rather selfish. He hates fuss and appears irritated as well as embarrassed by the idea of creating a scene. Almost the last words he says to Mary are

I know it's kind of a bad time to be telling you, but there simply wasn't any other way. Of course I'll give you money and see you're looked after. But there needn't really be any fuss. I hope not anyway. It wouldn't be very good for my job.

The oblique reference to Mary's pregnancy shows that Patrick is squeamish about facing sensitive matters directly. He prefers to focus on practical details, such as financial support. His self-centered attitude appears in his aversion to fuss (by which he means strong emotion) and his focus on his job.

The characterization of Patrick Maloney is given directly and indirectly. This means that we can get information about the way that he looks and reacts (direct characterization), and whatever we learn about him as a person,comes as we formulate our own assumptions, based on his actions (indirect characterization). 

From his direct characterization we learn that: 

• "a warm male glow came out of him" and his wife felt it
• he moved across the room "in long strides", and "sat loosely on his chair"
• he is a police officer
• he has a funny-shaped mouth
• he likes to keep quiet when he is tired
• he likes to have at least two drinks of whiskey upon getting home

These facts describe Patrick as a super masculine, archetypal male with quite a presence in his household; at least this is what his wife feels. The narrator, as a third person omniscient, knows this information and tells it to the reader using Mrs. Maloney's point of view. 

From his indirect characterization, we can make assumptions about Patrick's character based on the way that he behaves toward his wife. His behavior would be one of particular interest, since he tells his wife that he will leave her even though she is in her sixth month of pregnancy. His words alone (which I will make bold) are quite shocking, since they show his complete disregard from his wife's emotions and needs. 

So there it is," [...]"And I know it's kind of a bad time to be telling you, but there simply wasn't any other way. Of course I'll give you money and see you're looked after. But there needn't really be any fuss. I hope not anyway. It wouldn't be very good for my job."

First, we see a man that is in no way moved by the fact that he will be a father. He is too focused on his own wants and needs to care for the fact that his only child (that we know of), one which he conceived with his own wife, will be born in a few months. This shows that his paternal instincts are disconnected from reality. He does not mention the child at any point. 

Second, he attempts to control the feelings of his wife by minimizing the situation. He is downplaying everything with the words "kind of", "wouldn't be very good" and "no need for fuss". What does he know about things being "very good" or "very bad" from the perspective of his wife? He hardly considers her emotions, let alone her opinion.

Third, he is obviously selfish: he only cares for HIS job, HIS opinion of the situation, and HIS outcome. He barely mentions what is at stake for his wife and child when he leaves. He is quite content with giving her "some money" as long as she doesn't cause "any fuss". Those things are enough for Patrick.

Since he focuses on himself as the center of everything, we can characterize Patrick as a narcissist (someone who makes every issue about them), a selfish man (someone who cares only for his own wants and needs), and someone who lacks empathy; he is not equipped with the ability to put himself in the position of his wife and make a clear decision based on how he will affect her. 

To be honest, we are not told much about the character of Patrick. Far more is revealed to us about the character of Mary Maloney, his wife. However, we do know that he is a senior, high-ranking policeman and that he works very hard at his job, as he comes back tired from work. Although we are not told specifically why he is leaving Patrick, we can perhaps infer he has a mistress that he wants to live with and leave Mary. This shows he is leading a double life and has been for quite some time. Above all, we can say that he is a selfish and self-obsessed man. Note what he says to Mary:

"And I know it's kind of a bad time to be telling you, but there simply wasn't any other way. Of course I'll give you money and see you're looked after. But there needn't be any fuss. I hope not anyway. It wouldn't be very good for my job."

Note how he is more concerned about his job than he is concerned for Mary and her feelings at hearing this terrible news. Thus, although we are not told much about his character, we can infer that he is a selfish man who has been practising deception for some time and is leaving his wife at a terrible time during her pregnancy.

Patrick Maloney is a pretty despicable husband, as evidenced by the details below:

He is a man who needs to be taken care of. In itself, this isn't the most horrendous detail of his character. But within the context of his deception, it is notable. When he gets home, he awaits his wife as she prepares his drink. He allows her to collect his coat. Mary quietly waits for him to acknowledge her, as "she knew he didn't want to speak much until the first drink was finished." He has established himself as the dominating presence in this household, and his wife is expected to cater to his needs.

He's a good liar. Mary did not see this conversation coming. Her stunned response captures the way her husband has been deceiving her for quite some time:

Her first instinct was not to believe any of it. She thought that perhaps she'd imagined the whole thing. Perhaps, if she acted as though she had not heard him, she would find out that none of it had ever happened.

We can assume (based on his wording) that Patrick has been involved in an affair for long enough that he's developed a bond strong enough to leave his wife, yet he carefully hid all the details from her, leaving her in shock when he finally tells her the truth.

He's a hypocrite. Patrick is a policeman, sworn to serve and protect citizens from harm. Yet in his own home, he is unfaithful to his wife and decides to leave her when she's six months pregnant. And to add insult to injury, he asks Mary not to make any "trouble," because "It wouldn't be very good for [his] job."

Patrick's character is inexcusable, especially considering his wife's adoration of him.

Patrick Maloney is the essence of a consistent individual. Every day, he returns home at the same time and goes through the exact same routine—asking his wife for a drink and consuming it, never complaining about his day or much at all, just remaining seemingly content and complacent about life.

His ambivalence and consistency are what lead his wife to realize something must be wrong—because he breaks his routine ever so slightly. When he tells his wife he is leaving her, we learn slightly more about his persona. He seems to be an analytical person who thinks that having his soon-to-be ex-wife provided for financially is enough to mitigate the situation, and he seems to care little for her feelings. He is something of an automaton with little care or compassion toward his wife.

The reader learns at the beginning of the story that Patrick is punctual and predictable. He arrives home at the same time daily and always has a drink when he arrives. His actions are so predictable to Mary that she notices subtle differences. For example, she is aware that he finishes his drink more quickly than he normally does. She learns the reason for this when Patrick announces his intent of leaving her. The reader also becomes aware that Patrick does not often complain or voice his displeasure. This may be part of the reason she is so surprised by his announcement.

Once Patrick makes his intentions known to his wife, the reader can make other inferences regarding his personality traits. He is straight-forward and only takes a few minutes to talk to his wife. Although he does say he will see that she is taken care of financially, one can assume that he must be somewhat selfish to leave his pregnant wife. This trait is also seen when he states that he hopes for no trouble because he doesn't want his job to be affected.

This question is tougher than it first appears, because Patrick Maloney is barely in the story. Well, he's in the story the entire time. He just isn't alive for much of the story.  

I would pick cold and selfish as the two leading character traits to describe Patrick. The reason I think that Patrick has both of those character traits is because he bluntly tells Mary that he is leaving her or divorcing her. He knows that she loves him dearly. He knows that she is pregnant. He even admits that his news is bad timing.  

"And I know it's a tough time to be telling you this, but there simply wasn't any other way."

Despite knowing all of that information, he still is willing to just walk away from Mary and his life. I can only imagine that his reasons are self-serving. Leaving your pregnant wife for selfish reasons is the definition of cold.

The narrator of this great, dark little story does not give readers much direct characterization of Patrick. We are told things that he does, but we aren't necessarily told much about him specifically. We are directly told many more details about Mary. We are even told what kind of shine her skin has. Readers have to infer just about everything concerning Patrick, and we have to do it through the "rose tinted" glasses through which Mary views her husband. One characteristic I can think of is that he is fairly regular or habitual. The text seems to indicate that he comes home like clockwork every day and has an alcoholic drink while sitting in his chair. If he wasn't consistent like this, then Mary wouldn't be ready and waiting with everything. Sitting silently in the same room with him is her favorite part of the day, and that seems to indicate that this is a fairly regular occurrence.

She took his coat and hung it in the closer. Then she walked over and made the drinks, a strongish one for him, a weak one for herself; and soon she was back again in her chair with the sewing, and he in the other, opposite, holding the tall glass with both hands, rocking it so the ice cubes tinkled against the side.

For her, this was always a blissful time of day.

I've heard some readers accuse Patrick of being an alcoholic, because he has a drink every day or that he needs a second one to talk to Mary about something serious; however, I don't buy that characterization of Patrick. We are told that his quick downing of the first drink and pouring of a second is out of character for him. This would further indicate that Patrick is a predictable and regimented individual. What I also do see about his personality is that he is direct and doesn't shy away from confrontation. He does have to have a little bit of extra liquid courage, but he still has the conversation with his wife. He has found himself in a situation that he isn't happy with, and he's willing to do something about it. I think he's in the wrong for blindsiding Mary like he does, but it shows a sort of bravery in him.

In the opening paragraphs of the story, the narrator describes Mary's perception of her husband. She adores him. She watches the clock with pleased anticipation because each moment that passes is one moment closer to when Patrick will come home from work. When he gets home, she waits on him, taking his coat and getting him a drink. This is their ritual. She loves everything about being in his presence: 

She knew he didn't want to speak much until the first drink was finished, and she was satisfied to sit quietly, enjoying his company after the long hours alone in the house. She loved the warmth that came out of him when they were alone together. She loved the shape of his mouth, and she especially liked the way he didn't complain about being tired.

Given the way the narrator describes Mary's admiration for her husband, the reader would assume that he is a good husband, one deserving of Mary's praise. However, he behaves coldly toward her in preparation for giving her the news that he is leaving. He says this pretty flippantly. If this is any indication of how he'd always treated her, he never deserved such praise. He promises to give her money (she is pregnant) and selfishly says he hopes the break-up won't be a problem because it wouldn't be good for his job. 

First, the author describes Mary's extreme admiration for Patrick. This helps the reader understand Mary's shock when he gives her the news that he is leaving. The reader has the impression of a good husband and is then presented with a selfish adulterer. The reader then can understand Mary's shock. The subsequent shock (to the reader) is how Mary reacts.