“You’ll bring witnesses! Where do you come from and who am I?”

“Who are you? Why, I used to beat you and I don’t boast of it and you ask who are you!”

“You used to beat me! Why, the man’s not born who’ll beat me, and the man who did is underground.”

“You Bender pest!”

“Siberian plague take you!”

“And I hope a Turkish sabre will have something to say to you!”

A storm of abuse followed.

“Come, come! They are at it again!” people shouted round them. “They couldn’t live in freedom; they may be glad they’ve bread to eat here.⁠ ⁠…”