He dropped Billy as if he had been red-hot iron, and turning with livid face to me, stared at me for a single moment, and then tearing off his coat and clenching his fists rushed at me.
For all I know he might have annihilated me, but at that moment arose a cry of "Police!" at the sound of which the crowd dispersed like beetles before a candle, my antagonist being among the first to go, leaving me and Billy alone on the scene, from which even the tipsy woman had vanished.
It was not till the coast was all clear that Billy deposited his box or noticed my presence.

The exciting scene which was just over seemed in no way to have disturbed the young gentleman's equanimity.

He favoured me with one of his most affable grins and saluted me with one of his habitual somersaults as he said, "Shine 'e boots, master?
T'other bloke he was 'ere at ten past seving." "Hadn't you better go somewhere else ?" I said.

"Your mother will be back after you." "Well," said Billy, in his usual touchy way, "she ain't no concern of yourn." "Aren't you afraid of her hurting you ?" "'Urting me!" cried the boy, in tones of the utmost contempt, as if he had not been half-murdered once a week for the last eight years.

"No fear! Ain't you funny?
But she ain't a-going to collar this 'ere choker; not if I knows it!" said he, taking off his new article of decoration with a flourish and holding it up.
The well-worn and used-up necktie did not certainly look worth the battle that had been waged over it.
"Why are you so particular about this ?" I asked, half guessing beforehand what the reply would be.
"Pertikler!" he cried, "why, that there bloke give me this 'ere!" Nothing evidently could have been more conclusive to Billy's mind.