Above door of apartments a picture of Daniel O'Connell.
The grandfather's clock is ticking audibly. It is 8.45 p.m. The gas
over desk is lighted_.
_Christy Clarke, a youth of about seventeen, is seated in the
armchair reading a periodical. His clothes are threadbare, but
brushed and clean. He looks studious, and has intellectual
possibilities. The clock ticks on, the boy reads, but with little
attention. At the corridor door there is a knocking. Christy Clarke
turns slightly. The door opens, and a tall man in the ugly dress of
a pauper is seen. The man is Felix Tournour. He carries in a bucket
of coal. He performs this action like one who has acquired the habit
of work under an overseer. He is an ugly figure in his pauper dress.
His scanty beard is coal black. He has a wide mouth and discoloured
teeth. His forehead is narrow and bony. He is about forty-five._
TOURNOUR
_(in a harsh voice, after looking around)_ Is he not back
yet?
CHRISTY
_(without stirring)_ Is who not back yet?
TOURNOUR
The master I'm talking about. I don't know where he does be
going those evenings.
_He shovels coal into the stove_.
CHRISTY
And what is it to you where he does be going?
TOURNOUR
Don't talk to me like that, young fellow. You're poorhouse
rearing, even though you are a pet. Will he be sitting up here
to-night, do you know?
CHRISTY
What's that to you whether he will or not?
TOURNOUR
If he's sitting up late he'll want more coal to his fire.
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