For a moment I felt tempted to draw my gun and shoot him on the spot. But I was between two of the girls and I did not want to alarm them. Besides if he had a confederate about, the return of fire might place the girls in danger. The five of us were facing for the Nelson Pillar to get a tram to Fleming’s house in Drumcondra, and as the Pillar is less than a hundred yards from the theatre I felt it safe enough to walk on. I said nothing to the others, nor did I look a second time at the Castle man. I knew he must have seen me, too, and I felt pretty certain that he was following us up in the crowd. Just as we approached the tram I stepped back to let the others get a few yards in advance of me. As I did so Kitty Fleming whispered, “there is a friend following.” Evidently she had seen him too. The girls were well trained to use their eyes in those days. Sean and the three girls stepped into the tram. I was at their heels. As I mounted the footboard I wheeled round sharply and faced my enemy. He read the message in my eye. Had he attempted to board the tram I would have riddled him on the spot. But he was quick to see my move, and he quietly slunk back from the tram and lost himself in the crowd as our car started for Drumcondra. At Fleming’s we discussed the incident over a cup of coffee. At times I was half sorry I had allowed him to escape with his life. Had I known as much when I stood on the footboard as I do now the Crown Forces would be one man the less that evening; for, as the sequel will show, that man or one of his touts must have boarded the next tram to Drumcondra, and got on our trail again that night. CHAPTER XXI. THE DRUMCONDRA FIGHT. That night we left Fleming’s about 11 o’clock. In case we had been seen entering and were still being shadowed we left by the back. It was a bright moonlight night. From the back of the house we got out to Botanic Avenue. There Sean and I debated for a few minutes whether we should go round to our friend Mrs. Fitzgerald, in Hollybank Road, or go on to Professor Carolan’s, and we turned to the right and came up to the bridge over the Tolka. Curfew was at 12 o’clock, and the streets were already deserted. As we stood for a moment on the bridge to look round and listen we heard the rumbling in the distance of military lorries preparing to go on curfew patrol. From the bridge to Carolan’s is about seven minutes’ walk. It is the main road to Belfast, and a well-to-do residential quarter. On the left is the great Training College for National Teachers, and on the right, some distance back from the road, is another well-known institution—All Hallows Ecclesiastical College. We had a latchkey of Professor Carolan’s house, “Fernside.” It was one of the many latchkeys we had at the time, all given us by friends to whose houses we were welcome whenever we might wish to call at any hour.