I donned my seafaring togs and started out to
get a job. With me was a young East London
cobbler, Bert, who had yielded to the lure of
adventure and joined me for the trip. Acting on
my advice, he had brought his worst rags, and

[{BERT AND THK AUTHOR READY TO PICK HOPS.}]

as we hiked up the London Road out of Maid-
stone he was worrying greatly for fear we had
come too ill-dressed for the business.

Nor was he to be blamed. When we stopped in
a tavern the publican eyed us gingerly, nor did his
demeanor brighten till we flashed the color of our

[[172]]

p171 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p172w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p173

v?