her's Island, the upper part of which they had
rented from Mr. Fulham, the corn-factor on the ground floor. That was a
good thirty years ago if it was a day. Mary Jane, who was then a little
girl in short clothes, was now the main prop of the household, for she
had the organ in Haddington Road. She had been through the Academy
and gave a pupils' concert every year in the upper room of the Antient
Concert Rooms. Many of her pupils belonged to the better-class families
on the Kingstown and Dalkey line. Old as they were, her aunts also did
their share. Julia, though she was quite grey, was still the leading
soprano in Adam and Eve's, and Kate, being too feeble to go about much,
gave music lessons to beginners on the old square piano in the back
room. Lily, the caretaker's daughter, did housemaid's work for them.
Though their life was modest, they believed in eating well; the best
of everything: diamond-bone sirloins, three-shilling tea and the best
bottled stout. But Lily seldom made a mistake in the orders, so that she
got on well with her three mistresses. They were fussy, that was all.
But the only thing they would not stand was back answers.

Of course, they had good reason to be fussy on such a night. And then it
was long after ten o'clock and yet there was no sign of Gabriel and his
wife. Besides they were dreadfully afraid that Freddy Malins might
turn up screwed. They would not wish for worlds that any of Mary Jane's
pupils should see him under the influence; and when he was like that it
was sometimes very hard to manage him. Freddy Malins always came late,
but they wondered what could be keeping Gabriel: and that was what
brought them every two minutes to the banisters to ask Lily had Gabriel
or Freddy come.

"O, Mr. Conroy," said Lily to Gabriel when she opened the door for him,
"Miss Kate and Miss Julia thought you were never coming. Good-night,
Mrs. Conroy."

"I'll engage they did," said Gabriel, "but they forget that my wife here
takes three mortal hours to dress herself."

He stood on the mat, scraping the snow from his goloshes, while Lily led
his wife to the foot of the stairs and called out:

"Miss Kate, here's Mrs. Conroy."

Kate and Julia came toddling down the dark stairs at once. Both of them
kissed Gabriel's wife, said she must be perished alive, and asked was
Gabriel with her.

"Here I am as right as the mail, Aunt Kate! Go on up. I'll follow,"
called out Gabriel from the dark.

He continue