He stood by the foot of the bed, and after a while she looked down at him and said, “Ah, there you are.” She patted the bed by her side. “Sit down, sit down. You’ll have to sit on the edge of the bed. That one took the chair.”

“There’s a chair over there.”

“That one took the chair.”

Was she blind? Or deaf? Or both? He looked at the chair, doubting it himself, then slowly lowered himself onto the edge of the bed. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at her and saw that she was staring directly at him.

“Well?” she said.

He tried to think of how to begin. Something about the girl downstairs? That might only annoy her – not that he would blame her, with a young slut of the McGarrs in control. And yet, to give credit where it was due, the place was well looked after; the ceilings that sloped down to the eaves were freshly whitewashed; along the wall, the big chest of drawers gleamed with polish. Even the brass handles shone on the trunk in which she used to keep her best clothes. He wondered if they were still there, the clothes, and what would happen to them.

“Well?” she asked testily. “Did you get them?”

“Get what?”

“The seed. Isn’t that what you went into Maloney’s for?”

“Oh, yes,” he said, confused, “the seed.”

“And the colter. You got the colter!”

Trust Frank, he thought. The same old Frank, sneaking off to Mallow races.

“Anyone would think you were making it,” she commented. And she loosed the shaft in the way he remembered, tossing her head to give it greater impetus. God, wasn’t she a hard woman!

“I’m not Frank.”

She said nothing. The clear eyes stayed on him, but their expression did not change. Was it blind she was? Or deaf?

“I’m not Frank,” he said, more loudly.

She had heard him, all right. Her eyes stayed on him with a distant, unfocused look, but her fingers twitched on the sheets. Why hadn’t Frank told him the way she was? Mama couldn’t come, was all he had said, she’s not too well. Could he possibly not know? Or was it that now, when he had the freedom of her purse, that he did not care?

“Can’t you see me?” he murmured at last.

She nodded. He was sure she couldn’t, that she just would not admit a need to wear glasses.

“How did you get here from the station?” she asked.

“I came by car.”

“Oh, yes, you got a car at the station.”

What station, in God’s name; what was she talking about?

“I suppose you left the family there?” My God, worse and worse! But she went on, “You had a right to bring them. Not her, but the little fellows. How many is this there are? I forget.”