The Money Box: Odd Craft, Part 1.

W. W. Jacobs, the master of British nautical humor, spins a irresistible tale of two sailors who discover that saving money is far trickier than spending it. When Ginger Dick and Peter Russet receive their hard-earned wages after a long voyage, they face a dilemma as old as the sea itself: how to keep from blowing it all in the first pub. Their solution is deceptively simple entrust their savings to Isaac Lunn, a respectable old seaman with steady habits and an even steadier disposition. But temptation, as always, proves stronger than good intentions. Over the course of a few days, the two friends scheme and connive to get their money back, only to find Isaac always three steps ahead, keeping them in line with exasperating patience. Jacobs nails the comic rhythm of working-class London dialogue, the kind where every sentence sounds like it's about to turn into a fight or a laugh. The result is a small, perfectly constructed comedy about the eternal battle between wanting things now and pretending we'll want them later.