ntly after some figures in the crowd and
sometimes made a critical remark. One said that he had seen Mac an hour
before in Westmoreland Street. At this Lenehan said that he had been
with Mac the night before in Egan's. The young man who had seen Mac
in Westmoreland Street asked was it true that Mac had won a bit over
a billiard match. Lenehan did not know: he said that Holohan had stood
them drinks in Egan's.

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 k