‘Don’t you sometimes wish you were on board one of those, heading for some far off place?’

Gus shook his head. ‘I wouldn’t mind being in one of those places, but I don’t fancy weeks and weeks of being thrown around in a storm or stewing in the heat to get there.’ He paused, frowning. ‘It’s funny. I’ve been round the world. I’ve seen the Arctic Ocean and the tropics. I’ve seen whales and dolphins and coral reefs, but the only port I’ve been in is Melbourne. I used to listen to the other fellows talking about places they had visited on other voyages and wish I could see them too; but we never called anywhere in all those months. I suppose that is what has put me off.’

May was given Monday morning off to attend the trial and they both arrived early, Gus smart in James Breckenridge’s hand-me-downs, May in her best coat and a new bonnet she had been keeping for a special occasion. Outside the court they were introduced to Mr Weaver, a small man with pince-nez and a sharp nose that twitched when he spoke, giving him the appearance, May thought, of a particularly intelligent mouse.

There were two other cases before Gus’s and both were summarily dismissed with sentences of two weeks’ hard labour. May’s spirits sank.

Gus’s turn came and he pleaded ‘guilty’ as instructed. The chairman of the magistrates peered down from the bench.

‘Mr Weaver. You wish to speak on behalf of your client before I pass sentence?’

Weaver rose. ‘If it pleases, Your Honour, you see before you a young man with a bright future, who has fallen in with bad company but is now determined to change his life and seize the opportunities offered to him. He now resides with his sister, a respectable young woman employed by Freeman’s Department Store. He has been offered a position with the White Star company as a clerk, but that offer will be withdrawn if he is sent to prison. I put it to Your Honour that society will be better served if he is gainfully employed, rather than being thrown into jail where he will inevitably come under the influence of bad men. He does not expect to escape punishment, but if Your Honours can find it in your hearts to commute the sentence to a fine, I believe he can become a useful member of society, rather than a danger to himself and others.’

Weaver sat down and the magistrates conferred amongst themselves. Then the chairman turned his attention to Gus.

‘Are you determined in future to lead a godly, sober and righteous life, as the scriptures enjoin us?’

‘I am, Your Honour,’ Gus responded.

‘Very well. Fined twenty-four shillings. You may stand down.’