hether there was anybody as would like
to go outside with him for five minutes. Then 'e sat down agin, and said
'ard things agin the drink, which 'ad made 'im the larfing-stock of all
the fools in Claybury.

"'I'm going to give it up, Smith,' he ses.

"'Yes, I know you are,' ses Smith.

"'If I could on'y lose the taste of it for a time I could give it up,'
ses Job, wiping 'is mouth, 'and to prove I'm in earnest I'll give five
pounds to anybody as'll prevent me tasting intoxicating licker for a
month.'

"'You may as well save your breath to bid people "good-night" with,
Job,' ses Bill Chambers; 'you wouldn't pay up if anybody did keep you
off it.'

"Job swore honour bright he would, but nobody believed 'im, and at last
he called for pen and ink and wrote it all down on a sheet o' paper and
signed it, and then he got two other chaps to sign it as witnesses.

"Bill Chambers wasn't satisfied then. He pointed out that earning the
five pounds, and then getting it out o' Job Brown arterwards, was two
such entirely different things that there was no likeness between 'em at
all. Then Job Brown got so mad 'e didn't know wot 'e was doing, and 'e
'anded over five pounds to Smith the landlord and wrote on the paper
that he was to give it to anybody who should earn it, without consulting
'im at all. Even Bill couldn't think of anything to say agin that, but
he made a point of biting all the sovereigns.

"There was quite a excitement for a few days. Henery White 'e got a
'eadache with thinking, and Joe Gubbins, 'e got a 'eadache for drinking
Job Brown's beer agin. There was all sorts o' wild ways mentioned to
earn that five pounds, but they didn't come to anything.

"Arter a week had gone by Job Brown began to get restless like, and once
or twice 'e said in Smith's hearing 'ow useful five pounds would be.
Smith didn't take any notice, and at last Job told 'im there didn't seem
any likelihood of the five pounds being earned, and he wanted it to buy
pigs with. The way 'e went on when Smith said 'e 'adn't got the power to
give it back, and 'e'd got to keep it in trust for anybody as might earn
it, was disgraceful.

"He used to ask Smith for it every night, and Smith used to give 'im the
same answer, until at last Job Brown said he'd go an' see a lawyer about
it. That frightened Smith a bit, and I b'lieve he'd ha' 'anded it over,
but two days arterwards Job was going upstairs so careful that he fell
down to the bottom and broke