst you to?"

"But your time?"

"If you don't get learnt scrapping you'll get killed,--don't you make no
bones of that."

Denton thought. "I don't know," he said.

He looked at the face beside him, and all its native coarseness shouted
at him. He felt a quick revulsion from his transient friendliness. It
seemed to him incredible that it should be necessary for him to be
indebted to such a creature.

"The chaps are always scrapping," said the swart man. "Always. And, of
course--if one gets waxy and 'its you vital ..."

"By God!" cried Denton; "I wish one would."

"Of course, if you feel like that--"

"You don't understand."

"P'raps I don't," said the swart man; and lapsed into a fuming silence.

When he spoke again his voice was less friendly, and he prodded Denton
by way of address. "Look see!" he said: "are you going to let me show
you 'ow to scrap?"

"It's tremendously kind of you," said Denton; "but--"

There was a pause. The swart man rose and bent over Denton.

"Too much ge'man," he said--"eh? I got a red face.... By gosh! you
are--you _are_ a brasted fool!"

He turned away, and instantly Denton realised the truth of this remark.

The swart man descended with dignity to a cross way, and Denton, after a
momentary impulse to pursuit, remained on the platform. For a time the
things that had happened filled his mind. In one day his graceful system
of resignation had been shattered beyond hope. Brute force, the final,
the