lin's.
Never come across such a cove."

Later, when the customer left, it was to Bindle and not to Giuseppi
Antonio Tolmenicino that he gave his tip. This precipitated a crisis.
Once out of the dining-room the Italian demanded of Bindle the money.

"You shall 'ave 'alf, ole son," said Bindle magnanimously, "if you
forks out 'alf of wot you've 'ad given you, see?" Giuseppi Antonio
Tolmenicino did not see. His eyes snapped, his moustache bristled, his
sallow features took on a shade of grey and, discarding English, he
launched into a torrent of words in his own tongue.

Bindle stood regarding his antagonist much as he would a juggler, or
quick-change artist. His good-humoured calm seemed to goad Giuseppi
Antonio Tolmenicino to madness. With a sudden movement he seized a
bottle from another waiter and, brandishing it above his head, rushed
at Bindle.

Bindle stepped swiftly aside; but in doing so managed to place his
right foot across Giuseppi Antonio Tolmenicino's path. The Italian
lurched forward, bringing down the bottle with paralysing force upon
the shoulder of another waiter, who, heavily laden, was making towards
the dining-room.

The assaulted waiter screamed, Giuseppi Antonio Tolmenicino rolled on
the floor, and the assaulted waiter's burden fell with a crash on top
of him. The man who had been struck hopped about the room holding his
shoulder, his shirt-front dyed a deep red with the wine that had
flowed over it.

"Never see such a mess in all my puff," said Bindle in describing the
scene afterwards. "Pore ole 'Okey-Pokey comes down on 'is back and a
lot o' tomato soup falls on 'is 'ead. Then a dish o' whitebait gets on
top of that, so 'e 'as soup and fish any'ow. Funny thing to see them
little fishes sticking out o' the red soup. 'E got an 'erring down 'is
collar, and a dish of macaroni in 'is ear, an' all 'is clothes was
covered with different things. An 'ole bloomin' mane-yu, 'e was. 'Oly
Angels! but 'e was a sight."

For a moment Giuseppi Antonio Tolmenicino lay inert, then he slowly
sat up and looked about him, mechanically picking whitebait out of his
hair, and removing a creme caramel from the inside of his waistcoat.

Suddenly his eyes lighted on Bindle.

In an instant he was on his feet and, with head down and arms waving
like flails, he rushed at his enemy.

At that moment the door leading into the dining-room was opened and,
attracted by the hubbub, Mr. James Smith, who before the war had