in the world he was the sweetest and the most delicate and loving. She tells him ’tis a terrible thing to lose him but isn’t he in heaven now with his brother and his sister and isn’t that a comfort to us, knowing Oliver is no longer lonesome for his twin. Still, she puts her head down next to Eugene and cries so hard all the women in the room cry with her. She cries till Pa Keating tells her we have to go before the darkness falls, that we can’t be in graveyards in the dark. Grandma whispers to Aunt Aggie,Who’ll put the child in the cof- fin? and Aunt Aggie whispers, I won’t.That’s the job for the mother. Uncle Pat hears them. I’ll put the child in the coffin, he says. He limps to the bed and places his arms around Mam’s shoulders. She looks up at him and her face is drenched. He says, I’ll put the child in the cof- fin,Angela. Oh, Pat, she says. Pat. I can do it, he says. Sure he’s only a small child an’ I never lifted a small child before in my life. I never had a small child in me arms. I won’t drop him,Angela. I won’t. Honest to God, I won’t. I know you won’t, Pat. I know you won’t. I’ll lift him an’ I won’t be singin’“The Road to Rasheen.” I know you won’t, Pat, Mam says. Pat pulls down the blanket Mam put there to keep Eugene warm. Eugene’s feet are white and bright with little blue veins. Pat bends over, picks up Eugene and holds him against his chest. He kisses Eugene’s forehead  and  then  everyone  in  the  room  kisses  Eugene.  He  places Eugene in the coffin and steps back.We are all gathered around look- ing at Eugene for the last time. Uncle  Pat  says,  See,  I  didn’t  drop  him, Angela,  and  she  touches his face. Aunt Aggie goes to the pub for the driver. He puts the lid on the coffin and screws it down. He says,Who’s comin’ in the carriage? and takes the coffin to the carriage.There’s room only for Mam and Dad, Malachy and me. Grandma says,Ye go ahead to the graveyard and we’ll wait here. I don’t know why we can’t keep Eugene. I don’t know why they have to send him away with that man who puts his pint on the white coffin. I don’t know why they had to send Margaret away and Oliver. It is a bad thing to put my sister and my brothers in a box and I wish I could say something to someone. 88