two or three evenings later paul,was drinking in the punch bowl pub with some of his friends when baxter dawes came in.he looked much thinner and seemed to be on a downhill path.his woman,louie,had left him and he had recently spent a night in jail for fighting.paul and he were enemies but ,as fellow-workers,there was a familiarity between them.paul often thought about dawes a dirnk.dawes refused with a curse and went on making insulting refention to paul friendship with clara.paul tried to play no attention but one final remark caused him to throw half a glass of beer in dawes face.there was nearly an ugly an ugly fight but the quick-thinking barman led dawes to the door and forced him to leave the pub
paul told clara jokingly of the quarrel with her husband.the colour rose in her face,her grey eyes glowed with anger.she advised paul to carry a gun because,she said,dawes was dangerous.paul laughed at the idea but in fact a violent quarral at the factory a few day later led dawes to attack mr jordan,and ended with dawes losing his job.
clara was indeed paasionately in love with paul,and he with her,as far as passion went.one evening they were walking down by the river and his mind was somewhere else.clara listened to him whistling a sad dissatisfied tune .she walked on in silence.