Benno and Some of the Push by Edward Dyson

BENNO had been looking forward to the hop on Thursday. It was not the ordinary weekly fixture of Dukie M'Kenzie's "Assembly," but something much more elaborate-almost a ball; and it celebrated the climax of the season. Admission on ordinary occasions was 1s. ; on Thursday it was to be--gents, eighteen-pence; double tickets, 2s. 6d. The familiar accordion orchestra was to be augmented with a harp and violin, dancing was to be maintained till two in the morning, and there were to be refreshments in the cloak-room.

But Mr. Dickson's special interest lay in the fact that he felt himself called upon to seize this opportunity of wounding and humiliating Miss Cilly Gwynne, who had turned him down for the third and last time. Any bloke with the usual allowance of human weaknesses may be "done in" once by the girl he's fond of. Any man with a forgiving heart added to those common weaknesses may take his chances and be "had" a second time. But only a confirmed chump and irremediable "gooey" comes up for a third "chuck." So the astute Benno argued with himself. He had had "the chuck" twice. Miss Gwynne had cruelly forsaken him for a strange German in the theatre. At Stonkie's picnic she had passed him over in favour of Billy Crib, the butter bumper, across the lane. And lately she was devoting her time and talents to a stocky youth, one Did Cootie, who mauled bags of carrots, spuds, onions, and other flora at the produce store.