The Ginger Man (21 page)

Miss Frost stepped from the door shyly. Her head a little bent and red spreading under the flesh of her temples. There was a small spot middle way up her nose. Her lashes dark and flickering, the wandering skin around her eyes. Some lines of her hair and her age of thirty four. The vulnerable steep bottom of her skull. Never to turn around and look at our backs, or as we are walking away. But her feet stepping with red toes. The part of her that was her falling arches, the sway bent ankles which put a tender part in her eyes. For women are lonely people, lonelier with women and with men, enclosed by sunless children and the little vanishing things that go away during the years of waiting. And hearts. And how was love so round.

If

There's a bell

In Dingle

And you want to say

How sorry you are

Fm gone

Ring it

And make it go

Ding dong.

21

Wednesday. That morning Dangerfield picked up from his front hall strewn with bills, a picture postcard of the Lakes of Killarney with an inset, a poem.

My heart is yearning

For that familiar scene

Of those dear blue lakes

In that land far and green.

Turning it over.

I am kaput Meet me in Jury's lounge, Wednesday, seven.

Duke of SERUTAN (ret)

Dangerfield rode the roaring tram to Dublin. At the bottom of Dawson Street he swung gingerly from the screeching instrument Moving swiftly, face deflected to the left to look in shop windows and avoid eyes. In Brown and Nolans here, I see they have some beautiful books, so nice never have to look in them. That's the way it ought to be, saves time. Received correspondence from this fine firm. Polite. Not like the others. They say perhaps dear sir you have overlooked such a small amount or would like us to bill you yearly. Yes, yearly I told them. My, time flies.

There's a lovely smell in the door of this restaurant Look at them in there, wealthy happy people. Some coming out Getting into that luscious car. This elegance does my heart good. I know something else I need. With a very tricky maneuver of the feet I take this turn into this place by the back alley. Lovely girl give me a glass of malt because I cannot face those beaten in battle without some little thing to still my own restless despair.

He crossed over College Green. Glanced at the Trinity clock. Seven five. A newsboy standing in my way. Mister give us a penny. Here's my heart, sonny. And did your mother come from Ireland too? And sonny, give me an
Evening Mail,
please. And here's a half-penny for yourself. May you never have another poor day, sir.

Sebastian entered Jury's by the side door. Seated in a far corner, half obscured by a palm leaf, sat the retired Duke. Before him on the table, a brandy glass.

"For God's sake, Kenneth."

"It's you."

"Ah Kenneth yes, I see."

"You see an utterly broken man. I'm going to drink this till I'm stinko."

"Wisest words you've ever spoken."

"I'm finished."

"Tell me what's happened."

Dangerfield settling himself comfortably in these wicker chairs, folding his hand to hear like father confessor, this red-bearded man's tale.

"I gave myself up."

"What?"

"I went to the consulate and told them to ship me back."

"Surely you're not serious, Kenneth."

"Ship sails tomorrow night. It's in Alexander Basin right now. Sick man and I'm taking his place. Lady Eclair was a dead loss. As soon as I got out there I knew it was no go. Could feel it in my bones. Too good to be true. She took one look at me and almost had a fit. And I almost went right off my rock. I just said to her give me thirty shillings and I'd get out because she was driving me nuts."

"Do relax, Kenneth. Now how did this happen?"

"She thought I was French. Never gave me a chance to get started and my foreign accent just went to pieces, I sounded as if I had just got off the boat from U.S.A. What could I do? In a situation like that there's no point in prolonging the misery. Neither of us were getting anywhere so I just said give me thirty shillings for my expenses in Dublin and coming out and I'll leave. So I left, that's it"

"Cheer up now. Let's see a little smile. Every cloud, you know"

"I'm sick of people. The less I have to do with them for the rest of my life the better. I don't care if I die."

"Nonsense now. Where have you been staying?"

"And that's another thing. I'm staying with Malarkey and my Christ was that depressing. Do you know what's happened?"

"What?"

"Clocklan committed suicide."

"Jesus."

"When I left you Monday I went to Tony's to stay. I didn't sleep because I kept hearing knocks on the window, then I heard a fight on the steps. I didn't know what the hell was going on. I wanted to get a night's sleep so I'd be at my best for my interview. Now I could have been beating my brains out all night against the wall for all that mattered. God it's weird. Then about a quarter to ten we see this uniform coming down the steps. We open the door and it's a policeman and he asks does a Tony Malarkey live here. We were all going to say no just on principle when Tony screams from one of the back tunnels for his tea and the policeman says is that Mr. Malarkey? Tony comes to the door and the policeman asks him if he knew a man by the name of Percy Clocklan and Tony said remotely. Then the policeman said he had a message addressed to him at this address, to a Mr. Tony Malarkey, which was picked up by some people on Portmarnock Strand. He said the message was found in a Power's whiskey bottle which was washed up on the beach. Then the policeman reaches into his breast pocket—we're all watching the whole proceedings from behind the door—and he takes out a crumpled piece of paper and hands it to Tony. I think Tony went a little white. Then the policeman asks him if he knows anything about it and Tony said he didn't know a thing except that Clocklan left for England about a week ago and hadn't heard a thing since. The policeman asks if he were depressed before he left and Tony said he couldn't notice because he was drunk all the time and the policeman says he was just checking up and that if they got any word on anything he would let Tony know. Tony came in the door and stood there and says it's that bastard Clocklan, he jumped off the mail boat and if he thinks I'm going to waste my time claiming his body he's mad"

"Blessed Oliver intercede for us all."

"Tony didn't seem to give a damn but I felt rotten. He just went on saying that if Clocklan wanted to commit suicide why did he have to get sentimental and send him notes. The note said he was fed up and couldn't take it any more and felt rotten, it was the only way out and that he wanted to be remembered to Terry and the kids. Jesus I was really upset. Tony standing there with a cup of tea saying that if he knew Clocklan, he'd never jump off the boat before it got to Liverpool because he'd feel he didn't get his money's worth out of the trip. Honest to God I felt depressed. That's why the whole Lady Eclair affair was such a dismal failure. I thought that if such a happy-go-lucky guy like Clocklan would do himself in what hope would there be for me?"

"What's this business of being shipped back?"

"I took the bus out to Roundwood. Waited around the local pub and I was picked up. Then the interview. I don't know what happened to me. A few days ago I was all hit up about it. Conjuring up wonderful dreams of zinc table tops, pans, dishes, scullery maids. Then bang when it comes for me to do my stuff—puff—smoke. I was as nervous as a kitten. I was thinking of Clocklan floating in the Irish Sea. Then I knew it was all up. As soon as I got off the bus on the quays I went straight for the consulate. Went in and said deport me. The vice-consul was a nice guy. He phoned, found this ship and that was it. Now I'm on my way back to the States. A beaten and finished man. Malarkey thought it was wonderful. To me this is worse than death."

"Poor Percy, good heavens. I liked him."

"Yeah."

"Perhaps, Kenneth, with all this bad news to bear we had better have a little something"

"Yeah."

Dangerfield snapping his fingers, O'Keefe twisting his glass round and round on the table.

"Don't let it get you down, Kenneth."

"I've never felt so damn screwed in all my life. I've now commenced my last twenty four hours in the ould sod. When I went back to the Catacombs they were all congratulating me. Can you imagine that?"

"I think it's possible."

"Tony can't seem to understand."

"Perhaps he's thinking about the food you'll be eating over there."

"I'll say one thing for him. He's generous. That's one thing about the Malarkey household. Nothing's too good when you come to visit. Go in there to that cellar and they haven't got a penny but everything is neat and clean and when they invite you to eat something, even though it's potato cakes, heavy as lead, you feel you're getting a meal. As tough as this country is I hate to leave it but if I don't I'll die."

"It's a pity about Percy. He could have fixed you up in the Iveagh House."

"It's all over now anyway, and what are you going to do?"

"Kenneth, the mail boat, Friday night."

"I don't get it. Your affairs are so fouled up that I don't think you know what you're doing. What are you going to do in London?"

"Rest from the eyes. Ever notice the eyes along the street Ever notice them? Looking for something. And in this fine cultured city it's me. Marion's in Scotland with baba. O having a fine time, great girl is Marion. Of course I'll have a chance to get down to my studies and perhaps a little ballet in the evenings."

"On what?"

"Kenneth, do you know I think you have the arse of a servant"

"Have I now. Do you know there's something just a little fishy about this business. I was talking over your affairs with Malarkey and he says that rumor has it that you're taking off and that Marion's left you, and that there's a little irregularity and carnal knowledge going on in the Geary. Also that you're socked in with a woman in Rathmines who works in the laundry in Blackrock and another one in Cabra. As Tony says it's just gossip but isn't it always true?"

"I can see your faith is so strong in Malarkey there's no point in saying anything. But I would like to point out that my life is an open book. Yes, open book."

"Dangerfield, you're not fooling me. I leave this setup tomorrow so it doesn't make a bit of difference how you screw yourself up but let me tell you one thing. Women, drink and the general chaos will ruin you and this crazy dancing in the street. I think you'll end up in the Gorman"

"Have it your own way, Kenneth."

Two glasses were placed on the table by a smiling waitress.

"Your brandy, sir."

Dangerfield with a twitch,

"Ah."

O'Keefe with a sigh.

"How much, how much ? "

Waitress bowing concernedly.

"That's seven shillings please, sir."

O'Keefe with sadness.

"And here's a shilling from a poor man because I'm leaving Ireland and won't need it anymore."

Smiling a blossom of blush.

"Thank you, sir, very much. I'm sorry you're leaving Ireland."

O'Keefe looking at her.

"What do you mean sorry? You don't even know me."

Waitress intently.

"O yes I do. You used to be in here a lot last year. We all remember you. You didn't have a beard then. I think it suits you"

O'Keefe astonished, leaned back in the creaking wicker chair. He smiled.

"Do you know I really appreciate that Thanks"

The waitress reddening, walking away.

"God damn it, Dangerfield. I'm a hard son of a bitch but do you know I think I'd get down on my hands and knees and kiss a Jesuit's arse if it meant I could stay"

"I'll take up the collection if you do"

"Jesus, people are interested in you here"

"Foreigners"

"Even so, they shit on them in U.S. This morning I got up early and walked down Fitzwilliam Street. It was still dark. I heard a clip clop coming along and the milkman singing. It was lovely. Jesus, I don't want to go back."

"In the land of the big rich. The monstrous rich. Over there the quids."

"I feel every minute spent in U.S. is wasted."

"Now, now, a fine great place of opportunity for the young spirit such as yours, Kenneth. Maybe a bit of that unhappiness and people whoops out of the windows. But there are the odd moments of joy. May even solve your problem."

"If I can't solve it here I'll never do it there."

"How will you bear it being waved in your face. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say bodies over there are beautiful"

"I can wait."

"And how's Tony?"

"Makes his kids toys all day. Gets up in the morning and yells for his tea. Then he goes out and sees his accountant and places a shilling bet. Then he gets keyed up till the horse loses. And then, as he says himself, when the horse loses I go home and pick an argument with Clocklan. When I was there I tried to get Tony interested in taking the North by force. And Tony was telling me about a time when they went over the border. Everyone going to shoot a policeman, couldn't hold them back, going to declare the North under the tricolor. They get over the border, pockets filled with homemade bombs, hand grenades and gelignite. Then they meet a policeman. There are forty of them and one policeman and he comes over and says, 'ere, 'ere, this 'ere is King's land, now behave yourselves or I'll have to lock the whole lot of ye up. They all get long faces, roll up the tricolor, put away the bombs and go into the first pub and get drunk, with the policeman with them as well. It was good. Do you know I don't think they ever want to take the North. Barney says they're the finest people on the earth. Do you know perhaps the North ought to take over the South."

"At least we'd have contraceptives then, Kenneth"

"What about these women of yours when you go to London?"

"Do you think I keep a harem, Kenneth? I lead a life of spartan self-denial. Miss Frost is one of the finest people I know, good Catholic and in every way leads a gainful respectable life."

"Malarkey says the neighbourhood is in disgrace over this affair."

"Miss Frost and I would never stoop. Or set upon one another lasciviously. Within the bounds of good taste and dignity. Furthermore I'd like to point out that Miss Frost is joining the nuns."

"You awful bastard."

"Have you ever known me to involve myself in anything not above board or on boards or anything? I say, out with it, O'Keefe. Geek. You're so starved for it, Kenneth, that you're imagining things. You think I sin. Not me."

"You're socked in there like a banana in the peel. Tony says that you give her so much that she can barely crawl to work in the mornings."

"Absolutely outrageous. Miss Frost tiptoes through the tulips."

"You think you're getting away with a lot It's drink"

"And sure it's only the sociability that makes me drink."

"Do you know what my ambition is when I get money? To move into the Shelbourne Hotel Strut in through the front door and tell the porter would you garage my Daimler for me please"