“That’s bad,” said Ned, sympathetically, determining to sympathise a pound-note.  Starched shirts did not count to him personally but he understood that the town and the bush were very different.

“I’ve offered three times to-day to work for my board,” said the lad, not tremulously but in the matter-of-fact voice of one who had looked after himself for years.

“Where was that?” asked Ned, wide-awake at last, alarmed for the bushmen rapidly turning over in his mind the effect of strong young men being ready to work for their board.

“One place was down near the foot of Market Street, a produce merchant.  He told me he couldn’t, that it was as much as he could do to provide for his own family.  Another place was at a wood and coal yard and the boss said I’d leave in a week at that price so it wasn’t any good talking.  The other was a drayman who has a couple of drays and he said he’d never pay under the going wage to anybody and gave me sixpence.  He said it was all he could afford because times were so bad.”

“Are you stumped then?” asked Ned.

“I haven’t a copper.”

Just then the broken-down swell woke up from his doze and demanded his flask.  After some search it was found underneath him.  Then, heedless of his interruptions, Ned continued the conversation.

“Do they take you here on tick?” he enquired.

“Tick!  There’s no tick here.  That old man downstairs is as hard as nails.  Why, if it hadn’t been for this gentleman I’d have had to walk about all night or sleep in the Domain.”

“Fair dues, my boy, fair dues?” put in the broken-down swell, “Never refer to private matters like that.  You make me feel ashamed, my boy.  I should never have mentioned that little accommodation.  You understand me?”

“I understand you,” replied the lad.  “I understand you perfectly.”

“That’s all right,” said Ned, suddenly feeling a respect for this grizzled drunkard.  “We must all help one another.  How was it?”

“Well,” said the lad.  “I met a friend of mine and he gave me sixpence and this box of cigarettes.  It was all he had.  I’ve often slept here and so I came and asked the old man to trust me the other half.  He wouldn’t listen to it.  I was going away when this gentleman came along.  He only had threepence more than his own bed-money but he persuaded the old man to knock off threepence and he’d pay threepence.  I thought I’d have had to go to the Domain.”

“But that’s nothing,” said Ned.  “I’d just as soon sleep out as sleep in.”

“I’ve never come down to sleeping out yet,” returned the lad, simply.  “Perhaps your being a native makes a difference.”  Ned was confronted again with the fact that the bushman and the townsman view the same thing from opposite sides.  To this lad, struggling to keep his head up, to lie down nightly in the Domain meant the surrender of all self-respecting decency.

“I shouldn’t have brought up the subject.  You understand me?” said the drunkard.  “But now it’s mentioned I’ll ask if you noticed how I talked over that old scoundrel downstairs.  You understand me?  Where’s that flask?  My God!  I am feeling bad,” he continued, sitting up on the bed.