Clay

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Story ten of Dubliners. This LibriVox recording is in the
public domain Clay. The matron had given her leave to
go out as soon as the women's tea was over,
and Maria looked forward to her evening out. The kitchen
was spick and span. The cook said, you could see

(00:20):
yourself in the big copper boilers. The fire was nice
and bright, and on one of the side tables were
four very big barm bracks. These bam bracts seemed uncut,
but if you went closer you could see that they
had been cut into long, thick even slices and were
ready to be handed round at tea. Maria had cut

(00:42):
them herself. Maria was a very very small person, indeed,
but she had a very long nose and a very
long chin. She talked a little through her nose, always soothingly, Yes,
my dear, and no, my dear. She was always sent
for when the women quarreled over their tubs, and always

(01:04):
succeeded in making peace. One day the matron had said
to her, Maria, you are a veritable peace maker and
a sub matron. And two of the board ladies had
heard the compliment, and Ginger Mooney was always saying what
she wouldn't do to the dummy who had charge of
the irons if it wasn't for Maria. Everyone was so

(01:24):
fond of Maria. The women would have their tea at
six o'clock and she would be able to get away
before seven from Baldsbridge to the Pillar, twenty minutes, from
the Pillar to drum Condra twenty minutes, and twenty minutes
to buy the things. She would be there before eight.
She took out her purse with the silver clasps and

(01:45):
read again the words a present from Belfast. She was
very fond of that purse because Joe had brought it
to her five years before when he and Alfy had
gone to Belfast on a whit Monday trip. In the
purse were two half crowns some coppers. She would have
five shillings clear after paying tram fare. What a nice

(02:05):
evening they would have, all the children singing. Only she
hoped that Joe wouldn't come in drunk. He was so
different when he took any drink.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
Often.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
He had wanted her to go and live with them,
but she would have felt herself in the way. Though
Joe's wife was ever so nice with her, and she
had become accustomed to the life.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
Of the laundry.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
Joe was a good fellow. She had nursed him and
Alfie too, and Joe used often to say, Mamma is mamma,
but Maria is my proper mother. After the break up
at home, the boys had got her that position in
the Dublin by Lamplight laundry, and she liked it. She
used to have such a bad opinion of Protestants, but

(02:45):
now she thought there were very nice people, a little
quiet and serious, but still very nice people to live with.
Then she had her plants in the conservatory and she
liked looking after them. She had lovely ferns and wax plants,
and whenever anyone came to visit her, she always gave
the visitor one or two slips from her conservatory. There

(03:07):
was one thing she didn't like, and that was the
tracks on the walls. But the matron was such a
nice person to deal with, so genteel. When the cook
told her everything was ready, she went into the women's
room and began to pull the big bell. In a
few minutes, the women began to come in by twos
and threes, wiping their steaming hands in their petticoats, and

(03:29):
pulling down the sleeves of their blouses over their red
steaming arms. They settled down before their huge mugs, which
the cook and the dummy filled up with hot tea
already mixed with milk and sugar in huge tin cans.
Maria superintended the distribution of the barmbrack and saw that
every woman got her for slices. There was a great

(03:50):
deal of laughing and joking during the meal. Lizzie Fleming
said Maria was sure to get the ring, and though
Fleming had said that for so many hollow eaves, Maria
had to laugh and say she didn't want any ring
or man either, And when she laughed, her gray green
eyes sparkled with disappointed shyness, and the tip of her

(04:10):
nose nearly met the tip of her chin. Then Ginger
Mooney lifted her mug of tea and proposed Maria's health,
while all the other women clattered with her mugs on
the table, and she said she was sorry she hadn't
a sup of porter to drink it in. And Maria
laughed again till the tip of her nose nearly met
the tip of her chin, and till her minute body

(04:32):
nearly shook itself asunder, because she knew that mooney meant well,
though of course she had the notions of a common woman.
But wasn't Maria glad? When the women had finished their tea,
and the cook and the dummy had begun to clear
away the tea things, she went into her little bedroom, and,
remembering that the next morning was a mass morning, changed
the hand of the alarm from seven to six. Then

(04:55):
she took off her working skirt and her house boots
and laid her best scat out on the bed, and
her tiny dress boots beside the foot of the bed.
She changed her blouse too, and as she stood before
the mirror, she thought of how she used to dress
for Mass on Sunday morning when she was a young girl,
and she looked with quaint affection at the diminutive body

(05:16):
which she had so often adorned. In spite of the jeers.
She found it a nice, tidy little body. When she
got outside, the streets were shining with rain, and she
was glad of her old brown waterproof. The tram was full,
and she had to sit on the little stool at
the end of the car, facing all the people, with

(05:37):
her toes barely touching the floor. She arranged in her
mind all she was going to do, and thought how
much better it was to be independent and to have
your own money in your pocket. She hoped they would
have a nice evening. She was sure they would, but
she could not help thinking what a pity it was.
Alphie and Joe were not speaking. They were always falling

(05:58):
out now, but when they were together they used to
be the best of friends. But such was life. She
got out of her tram at the pillar and ferreted
her way quickly among the crowds. She went into Downs's
cake shop, but the shop was so full of people
that it was a long time before she could get
herself attended. Two She bought a dozen of mixed penny

(06:20):
cakes and at last came out of the shop laden
with a big bag. Then she thought what else would
she buy? She wanted to buy something really nice. They
would be sure to have plenty of apples and nuts.
It was hard to know what to buy, and all
she could think of was cake. She decided to buy
some plum cake, but Downs's plumb cake had not enough

(06:41):
ammon icing on top of it, so she went over
to a shop in Henry Street. Here she was a
long time in suiting herself, and the stylish young lady
behind the counter, who was evidently a little annoyed by her,
asked her was at a wedding cake she wanted to buy.
That made Maria blush and smile at the young lady,
But the young lady took it all very seriously and

(07:03):
finally cut a thick slice of plumb cake, parceled it
up and said two and four plays. She thought she
would have to stand in the drum Condra tram because
none of the young men seemed to notice her, but
an elderly gentleman made room for her. He was a
stout gentleman, and he wore a brown hard hat. He
had a square, red face and a grayish mustache. Maria

(07:27):
thought he was a kerner looking gentleman, and she reflected
how much more polite he was than the young men
who simply stared straight before them. The gentleman began to
chat with her about hallow Eve and the rainy weather.
He supposed the bag was full of good things for
the little ones, and said it was only right that
the youngsters should enjoy themselves while they were young Maria

(07:49):
agreed with him and favored him with demure nods and hems.
He was very nice with her, and when she was
getting out at the canal bridge, she thanked them and bowed,
and he bowed to her and raised his hat and
smiled agreeably. And while she was going up along the terrace,
bending her tiny head under the rain, she thought, how

(08:10):
easy it was to know a gentleman, even when he
has a drop taken. Everybody said, oh, here's Maria. When
she came to Joe's house. Joe was there, having come
home from business, and all the children had their Sunday
dresses on. There were two big girls in from next door,
and games were going on. Maria gave the bag of

(08:32):
cakes to the eldest boy, Alfhi, to divide, and missus
Donnelly said it was too good of her to bring
such a big bag of cakes and made all the
children say thanks Maria. But Maria said she had brought
something special for Papa and Mamma, something they would be
sure to like, and she began to look for her
plum cake. She tried in Downs's bag, and then in

(08:56):
the pockets of a waterproof and then on the hall
stand but nowhere could she find it. Then she asked
all the children, had any of them eaten it by mistake,
of course, But the children all said no, and looked
as if they did not like to eat cakes if
they were to be accused of stealing. Everybody had a
solution for the mystery, and Missus Donnelly said it was

(09:18):
plain that Maria had left it behind her in the tram. Maria,
remembering how confused the gentleman with the grayish mustache had
made her, colored with shame and vexation and disappointment at
the thought of the failure of her little surprise, and
of the two inforpun she had thrown away for nothing.
She nearly cried outright, but Joe said it didn't matter

(09:40):
and made her sit down by the fire. He was
very nice with her. He told her all that went
on in his office, repeating for her a smart answer
which he had made to the manager. Maria did not
understand why Joe laughed so much over the answer he
had made, but she said that the manager must have
been a very overbearing person to deal with. Joe said,

(10:00):
he wasn't so bad when you knew how to take him,
that he was a decent sort, so long as you
didn't rub him the wrong way. Missus Donnelly played the
piano for the children and they danced and sang. Then
the two next door girls handed round the nuts. Nobody
could find the nutcrackers, and Joe was nearly getting cross
over it and asked how did they expect Maria to

(10:23):
crack nuts without a nutcracker? But Maria said she didn't
like nuts and that they weren't to bother about her.
Then Joe asked would she take a bottle of stout,
and Missus Donnelly said there was port wine too in
the house if she would prefer that. Maria said she
would rather they didn't ask her to take anything, but
Joe insisted, so Maria let him have his way, and

(10:45):
they sat by the fire talking over old times, and
Maria thought she would put in a good word for Alphy,
but Joe cried that God might strike him stone dead
if ever he spoke a word to his brother again,
and Maria said she was sorry she had mentioned them.
Missus Donnelly told her husband it was a great shame
for him to speak that way of his own flesh

(11:06):
and blood, but Joe said that Alfie was no brother
of his, and there was nearly being a row on
the head of it. But Joe said he would not
lose his temper on account of the night it was,
and asked his wife to open some more stout. The
two next door girls had arranged some hallow eve games,
and soon everything was merry again. Maria was delighted to

(11:27):
see the children so merry and Joe and his wife
in such good spirits. The next door girls put some
saucers on the table and then led the children up
to the table blindfold One got the prayer book and
the other three got the water. And when one of
the next door girls got the ring, Missus Donnelly shook
her finger at the blushing girl as much as to say, oh,

(11:50):
I know all about it. They assisted then on blindfolding
Maria and leading her up to the table to see
what she would get. And while they were putting on
the bandage, Maria laughed and laughed again till the tip
of her nose nearly met the tip of her chin.
They led her up to the table amid laughing and joking,
and she put her hand out in the air as

(12:11):
she was told to do. She moved her hand about
here and there in the air, and descended on one
of the saucers. She felt a soft, wet substance with
her fingers and was surprised that nobody spoke or took
off her bandage. There was a pause for a few seconds,
and then a great deal of scuffling and whispering. Somebody
said something about the garden, and at last Missus Donnelly

(12:35):
said something very cross to one of the next door
girls and told her to throw it out at once.
That was no play. Maria understood that it was wrong
that time, and so she had to do it over again,
and this time she got the prayer book. After that,
Missus Donnelly played Miss mc cleod reel for the children,
and Joe made Maria take a glass of wine. Soon

(12:57):
they were all quite merry again, and Missus as Donnelly
said Maria would enter a convent before the year was
out because she had got the prayer book. Maria had
never seen Joe so nice to her as he was
that night, so full of pleasant talk and reminiscences. She
said they were all very good to her. At last,
the children grew tired and sleepy, and Joe asked Maria

(13:19):
would she not sing some little song before she went
one of the old songs. Missus Donnelly said, do please Maria,
and so Maria had to get up and stand beside
the piano. Missus Donnelly bade the children be quiet and
listen to Maria's song. Then she played the prelude and
said now Maria, and Maria, blushing very much, began to sing.

(13:43):
In a tiny quivering voice. She sang, I dreamt that
I dwelt, And when she came to the second verse,
she sang again, I.

Speaker 2 (13:52):
Dreamt that I dwere held in my harrible halls, with
vassals and serfs at my side, and of all who
assembled within those walls, that I was the hope and
the pride. I had riches too great to count, could
boast of a high ancestral name. But I all also

(14:17):
drehim t wwich pleased me most that you loved me
still the same.

Speaker 1 (14:24):
Would. No one tried to show her her mistake. And
when she had ended her song, Joe was very much moved.
He said that there was no time like the long ago,
and no music for him like poor old balf whatever
other people might say, and his eyes filled up so
much with tears that he could not find what he
was looking for, and in the end yet to ask

(14:44):
his wife to tell him where the corkscrew was. End
of story ten. Clay