Mr. Browne took another sip of his whisky and said, with sidling
mimicry:
"Well, you see, I'm like the famous Mrs. Cassidy, who is reported
to have said: 'Now, Mary Grimes, if I don't take it, make me take it, for I feel I want it.'"
His hot face had leaned forward a little too confidentially and he
had assumed a very low Dublin accent so that the young ladies, with one instinct, received his speech in silence. Miss Furlong, who was one of Mary Jane's pupils, asked Miss Daly what was the name of the pretty waltz she had played; and Mr. Browne, seeing that he was ignored, turned promptly to the two young men who were more appreciative.
A red-faced young woman, dressed in pansy, came into the room,
excitedly clapping her hands and crying:
"Quadrilles! Quadrilles!" Close on her heels came Aunt Kate, crying: "Two gentlemen and three ladies, Mary Jane!" "O, here's Mr. Bergin and Mr. Kerrigan," said Mary Jane. "Mr.
Kerrigan, will you take Miss Power? Miss Furlong, may I get you a partner, Mr. Bergin. O, that'll just do now."
"Three ladies, Mary Jane," said Aunt Kate.
The two young gentlemen asked the ladies if they might have the
pleasure, and Mary Jane turned to Miss Daly.
"O, Miss Daly, you're really awfully good, after playing for the last
two dances, but really we're so short of ladies tonight."
"I don't mind in the least, Miss Morkan." "But I've a nice partner for you, Mr. Bartell D'Arcy, the tenor. I'll get
him to sing later on. All Dublin is raving about him."
"Lovely voice, lovely voice!" said Aunt Kate.
As the piano had twice begun the prelude to the first figure Mary
Jane led her recruits quickly from the room. They had hardly gone when Aunt Julia wandered slowly into the room, looking behind her at something.
"What is the matter, Julia?" asked Aunt Kate anxiously. "Who is
it?"
Julia, who was carrying in a column of table-napkins, turned to her
sister and said, simply, as if the question had surprised her: