d I was conscious that whatever
they were doing they had an eye upon me.

"It's trying, you know, when you hear exclamations like this: 'The
saints presarve us! if he hasn't nearly poked his elbow into Mrs.
Fitzgerald's eye!' or, 'See now, if he isn't standing on Miss Macrae's
train!' One day I let a cup of coffee fall on to old Mrs. O'Toole's
new crimson silk dress. It was the first she had had for nine years to
my knowledge, and would have lasted her for the rest of her natural
life. And if you could have heard the squall she made, and the
exclamations of my aunts, and the general excitement over that
wretched cup of coffee, you would never have forgotten it.

"It had one good result, I was never asked to hand things round again
and was indeed never expected to put in an appearance until the
tea-things were taken away. I suffered for months for that silk dress.
My aunts got two yards of material and presented them to Mrs. O'Toole;
and for weeks and weeks I got short allowance of butter to my bread
and no sugar in my tea, and had to hear remarks as to the necessity
for being economical. As for Mrs. O'Toole she never forgave me, and
was always saying spiteful things. But I got even with her once. One
evening the doctor, who was her partner at whist, was called out, and
I was ordered to take his place. Now, I played a pretty good game at
whist, better than the doctor did by a long chalk I flattered myself;
but I didn't often play at home unless I was wanted to make up a
table, and very glad I was to get out of it, for the ill-temper of
those old harridans when they lost was something fearful.

"It was only penny points, but if they had been playing for five
pounds they couldn't have taken it more to heart; and of course if I
had the misfortune of being their partner they put it down entirely to
my bad play. Well, we held good cards, and at last we only wanted the
odd trick to win. I held the last trump. Mrs. O'Toole was beaming as
she led the best spade, and felt that the game was won. I could not
resist the temptation, but put my trump on her spade, led my small
card, and the game was lost. Mrs. O'Toole gave a scream and sank back
in her chair almost fainting, and when she recovered her breath and
her voice went on like a maniac, and had a desperate quarrel with my
aunts. I made my escape, and three days later, to my huge delight, was
sent off to Dublin and entered the university. I only stayed there
about six months