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1"He has been laid on here like the gas," said Aunt Kate in the same tone, "all during the Christmas." She laughed
2herself this time good-humouredly and then added quickly: "But tell him to come in, Mary Jane, and close the door. I
3hope to goodness he didn't hear me." At that moment the hall-door was opened and Mr Browne came in from the doorstep,
4laughing as if his heart would break. He was dressed in a long green overcoat with mock astrakhan cuffs and collar and
5wore on his head an oval fur cap. He pointed down the snow-covered quay from where the sound of shrill prolonged
6whistling was borne in. "Teddy will have all the cabs in Dublin out," he said. Gabriel advanced from the little pantry
7behind the office, struggling into his overcoat and, looking round the hall, said: "Gretta not down yet?" "She's getting
8on her things, Gabriel," said Aunt Kate. "Who's playing up there?" asked Gabriel. "Nobody. They're all gone." "O no,
9Aunt Kate," said Mary Jane. "Bartell D'Arcy and Miss O'Callaghan aren't gone yet." "Someone is fooling at the piano
10anyhow," said Gabriel. Mary Jane glanced at Gabriel and Mr Browne and said with a shiver: "It makes me feel cold to look
11at you two gentlemen muffled up like that. I wouldn't like to face your journey home at this hour." "I'd like nothing
12better this minute," said Mr Browne stoutly, "than a rattling fine walk in the country or a fast drive with a good
13spanking goer between the shafts." "We used to have a very good horse and trap at home," said Aunt Julia sadly. "The
14never-to-be-forgotten Johnny," said Mary Jane, laughing. Aunt Kate and Gabriel laughed too. "Why, what was wonderful
15about Johnny?" asked Mr Browne. "The late lamented Patrick Morkan, our grandfather, that is," explained Gabriel,
16"commonly known in his later years as the old gentleman, was a glue-boiler." "O now, Gabriel," said Aunt Kate, laughing,
17"he had a starch mill." "Well, glue or starch," said Gabriel, "the old gentleman had a horse by the name of Johnny. And
18Johnny used to work in the old gentleman's mill, walking round and round in order to drive the mill. That was all very
19well; but now comes the tragic part about Johnny. One fine day the old gentleman thought he'd like to drive out with the
20quality to a military review in the park." "The Lord have mercy on his soul," said Aunt Kate compassionately. "Amen,"
21said Gabriel. "So the old gentleman, as I said, harnessed Johnny and put on his very best tall hat and his very best
22stock collar and drove out in grand style from his ancestral mansion somewhere near Back Lane, I think." Everyone
23laughed, even Mrs Malins, at Gabriel's manner and Aunt Kate said: "O now, Gabriel, he didn't live in Back Lane, really.
24Only the mill was there." "Out from the mansion of his forefathers," continued Gabriel, "he drove with Johnny. And
25everything went on beautifully until Johnny came in sight of King Billy's statue: and whether he fell in love with the
26horse King Billy sits on or whether he thought he was back again in the mill, anyhow he began to walk round the statue."
27Gabriel paced in a circle round the hall in his goloshes amid the laughter of the others. "Round and round he went,"
28said Gabriel, "and the old gentleman, who was a very pompous old gentleman, was highly indignant. 'Go on, sir! What do
29you mean, sir? Johnny! Johnny! Most extraordinary conduct! Can't understand the horse!'" The peal of laughter which
30followed Gabriel's imitation of the incident was interrupted by a resounding knock at the hall door. Mary Jane ran to
31open it and let in Freddy Malins. Freddy Malins, with his hat well back on his head and his shoulders humped with cold,
32was puffing and steaming after his exertions. "I could only get one cab," he said. "O, we'll find another along the
33quay," said Gabriel. "Yes," said Aunt Kate. "Better not keep Mrs Malins standing in the draught." Mrs Malins was helped
34down the front steps by her son and Mr Browne and, after many manœuvres, hoisted into the cab. Freddy Malins clambered
35in after her and spent a long time settling her on the seat, Mr Browne helping him with advice. At last she was settled
36comfortably and Freddy Malins invited Mr Browne into the cab. There was a good deal of confused talk, and then Mr Browne
37got into the cab. The cabman settled his rug over his knees, and bent down for the address. The confusion grew greater
38and the cabman was directed differently by Freddy Malins and Mr Browne, each of whom had his head out through a window
39of the cab. The difficulty was to know where to drop Mr Browne along the route, and Aunt Kate, Aunt Julia and Mary Jane
40helped the discussion from the doorstep with cross-directions and contradictions and abundance of laughter. As for
41Freddy Malins he was speechless with laughter. He popped his head in and out of the window every moment to the great
42danger of his hat, and told his mother how the discussion was progressing, till at last Mr Browne shouted to the
43bewildered cabman above the din of everybody's laughter: "Do you know Trinity College?" "Yes, sir," said the cabman.
44"Well, drive bang up against Trinity College gates," said Mr Browne, "and then we'll tell you where to go. You
45understand now?" "Yes, sir," said the cabman. "Make like a bird for Trinity College." "Right, sir," said the cabman. The
46horse was whipped up and the cab rattled off along the quay amid a chorus of laughter and adieus. Gabriel had not gone
47to the door with the others. He was in a dark part of the hall gazing up the staircase. A woman was standing near the
48top of the first flight, in the shadow also. He could not see her face but he could see the terracotta and salmon-pink
49panels of her skirt which the shadow made appear black and white. It was his wife. She was leaning on the banisters,
50listening to something. Gabriel was surprised at her stillness and strained his ear to listen also. But he could hear
51little save the noise of laughter and dispute on the front steps, a few chords struck on the piano and a few notes of a
52man's voice singing. He stood still in the gloom of the hall, trying to catch the air that the voice was singing and
53gazing up at his wife. There was grace and mystery in her attitude as if she were a symbol of something. He asked
54himself what is a woman standing on the stairs in the shadow, listening to distant music, a symbol of. If he were a
55painter he would paint her in that attitude. Her blue felt hat would show off the bronze of her hair against the
56darkness and the dark panels of her skirt would show off the light ones. Distant Music he would call the picture if he
57were a painter. The hall-door was closed; and Aunt Kate, Aunt Julia and Mary Jane came down the hall, still laughing.
58"Well, isn't Freddy terrible?" said Mary Jane. "He's really terrible." Gabriel said nothing but pointed up the stairs
59towards where his wife was standing. Now that the hall-door was closed the voice and the piano could be heard more
60clearly. Gabriel held up his hand for them to be silent. The song seemed to be in the old Irish tonality and the singer
61seemed uncertain both of his words and of his voice. The voice, made plaintive by distance and by the singer's
62hoarseness, faintly illuminated the cadence of the air with words expressing grief: O, the rain falls on my heavy locks
63And the dew wets my skin, My babe lies cold.... "O," exclaimed Mary Jane. "It's Bartell D'Arcy singing and he wouldn't
64sing all the night. O, I'll get him to sing a song before he goes." "O do, Mary Jane," said Aunt Kate. Mary Jane brushed
65past the others and ran to the staircase, but before she reached it the singing stopped and the piano was closed
66abruptly. "O, what a pity!" she cried. "Is he coming down, Gretta?" Gabriel heard his wife answer yes and saw her come
67down towards them. A few steps behind her were Mr Bartell D'Arcy and Miss O'Callaghan. "O, Mr D'Arcy," cried Mary Jane,
68"it's downright mean of you to break off like that when we were all in raptures listening to you." "I have been at him
69all the evening," said Miss O'Callaghan, "and Mrs Conroy too and he told us he had a dreadful cold and couldn't sing."
70"O, Mr D'Arcy," said Aunt Kate, "now that was a great fib to tell." "Can't you see that I'm as hoarse as a crow?" said
71Mr D'Arcy roughly.
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