'How do I fucking know?' said Brilliantine, still pacing the table. 'It's nowt to do wi' me.' The crackpot caught me eyeballing him. 'You all right?' he said, fast. 'Aye,' I said, colouring up a little at being found out spying. 'Keeping all right?' this funny fellow said, in the same rushed way. 'Topping,' I said. 'Still raining out?' 'It is that.' Brilliantine looked up from the table, saying: 'Don't mind him. Lad's a bit simple.' I nodded, made a show of going back to my reading. Brilliantine made a few more shots in the game he was playing against himself, then took out a tin of cigarettes and lit one, grinning fit to bust. He handed a cigarette to the younger one, and struck a light. 'I like you, our kid' said the crackpot in his gurgling voice. 'Nice, wide smile…' Brilliantine played on for a while, and the idiot brother smoked. At last Brilliantine struck a red ball sweetly, and it went away straight towards an end pocket, or would have done but for the brother, who stepped forward, put his hand down over the hole and blocked it. Brilliantine looked up sharply, saying, 'What are you playing at, you soft bugger?' He walked the length of the table, and lammed out at his brother. As the lad went down, I stood up. 'Hold on,' I said to Brilliantine. 'That's an offence you've just committed.' 'Who are you… Talking like a fucking copy book?' 'I'm detective with the railway force,' I said, only half believing it myself. 'Give over,' said the bloke. After a space, he added: 'Prove it.' I held up the warrant card. 'Means nowt to me,' he said. 'I don't know me letters.' He nodded towards the cracked kid, saying, 'How will he ever learn if I don't learn him? Smart table, this is – slate bed, best green baize. She'll not thank me for letting him put his grapplers all over it.' He pointed along the hall towards the barmaid, who was looking on from the far end. 'It does not justify blows,' I said. Nothing was said for a moment; then the bloke piped up with: 'Reckon you're going to nick me, then?' I didn't know whether I was or not.