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1The cars came scudding in towards Dublin, running evenly like pellets in the groove of the Naas Road. At the crest of
2the hill at Inchicore sightseers had gathered in clumps to watch the cars careering homeward and through this channel of
3poverty and inaction the Continent sped its wealth and industry. Now and again the clumps of people raised the cheer of
4the gratefully oppressed. Their sympathy, however, was for the blue cars--the cars of their friends, the French. The
5French, moreover, were virtual victors. Their team had finished solidly; they had been placed second and third and the
6driver of the winning German car was reported a Belgian. Each blue car, therefore, received a double measure of welcome
7as it topped the crest of the hill and each cheer of welcome was acknowledged with smiles and nods by those in the car.
8In one of these trimly built cars was a party of four young men whose spirits seemed to be at present well above the
9level of successful Gallicism: in fact, these four young men were almost hilarious. They were Charles Ségouin, the owner
10of the car; André Rivière, a young electrician of Canadian birth; a huge Hungarian named Villona and a neatly groomed
11young man named Doyle. Ségouin was in good humour because he had unexpectedly received some orders in advance (he was
12about to start a motor establishment in Paris) and Rivière was in good humour because he was to be appointed manager of
13the establishment; these two young men (who were cousins) were also in good humour because of the success of the French
14cars. Villona was in good humour because he had had a very satisfactory luncheon; and besides he was an optimist by
15nature. The fourth member of the party, however, was too excited to be genuinely happy. He was about twenty-six years of
16age, with a soft, light brown moustache and rather innocent-looking grey eyes. His father, who had begun life as an
17advanced Nationalist, had modified his views early. He had made his money as a butcher in Kingstown and by opening shops
18in Dublin and in the suburbs he had made his money many times over. He had also been fortunate enough to secure some of
19the police contracts and in the end he had become rich enough to be alluded to in the Dublin newspapers as a merchant
20prince. He had sent his son to England to be educated in a big Catholic college and had afterwards sent him to Dublin
21University to study law. Jimmy did not study very earnestly and took to bad courses for a while. He had money and he was
22popular; and he divided his time curiously between musical and motoring circles. Then he had been sent for a term to
23Cambridge to see a little life. His father, remonstrative, but covertly proud of the excess, had paid his bills and
24brought him home. It was at Cambridge that he had met Ségouin. They were not much more than acquaintances as yet but
25Jimmy found great pleasure in the society of one who had seen so much of the world and was reputed to own some of the
26biggest hotels in France. Such a person (as his father agreed) was well worth knowing, even if he had not been the
27charming companion he was. Villona was entertaining also--a brilliant pianist--but, unfortunately, very poor. The car
28ran on merrily with its cargo of hilarious youth. The two cousins sat on the front seat; Jimmy and his Hungarian friend
29sat behind. Decidedly Villona was in excellent spirits; he kept up a deep bass hum of melody for miles of the road. The
30Frenchmen flung their laughter and light words over their shoulders and often Jimmy had to strain forward to catch the
31quick phrase. This was not altogether pleasant for him, as he had nearly always to make a deft guess at the meaning and
32shout back a suitable answer in the face of a high wind. Besides Villona's humming would confuse anybody; the noise of
33the car, too. Rapid motion through space elates one; so does notoriety; so does the possession of money. These were
34three good reasons for Jimmy's excitement. He had been seen by many of his friends that day in the company of these
35Continentals. At the control Ségouin had presented him to one of the French competitors and, in answer to his confused
36murmur of compliment, the swarthy face of the driver had disclosed a line of shining white teeth. It was pleasant after
37that honour to return to the profane world of spectators amid nudges and significant looks. Then as to money--he really
38had a great sum under his control. Ségouin, perhaps, would not think it a great sum but Jimmy who, in spite of temporary
39errors, was at heart the inheritor of solid instincts knew well with what difficulty it had been got together. This
40knowledge had previously kept his bills within the limits of reasonable recklessness and, if he had been so conscious of
41the labour latent in money when there had been question merely of some freak of the higher intelligence, how much more
42so now when he was about to stake the greater part of his substance! It was a serious thing for him. Of course, the
43investment was a good one and Ségouin had managed to give the impression that it was by a favour of friendship the mite
44of Irish money was to be included in the capital of the concern. Jimmy had a respect for his father's shrewdness in
45business matters and in this case it had been his father who had first suggested the investment; money to be made in the
46motor business, pots of money. Moreover Ségouin had the unmistakable air of wealth. Jimmy set out to translate into
47days' work that lordly car in which he sat. How smoothly it ran. In what style they had come careering along the country
48roads! The journey laid a magical finger on the genuine pulse of life and gallantly the machinery of human nerves strove
49to answer the bounding courses of the swift blue animal. They drove down Dame Street. The street was busy with unusual
50traffic, loud with the horns of motorists and the gongs of impatient tram-drivers. Near the Bank Ségouin drew up and
51Jimmy and his friend alighted. A little knot of people collected on the footpath to pay homage to the snorting motor.
52The party was to dine together that evening in Ségouin's hotel and, meanwhile, Jimmy and his friend, who was staying
53with him, were to go home to dress. The car steered out slowly for Grafton Street while the two young men pushed their
54way through the knot of gazers. They walked northward with a curious feeling of disappointment in the exercise, while
55the city hung its pale globes of light above them in a haze of summer evening. In Jimmy's house this dinner had been
56pronounced an occasion. A certain pride mingled with his parents' trepidation, a certain eagerness, also, to play fast
57and loose for the names of great foreign cities have at least this virtue. Jimmy, too, looked very well when he was
58dressed and, as he stood in the hall giving a last equation to the bows of his dress tie, his father may have felt even
59commercially satisfied at having secured for his son qualities often unpurchaseable. His father, therefore, was
60unusually friendly with Villona and his manner expressed a real respect for foreign accomplishments; but this subtlety
61of his host was probably lost upon the Hungarian, who was beginning to have a sharp desire for his dinner.
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