Young Johnny's seat was vacant, too, for the boy
had vanished directly dinner was over.
In the harmony of the evening there was just one jarring note for Mary;
and at moments she grew very thoughtful. For the first time Mrs. Kelly,
the motherly widow on whom her choice had fallen, sat opposite John at
the head of the table; and already Mary was the prey of a nagging doubt.
For this person had doffed the neat mourning-garb she had worn when
being engaged, and come forth in a cap trimmed with cherry coloured
ribbons. Not only this, she smiled in sugary fashion and far too
readily; while the extreme humility with which she deferred to John's
opinion, and hung on his lips, made another bad impression on Mary. Nor
was she alone in her observations. After a particularly glaring example
of the widow's complaisance, Tilly looked across and shut one eye, in an
unmistakable wink.
Meanwhile the men's talk had gradually petered out: there came long
pauses in which they twiddled and twirled their wine-glasses, unable to
think of anything to say. At heart, both John and Mahony hailed with a
certain relief the coming break. "After all I dare say such a queer
faddy fellow IS out of his element here. He'll go down better over
there," was John's mental verdict. Mahony's, a characteristic: "Thank
God, I shall not have to put up much longer with his confounded
self-importance, or suffer under his matrimonial muddles!"
When at a question from Mary John began animatedly to discuss the
tuition of the younger children, Mahony seized the chance to slip away.
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