TWO SUNDAY AFTERNOONS 259 



" Come on now to Cooncy's, and yc'll have a glass 

 o' wine," he said. 



" Sure I'd be disgraced if I was seen goin' into a 

 pubhc-house with the hkes o' ye," she replied with 

 cumbersome coquettishness, her eyes still tender and 

 foolish as she raised them to his. " You know that I 

 never seen ye till ye gave me the time o' day a fortnight 

 ago by the canal ! " 



" How bashful ye are ! " he retorted with a hke 

 sarcasm. " Come on now, I have friends waiting 

 for me in it." 



They walked away under the hawthorns, and passed 

 beds full of uniform battalions of tulips and hyacinths, 

 they crossed the bridge, with its grey stone parapet 

 polished black by an unflagging succession of boys 

 leaning over to spit into the water, they followed the 

 edge of the lake, with its hot glitter striking up on 

 their faces; her big feet hobbled on high heels, her 

 hat jerked with every step, she swung her umbrella 

 to imply fashionable ease. i 



Passing out of the Green near the Shelbourne Hotel, 

 they crossed over to Merrion Row, and traversing 

 that ignoble thoroughfare, turned at length into a 

 public-house near it. The swing doors with their 

 muffed glass banged behind them, and Kate found 

 herself in a semi-dark bar, with a crowd of men between 

 her and the counter. In deference to Sunday, the 

 shutters were up, and a ragged flare of gas combined 

 with the swing door to light the bar; there was a 

 babel of laughter, talk, and tipsy argument, the soiu- 

 smell of spilt drink contended with the weight of bad 

 tobacco smoke that hung in the air. Two men in 

 sliirt sleeves were serving out liquor ; as Kate made her 

 way behind Joe to the counter, she saw one of them 

 look at him as if he had been expected. He was a 

 small man, with brown eyes as bright as a bird's, 



