Then he laid the scraper on the plank beside him and drew out his pipe which he leisurely filled with tobacco and lighted.

After taking a few whiffs he asked Paul where he was from and what caused him to seek work there.

Paul fully explained his position and the cause that compelled him to work.

After this, his two companions seemed to thaw out and entertained him with words of advice, instructing him in many methods of killing time when the foreman was not around.

At noon all hands were called up out of the docks and each received a card to the value of two francs, which the foreman told Paul he could have cashed at the canteen by purchasing a dish of soup or a small piece of bread.