He left his friends at a quarter to ten and went up George’s Street.  He turned to the left at the City Markets and walked on into Grafton Street.  The crowd of girls and young men had thinned and on his way up the street he heard many groups and couples bidding one another good-night.  He went as far as the clock of the College of Surgeons:  it was on the stroke of ten.  He set off briskly along the northern side of the Green hurrying for fear Corley should return too soon.  When he reached the corner of Merrion Street he took his stand in the shadow of a lamp and brought out one of the cigarettes which he had reserved and lit it.  He leaned against the lamp-post and kept his gaze fixed on the part from which he expected to see Corley and the young woman return.

His mind became active again.  He wondered had Corley managed it successfully.  He wondered if he had asked her yet or if he would leave it to the last.  He suffered all the pangs and thrills of his friend’s situation as well as those of his own.  But the memory of Corley’s slowly revolving head calmed him somewhat:  he was sure Corley would pull it off all right.  All at once the idea struck him that perhaps Corley had seen her home by another way and given him the slip.  His eyes searched the street:  there was no sign of them.  Yet it was surely half-an-hour since he had seen the clock of the College of Surgeons.  Would Corley do a thing like that?  He lit his last cigarette and began to smoke it nervously.  He strained his eyes as each tram stopped at the far corner of the square.  They must have gone home by another way.  The paper of his cigarette broke and he flung it into the road with a curse.

Suddenly he saw them coming towards him.  He started with delight and keeping close to his lamp-post tried to read the result in their walk.  They were walking quickly, the young woman taking quick short steps, while Corley kept beside her with his long stride.  They did not seem to be speaking.  An intimation of the result pricked him like the point of a sharp instrument.  He knew Corley would fail; he knew it was no go.

They turned down Baggot Street and he followed them at once, taking the other footpath.  When they stopped he stopped too.  They talked for a few moments and then the young woman went down the steps into the area of a house.  Corley remained standing at the edge of the path, a little distance from the front steps.  Some minutes passed.  Then the hall-door was opened slowly and cautiously.  A woman came running down the front steps and coughed.  Corley turned and went towards her.  His broad figure hid hers from view for a few seconds and then she reappeared running up the steps.  The door closed on her and Corley began to walk swiftly towards Stephen’s Green.

Lenehan hurried on in the same direction.  Some drops of light rain fell.  He took them as a warning and, glancing back towards the house which the young woman had entered to see that he was not observed, he ran eagerly across the road.  Anxiety and his swift run made him pant.  He called out: