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: "It's only Freddy, Kate, and Gabriel with him." In fact right behind her Gabriel could be seen piloting Freddy Malins across the landing.

The latter, a young man of about forty, was of Gabriel's size and build, with very round shoulders.

His face was fleshy and pallid, touched with colour only at the thick hanging lobes of his ears and at the wide wings of his nose.

He had coarse features, a blunt nose, a convex and receding brow, tumid and protruded lips.

His heavy-lidded eyes and the disorder of his scanty hair made him look sleepy.