over the two men. Besides, she has no place for a statue in her little
room.
Bill Galvin comes after work to see the place. Hes small, all white,
and he snuffles like a dog. He asks Grandma if shed mind taking down
that statue because hes a Protestant and he wouldnt be able to sleep.
Grandma barks at Uncle Pat for not telling her he was dragging a
Protestant into the house. Jesus, she says, there will be gossip up and
down the lane and beyond.
Uncle Pat says he didnt know Bill Galvin was a Protestant.You
could never tell by looking at him especially the way hes covered with
lime. He looks like an ordinary Catholic and youd never imagine a
Protestant would be shoveling lime.
Bill Galvin says his poor wife that just died was a Catholic and she
had the walls covered with pictures of the Sacred Heart and the Virgin
Mary showing their hearts. Hes not against the Sacred Heart himself,
its just that seeing the statue will remind him of his poor wife and give
him the heartache.
Grandma says,Ah, God help us, why didnt you tell me that in the
first place? Sure I can put the statue on the windowsill in my room and
your heart wont be tormented at the sight of it.
Every morning Grandma cooks Bills dinner and takes it to him at
the lime kiln.Mam wonders why he cant take it with him in the morn-
ing and Grandma says, Do you expect me to get up at dawn and boil
cabbage and pigs toes for his lordship to take in his dinner can?
Mam tells her, In another week school will be over and if you
give Frank sixpence a week hell surely be glad to take Bill Galvin his
dinner.
I dont want to go to Grandmas every day. I dont want to take
Bill Galvin his dinner all the way down the Dock Road, but Mam
says thats sixpence we could use and if I dont do it Im going nowhere
else.
Youre staying in the house,she says.Youre not playing with your pals.
Grandma warns me to take the dinner can directly and not be
meandering, looking this way and that, kicking canisters and ruining
the toes of my shoes.This dinner is hot and thats the way Bill Galvin
wants it.
Theres a lovely smell from the dinner can, boiled bacon and cab-
bage and two big floury white potatoes. Surely he wont notice if I try
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