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A predictable, unadventurous bank cashier named Mr. Duffy lives an existence of prudence and organization in Chapelizod which is a suburb just outside of Dublin. He keeps a tidy house, eats at the same restaurants, and makes the same daily commute. Mr. Duffy keeps to himself. He does not often engage with the world around him at a deeper level and he does not appear to have any meaningful relationships with people. Occasionally, Mr. Duffy allows himself an evening out at the opera or a concert, and on one of these evenings he engages in a conversation with another audience member, Mrs. Sinico, a striking woman who sits with her young daughter. Subsequent encounters ensue at other concerts, and on the third occasion Mr. Duffy sets up a time and day to meet purposely with her. Because Mrs. Sinico is married and her husband, a captain of a merchant ship, is constantly away from home, Mr. Duffy feels slightly uncomfortable with the clandestine nature of the relationship. Nevertheless, they continue to meet, always at her home.
Their discussions revolve around their similar intellectual interests, including books, political theories, their opinions on Dublin, and music, and with each meeting they draw more closely together. Mr. Duffy even discloses his brief stint as a member of the Irish Socialist Party. Such sharing gradually softens Mr. Duffy’s hard character. However, during one of their meetings, Mrs. Sinico takes Mr. Duffy’s hand and places it on her cheek, which deeply bothers Mr. Duffy. He feels Mrs. Sinico has misinterpreted his acts of companionship as sexual advances and he panics. In response, he cuts off the relationship, first by stopping his visits and then by arranging a final meeting at a cake shop in Dublin, deliberately in a public space as opposed to Mrs. Sinico’s home. They agree to end the relationship, but Mrs. Sinico’s emotional presence at this meeting suggests she is less willing to say goodbye than Mr. Duffy is.
Four years pass. One evening, during his usual dinner in town of corned beef and cabbage, Mr. Duffy reads a newspaper article that surprises him enough to halt his eating and hurry home. There, he reads the article, entitled “A Painful Case,” once more. The article recounts the death of Mrs. Sinico, who was hit by a train at a station in Dublin the previous evening. Witness accounts and the coroner’s inquest deem that the death was caused by shock or heart failure, and not injuries from the train itself. The article, which quotes both Mrs. Sinico’s husband and daughter, also explains that Mrs. Sinico was a drinker and had become increasingly detached from her husband over the past two years. The article concludes with the statement that no one is responsible for her death.
The news of Mrs. Sinico’s death angers Mr. Duffy. Perhaps suspecting suicide or weakness in character, he feels disgusted by her death and by his connection to her life. He is incensed that he shared his thoughts and feelings with someone so weak. Disturbed, he leaves his home to visit a local pub, where he drinks and remembers his relationship with her. His anger begins to subside, and by the time he leaves to walk home, he feels deep remorse, mainly for ending the relationship and losing the potential for companionship it offered. Upon seeing a pair of lovers in the park by his home, Mr. Duffy realizes that he gave up the only love he had ever experienced in life. He feels completely alone and unwanted.
