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By Root 6123 0

rides through sleep when I got off at the stops called despair and had to get up out of the cozy bed to make myself a cup of milk and honey and sat on the wobbly kitchen chair. O that thing called food. Or as Malarkey used to say, Jesus, Sebastian if I ever had money I'd have all my friends to a place of mine in the country where we would sit to a table an Irish mile long with our fists greasy with the lashings of beef and turkey and our women coming from the fire groaning under the weight of the wild berries and plover plucked from the sky, and beat bulls' heads for sport and pick up a whole field and flip it over on its back for planting and Jesus, cover it with a foot thick of chicken shit and rotting kelp and then lash it with ten tons of peaches black decay. O have you ever heard of oats. Or spuds fit to put heathen desires in ye for the rest of your life. Mary leave some chicken for me.

Over there sit three secretaries. And two bald men. I think I like this. Healthier than the pub. OI may give up the pub. And just keep the cheroot, slippers and sewing machine.

"Mary, will you excuse me while I make a phone call?"

"Yes."

Now Landlady, me dear Mrs. Ritzincheck, be big hearted. Put down foul caution and reserve that these limes tell you is playing a sunny wicket

"Hello, Mrs. Ritzincheck?"

"Yes."

"Mrs. Ritzincheck this is Mr. Dangerfield. I'm in a rather difficult position. My fiancee has just arrived in London. Of course I know this is rather an abrupt and perhaps unusual request but I know you will understand and I wonder would you mind awfully if I were to share my room with her. She's a very fine girl."

"Well, Mr. Dangerfield, it's against the rules of the house. I'll have every gentleman requesting to have a lady in his room overnight. I'm sorry."

"Now, now. I know it's asking a bit much but I thought I'd be honest with you since you've been so straightforward with me. But I assure you everything will be conducted with the utmost decorum and perhaps you could explain. My wife, you know. Well, it's only a few weeks till the day. We do so want to be together. And we've been so cut off and she's come all the way from Ireland. And Mrs. Ritzincheck I'd never dare make such a request if I didn't feel you were a woman of sensibility and experience."

"Well, Mr. Dangerfield you certainly have a way of putting it and if there's no disturbance and mind you, if it's a different woman every night there will be no more of it."

"You don't know how grateful I am to you Mrs. Ritzin-check. You have no idea."

"I have an idea all right."

"That's excellent. Thanks again. We'll be arriving in a short while."

Dangerfield austerely at the pay booth saying indeed I will when they said I hope you will come again sir. And he 3o8 pivoted exquisitely to usher Mary out before him. Taxi sweeping up. Mary holding his hand as they went for the bag, looking out the window in the crowded streets. Bury me on neutral soil. Perhaps in Austria with simplicity and subdued colors and faces. With my children around me. I want my last moments to have some dignity. Mary sit right up close. Don't be scared of me because I'm all right.

Mrs. Ritzincheck smiled at the door and wiped her hands in her apron. I always say be straightforward when you can.

Up the stairs and finally in this little room. Mary sat down on the bed. Sebastian laid the bag on the floor.

"Well Mary here we are."

"I like it. It's nice to see from such a height. I like London, everything is so exciting. So many interesting looking people."

"There's that"

"And so many strange ones you would never see in Dublin. All the blacks and those Egyptian fellows. Some of them are terrible good looking and they've got such white teeth."

"Mary show me this sewing machine"

"Kiss me."

"The machine, Mary. The machine."

"Kiss me."

Mary upon him with arms and legs. Back to the bed. Down. Please. You know how I feel about direct assault What a tongue. All I wanted to do was take a look at the machine.

Outside it's night And they're all pulling the curtains across. And going to sit in