And they swallowed the icy mixture in silence, allowing it to melt on the tongue to extract the flavour before swallowing.

All but Stinky, who held his glass as if it belonged to someone else, disdaining to touch it.
Chook's gorge rose at the sight.
"Don't eat it, if it chokes yer," he cried.
With an oath Stinky threw the glass on the ground, where it broke with a noisy crash that jerked every head in their direction as if pulled by strings.
"I can pay fer wot I eat," he cried.

"Come on, Liz." The others had sprung to their feet, astonished at this prodigal waste of a delicacy fit for kings.

Chook stood for a moment, glowering with rage, and then ran at his enemy; but Pinkey jumped between them.
"You do!--you do!" she cried, pushing him away with the desperate valour of a hen defending her chickens.
"Orl right, not till next time," said Chook, smiling grimly.
She pulled Stinky by the arm, and they disappeared in the crowd.
"It's all right, missis; I'll pay fer the glass," said Chook to the dealer, who began to jabber excitedly in Italian.

The woman began to scrape the pieces of broken glass together, and the sight reminded Chook of the insult.