Paddles's bar

Mother didn't laugh as much, but she smiled at Father and usually agreed with him. She didn't complain like Clio's mother did when he worked late, or when he went with Doctor Kelly to Paddles' bar.

Kit thought that Mother would have liked to work in the pharmacy, but she realised that for people such as they were it would have been unsuitable for Father to have let her work there. Only people like Mrs Hanley, who was a widow, and ran the drapery, or Mona Fitz, who was the postmistress because she wasn't married, or Mrs Dillon whose husband was a drunk, worked in businesses.

It was the way things were in Lough Glass, and everywhere.

Kit couldn't get the vision of her mother's tears out of her mind as they went home from Sister Madeline's. She walked up the stairs slowly, almost unwilling to go in and discover what was wrong. Perhaps there was some very bad news. But what could it be?

Dad was fine; he was there closing up the chemist's. Emmet was home safely from rolling around in the dirt or whatever he did after school. So there couldn't be anything wrong with the family. With a sense of walking on eggshells Kit went into the kitchen, where they all ate their meals.

Everything was normal. Mother's eyes might have been a bit bright, but that was only if you were looking for something. She wore a different dress; she must have changed.

Mother always looked so gorgeous, almost like a Spaniard. Someone had sent them a postcard from Spain of a dancer, where the dress was of real material, not just a photograph. Kit always thought it looked just like Mother, with her long hair swept up in a roll, and her big dark eyes.

Dad was in great form, so there couldn't have been a row or anything. He was laughing and telling them about old Billy Sullivan coming in for some tonic wine. He had been barred from every other establishment that sold alcohol, and suddenly he had discovered his salvation in the shape of tonic wine. Dad did a great imitation of Mr Sullivan trying to appear sober.