a week's time Bartley had gone back to Farranboley and Tim had gone to find a relative who lived in the city. Finn was without a comrade in Carrickleary. The suburb seemed very big and very strange to him, and it had many things that held his attention—the long streets, the harbour with its boats, the curious shops. He used to stand at the shop in the evening and watch the man who lit the street-lamps. The man came along the street, touching one lamp after another with a high wand and making little yellow lights appear. It was curious, too, to see the milkman coming into the shop and delivering the milk across the counter. Finn found it hard to realize that none of his aunt's neighbours had a cow or even a goat. The shops in Carrickleary were unlike those in the country towns. In the country, if a little boy went in with a purchaser he would get a present—a bun, a cake, or an apple—but in these shops no attention was paid to him. Finn became lonely after Bartley and Tim went away but he found Carrickleary more and more interesting.

The first acquaintance he made was Bernard Moran, a boy who used to deliver messages for his grand-aunt. It was Bernard who brought Finn to school and looked after him the first day. He was the son of a railway porter and after Finn had become his devoted follower he took him into the little suburban station. He gave Finn the impression that he was almost the master here, and he showed him the wonderful things it was permitted him to do. He made a taper out of a twist of brown paper and lit the gas in the waiting-rooms. Finn thought it was grand to be able to make the gas light up at a touch. Bernard then took him along the platform, and, climbing up, lit the gas-lamps on each side. Finn understood that the safe arrival of the trains depended on the way Bernard lit these lamps. He had full control over the trucks too and could run them up and down the platform.

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Every other Tuesday his grand-aunt went into the city to purchase stock for her shop. He went with her several times. They entered a local train that stopped at every intermediate station, making Finn think that each stop was the city terminus. In a while they stepped out under the high glass roof of the city station. The first place they went to was the office of the stores that supplied sweets to his grand-aunt's shop. This always seemed a dull place to Finn, for he just sat while his grand-aunt gave orders to a man who wrote them down in a book, and he never had sight of sweets at all.

But their next place of call was very interesting. This was a shop down the quays, that supplied his grand-aunt with boot-laces and buttons, thread, needles and spools. Beyond the counter there were shelves that held little coloured statues. Most of these represented Saint Anthony of Padua, clad in a brown robe and carrying a child in his arms. But on a shelf lower than Saint Anthony there was a figure that greatly impressed Finn. It was an old man with a lamp in one hand and a weapon—Finn thought it was a spear—in the other. He had on a jacket of brown with a belt, and he had very high boots. The old man's face was very sharp and very white and very stern. Once Finn waked up in his grand-aunt's house and heard a step going by on the street. He was sure this old man was passing.

The shop on the quays was frequented by hawkers—men who carried their wares in baskets and went from door to door. Once, going towards it with his grand-aunt they met one of the hawkers coming out. He was bent with a basket and Finn recognized the face of the man who carried the lamp and the spear.

When her business was finished in this shop his grand-aunt would take him for tea to a glittering shop that had an organ near its door that was always being played by steam. They would have tea in a room upstairs, but Finn could never take his tea easily, for the music below, the people moving up the stairs and down the stairs, and the knowledge of what was in other rooms excited him. When they had finished tea his grand-aunt would take him up another pair of stairs and into a room where there were wax-works. Very white and very still stood the wax figures of men with coats and trousers on them, and their hair and beard was very fine and smooth. At one end of the row of silent figures there was a thrilling waxwork show, "Daniel in the Lion's Den." The den was wide and coloured crimson on the inside. All around were great lions and in the middle of them Daniel stood in a white robe. Now and again the figure would lift up its arms and the lions would open their scarlet mouths and roar and roar and roar. It was very terrifying. Sometimes Finn was afraid to stay. He was often glad to be back again in the glittering shop where the people, coming in and going out, gave him a feeling of security. After this entertainment his grand-aunt would go back to the railway terminus, but on her way she would call into a church near it where she and Finn would kneel down and say some prayers. If there was anything on her mind she would light a candle and set it before one of the altars.

For about four months Finn stayed with his grand-aunt in Carrickleary. When he was about three months at school the master asked him to enter a class where he would be prepared for confirmation. Finn was nervous but very proud of being confirmed so young. He could not go into the city while he was preparing. The last Tuesday before he was confirmed his grand-aunt brought him a new suit from the city.

After they came back from Church, Finn and Bernard Moran went down the street, for they were eager to show themselves in their new clothes and with the medals that they wore. When Finn returned to his grand-aunt's there was a great surprise for him. His grandfather had come! Finn rushed into the parlour and found his grandfather in those strange surroundings looking just like himself. He put his arms round his neck, and his breast was nearly bursting with all the things he had to say. His grandfather congratulated him on having been confirmed and spoke to him about his new suit and his medal. The two talked to each other in Irish. Finn could not believe that his delight was real and that he would have his grandfather with him that night and the night after and the night after that again. He wanted him to come out until he would show him the wonders of Carrickleary, but his grandfather laughed and said he would not stir that night. Then Finn began to question him. How was grandmother?. Did Bartley get home safe? Had he anything to tell about Tim Rogan? Had the calves grown big, and was the little kid as wild as ever? And the dogs? And was the setter tracking the ducks the same as ever?

His grandfather had a story to tell about the ducks. They went down to the bank of the river to make a nest for themselves, but they used to come back to the yard. The setter kept a sharper watch than ever on them, and he followed them one day and when he saw them going into the river he chased them. They flew away and never returned to the yard again.

Finn was very sorry to think that the wild ducks were gone. How was Brian Magarry and did he often come round to the house now? As Finn sat there clasping his grandfather's hand he smelt the smoke of the burning peat again and he thought he saw the red petticoat that his grandmother wore.

His grandfather would not go out with him that night but he told Finn he would let him take him any place he liked in the morning.