By the stern stone hand of Grattan, bidding halt, an Inchicore tram unloaded straggling Highland soldiers of a band.

—­CI RIFLETTERO, Stephen said, glancing down the solid trouserleg.

—­Ma, Sul Serio, eh?  Almidano Artifoni said.

His heavy hand took Stephen’s firmly.  Human eyes.  They gazed curiously an instant and turned quickly towards a Dalkey tram.

—­ECCOLO, Almidano Artifoni said in friendly haste.  VENGA A TROVARMI E CI
PENSI.  ADDIO, Caro.

—­ARRIVEDERLA, maestro, Stephen said, raising his hat when his hand was freed.  E GRAZIE.

—­DI Che?  Almidano Artifoni said.  SCUSI, eh?  TANTE belle Cose!

Almidano Artifoni, holding up a baton of rolled music as a signal, trotted on stout trousers after the Dalkey tram.  In vain he trotted, signalling in vain among the rout of barekneed gillies smuggling implements of music through Trinity gates.

* * * * *

Miss Dunne hid the Capel street library copy of the woman in white far back in her drawer and rolled a sheet of gaudy notepaper into her typewriter.

Too much mystery business in it.  Is he in love with that one, Marion?  Change it and get another by Mary Cecil Haye.

The disk shot down the groove, wobbled a while, ceased and ogled them:  six.

Miss Dunne clicked on the keyboard: 

—­16 June 1904.

Five tallwhitehatted sandwichmen between Monypeny’s corner and the slab where Wolfe Tone’s statue was not, eeled themselves turning H. E. L. Y.’S and plodded back as they had come.

Then she stared at the large poster of Marie Kendall, charming soubrette, and, listlessly lolling, scribbled on the jotter sixteens and capital esses.  Mustard hair and dauby cheeks.  She’s not nicelooking, is she?  The way she’s holding up her bit of a skirt.  Wonder will that fellow be at the band tonight.  If I could get that dressmaker to make a concertina skirt like Susy Nagle’s.  They kick out grand.  Shannon and all the boatclub swells never took his eyes off her.  Hope to goodness he won’t keep me here till seven.

The telephone rang rudely by her ear.

—­Hello.  Yes, sir.  No, sir.  Yes, sir.  I’ll ring them up after five.  Only those two, sir, for Belfast and Liverpool.  All right, sir.  Then I can go after six if you’re not back.  A quarter after.  Yes, sir.  Twentyseven and six.  I’ll tell him.  Yes:  one, seven, six.

She scribbled three figures on an envelope.

—­Mr Boylan!  Hello!  That gentleman from sport was in looking for you.  Mr Lenehan, yes.  He said he’ll be in the Ormond at four.  No, sir.  Yes, sir.  I’ll ring them up after five.

* * * * *

Two pink faces turned in the flare of the tiny torch.

—­Who’s that?  Ned Lambert asked.  Is that Crotty?