n those
days, and amongst those men, as it is now. A man couldn't do a woman
a good turn without the dirty-minded blackguards taking it for granted
there was something between them. It was a great joke amongst the boys
who knew the Flour, and who also knew the Nipper; but as it was carried
too far in some quarters, it got to be no joke to the Flour--nor to
those who laughed too loud or grinned too long.

*****

'The Flour's cousin thought he was a sharp man. The Flour got "stiff".
He hadn't any money, and his credit had run out, so he went and got
a blank summons from one of the police he knew. He pretended that he
wanted to frighten a man who owed him some money. Then he filled it up
and took it to his cousin.

'"What d'ye think of that?" he says, handing the summons across the bar.
"What d'ye think of me lovely Dinny Murphy now?"

'"Why, what's this all about?"

'"That's what I want to know. I borrowed a five-pound-note off of him a
fortnight ago when I was drunk, an' now he sends me that."

'"Well, I never would have dream'd that of Dinny," says the cousin,
scratching his head and blinking. "What's come over him at all?"

'"That's what I want to know."

'"What have you been doing to the man?"

'"Divil a thing that I'm aware of."

'The cousin rubbed his chin-tuft between his forefinger and thumb.

'"Well, what am I to do about it?" asked the Flour impatiently.

'"Do? Pay the man, of course?"

'"How can I pay the lovely man when I haven't got the price of a drink
about me?"

'The cousin scratched his chin.

'"Well--here, I'll lend you a five-pound-note for a month or two. Go and
pay the man, and get back to work."

'And the Flour went and found Dinny Murphy, and the pair of them had a
howling spree together up at Brady's, the opposition pub. And the cousin
said he thought all the time he was being had.

. . . . .

'He was nasty sometimes, when he was about half drunk. For instance,
he'd come on the ground when the Orewell sports were in full swing and
walk round, soliloquising just loud enough for you to hear; and just
when a big event was coming off he'd pass within earshot of some
committee men--who had been bursting themselves for weeks to work the
thing up and make it a success--saying to himself--

'"Where's the Orewell sports that I hear so much about? I don't see
them! Can any one direct me to the Orewell sports?"

'Or he'd pass a raffle, lottery, lucky-bag, or golden-b