MrBloomlookedbacktowardsthechoir。Notgoingtobeanymusic。Pity。WhohastheorganhereIwonder?OldGlynnheknewhowtomakethatinstrumenttalk,thevibrato:fiftypoundsayeartheysayhehadinGardinerstreet。Mollywasinfinevoicethatday,theStabatMaterofRossini。FatherBernardVaughan’ssermonfirst。ChristorPilate?Christ,butdon’tkeepusallnightoverit。Musictheywanted。Footdrillstopped。Couldhearapindrop。Itoldhertopitchhervoiceagainstthatcorner。Icouldfeelthethrillintheair,thefull,thepeoplelookingup:
Quisesthomo!
Someofthatoldsacredmusicissplendid。Mercadante:sevenlastwords。Mozart’stwelfthmass:theGloriainthat。Thoseoldpopeswerekeenonmusic,onartandstatuesandpicturesofallkinds。Palestrinaforexampletoo。Theyhadagayoldtimewhileitlasted。Healthytoochanting,regularhours,thenbrewliqueurs。Benedictine。GreenChartreuse。Still,havingeunuchsintheirchoirthatwascomingitabitthick。Whatkindofvoiceisit?Mustbecurioustohearaftertheirownstrongbasses。Connoisseurs。Supposetheywouldn’tfeelanythingafter。Kindofaplacid。Noworry。Fallintofleshdon’tthey?Gluttons,tall,longlegs。Whoknows?Eunuch。Onewayoutofit。
Hesawthepriestbenddownandkissthealtarandthenfaceaboutandblessallthepeople。Allcrossedthemselvesandstoodup。MrBloomglancedabouthimandthenstoodup,lookingovertherisenhats。Standupatthegospelofcourse。Thenallsettleddownontheirkneesagainandhesatbackquietlyinhisbench。Thepriestcamedownfromthealtar,holdingthethingoutfromhim,andheandthemassboyansweredeachotherinLatin。Thenthepriestkneltdownandbegantoreadoffacard:——
OGod,ourrefugeandourstrength。
MrBloomputhisfaceforwardtocatchthewords。English。Throwthemthebone。Irememberslightly。Howlongsinceyourlastmass?Gloriaandimmaculatevirgin。Josephherspouse。PeterandPaul。Moreinterestingifyouunderstoodwhatitwasallabout。Wonderfulorganisationcertainly,goeslikeclockwork。Confession。Everyonewantsto。ThenIwilltellyouall。Penance。Punishme,please。GreatweaponIntheirhands。Morethandoctororsolicitor。Womandyingto。AndIschschschschschsch。Anddidyouchachachachacha?Andwhydidyou?Lookdownatherringtofindanexcuse。Whisperinggallerywallshaveears。Husbandlearntohissurprise。God’slittlejoke。Thenoutshecomes。Repentanceskindeep。Lovelyshame。Prayatanaltar。HailMaryandHolyMary。Flowers,incense,candlesmelting。Hideherblushes。Salvationarmyblatantimitation。Reformedprostitutewilladdressthemeeting。HowIfoundtheLord。SquareheadedchapsthosemustbeinRome:theyworkthewholeshow。Anddon’ttheyrakeinthemoneytoo?Bequestsalso:totheP。P。forthetimebeinginhisabsolutediscretion。Massesforthereposeofmysoultobesaidpubliclywithopendoors。Monasteriesandconvents。ThepriestintheFermanaghwillcaseinthewitnessbox。Nobrowbeatinghim。Hehadhisanswerpatforeverything。Libertyandexaltationofourholymotherthechurch。Thedoctorsofthechurch:theymappedoutthewholetheologyofit。
Thepriestprayed:——
BlessedMichael,archangel,defendusinthehourofconflict。BeoursafeguardagainstthewickednessandsnaresofthedevilmayGodrestrainhim,wehumblypray:anddothou,Oprinceoftheheavenlyhost,bythepowerofGodthrustSatandowntohellandwithhimthoseotherwickedspiritswhowanderthroughtheworldfortheruinofsouls。
Thepriestandthemassboystoodupandwalkedoff。Allover。Thewomenremainedbehind:thanksgiving。
Betterbeshovingalong。BrotherBuzz。Comearoundwiththeplateperhaps。PayyourEasterduty。
Hestoodup。Hello。Werethosetwobuttonsofmywaistcoatopenallthetime。Womenenjoyit。Annoyedifyoudon’t。Why-didn’tyoutellmebefore。Nevertellyou。Butwe。Excuse,miss,there’sawhh!justawhh!fluff。Ortheirskirtbehind,placketunhooked。Glimpsesofthemoon。Stilllikeyoubetteruntidy。Goodjobitwasn’tfarthersouth。Hepassed,discreetlybuttoning,downtheaisleandoutthroughthemaindoorintothelight。Hestoodamomentunseeingbythecoldblackmarblebowlwhilebeforehimandbehindtwoworshippersdippedfurtivehandsinthelowtideofholywater。Trams:acarofPrescott’sdyeworks:awidowinherweeds。NoticebecauseI’minmourningmyself。Hecoveredhimself。Howgoesthetime?Quarterpast。Timeenoughyet。Bettergetthatlotionmadeup。Whereisthis?Ahyes,thelasttime。Sweny’sinLincolnplace。Chemistsrarelymove。Theirgreenandgoldbeaconjarstooheavytostir。HamiltonLong’s,foundedintheyearoftheflood。Huguenotchurchyardnearthere。Visitsomeday。
HewalkedsouthwardalongWestlandrow。Buttherecipeisintheothertrousers。O,andIforgotthatlatchkeytoo。Borethisfuneralaffair。Owell,poorfellow,it’snothisfault。WhenwasitIgotitmadeuplast?Wait。IchangedasovereignIremember。Firstofthemonthitmusthavebeenorthesecond。Ohecanlookitupintheprescriptionsbook。
Thechemistturnedbackpageafterpage。Sandyshrivelledsmellheseemstohave。Shrunkenskull。Andold。Questforthephilosopher’sstone。Thealchemists。Drugsageyouaftermentalexcitement。Lethargythen。Why?Reaction。Alifetimeinanight。Graduallychangesyourcharacter。Livingallthedayamongherbs,ointments,disinfectants。Allhisalabasterlilypots。Mortarandpestle。Aq。Dist。Fol。Laur。TeVirid。Smellalmostcureyoulikethedentist’sdoorbell。Doctorwhack。Heoughttophysichimselfabit。Electuaryoremulsion。Thefirstfellowthatpickedanherbtocurehimselfhadabitofpluck。Simples。Wanttobecareful。Enoughstuffheretochloroformyou。Test:turnsbluelitmuspaperred。Chloroform。Overdoseoflaudanum。Sleepingdraughts。Lovephiltres。Paragoricpoppysyrupbadforcough。Clogstheporesorthephlegm。Poisonstheonlycures。Remedywhereyouleastexpectit。Cleverofnature——
Aboutafortnightago,sir?——
Yes,MrBloomsaid。
Hewaitedbythecounter,inhalingthekeenreekofdrugs,thedustydrysmellofspongesandloofahs。Lotoftimetakenuptellingyourachesandpains——
Sweetalmondoilandtinctureofbenzoin,MrBloomsaid,andthenorangeflowerwater……
Itcertainlydidmakeherskinsodelicatewhitelikewax——
Andwhitewaxalso,hesaid。
Bringsoutthedarknessofhereyes。Lookingatme,thesheetuptohereyes,Spanish,smellingherself,whenIwasfixingthelinksinmycuffs。Thosehomelyrecipesareoftenthebest:strawberriesfortheteeth:nettlesandrainwater:oatmealtheysaysteepedinbuttermilk。Skinfood。Oneoftheoldqueen’ssons,dukeofAlbanywasit?hadonlyoneskin。Leopoldyes。Threewehave。Warts,bunionsandpimplestomakeitworse。Butyouwantaperfumetoo。Whatperfumedoesyour?Peaud’Espagne。Thatorangeflower。Purecurdsoap。Waterissofresh。Nicesmellthesesoapshave。Timetogetabathroundthecorner。Hammam。Turkish。Massage。Dirtgetsrolledupinyournavel。Nicerifanicegirldidit。AlsoIthinkI。YesI。Doitinthebath。CuriouslongingI。Watertowater。Combinebusinesswithpleasure。Pitynotimeformassage。Feelfreshthenallday。Funeralberatherglum——
Yes,sir,thechemistsaid。Thatwastwoandnine。Haveyoubroughtabottle?——
No,MrBloomsaid。Makeitup,please。I’llcalllaterinthedayandI’lltakeoneofthosesoaps。Howmucharethey?——
Fourpence,sir。
MrBloomraisedacaketohisnostrils。Sweetlemonywax——
I’lltakethisone,hesaid。Thatmakesthreeandapenny——
Yes,sir,thechemistsaid。Youcanpayalltogether,sir,whenyoucomeback——
Good,MrBloomsaid。
Hestrolledoutoftheshop,thenewspaperbatonunderhisarmpit,thecoolwrapperedsoapinhislefthand。
AthisarmpitBantamLyons’voiceandhandsaid:——
Hello,Bloom,what’sthebestnews?Isthattoday’s?Showusaminute。
Shavedoffhismoustacheagain,byJove!Longcoldupperlip。Tolookyounger。Hedoeslookbalmy。YoungerthanIam。
BantamLyons’yellowblacknailedfingersunrolledthebaton。Wantsawashtoo。Takeofftheroughdirt。Goodmorning,haveyouusedPears’soap?Dandruffonhisshoulders。Scalpwantsoiling——
IwanttoseeaboutthatFrenchhorsethat’srunningtoday,BantamLyonssaid。Wherethebuggerisit?
Herustledthepleatedpages,jerkinghischinonhishighcollar。Barber’sitch。Tightcollarhe’lllosehishair。Betterleavehimthepaperandgetshutofhim——
Youcankeepit,MrBloomsaid——
Ascot。Goldcup。Wait,BantamLyonsmuttered。Halfamo。Maximumthesecond——
Iwasjustgoingtothrowitaway,MrBloomsaid。
BantamLyonsraisedhiseyessuddenlyandleeredweakly——
What’sthat?hissharpvoicesaid——
Isayyoucankeepit,MrBloomanswered。Iwasgoingtothrowitawaythatmoment。
BantamLyonsdoubtedaninstant,leering:thenthrusttheoutspreadsheetsbackonMrBloom’sarms——
I’Ilriskit,hesaid。Here,thanks。
HespedofftowardsConway’scorner。Godspeedscut。
MrBloomfoldedthesheetsagaintoaneatsquareandlodgedthesoapinit,smiling。Sillylipsofthatchap。Betting。Regularhotbedofitlately。Messengerboysstealingtoputonsixpence。Raffleforlargetenderturkey。YourChristmasdinnerforthreepence。JackFlemingembezzlingtogamblethensmuggledofftoAmerica。Keepsahotelnow。Theynevercomeback。FleshpotsofEgypt。
Hewalkedcheerfullytowardsthemosqueofthebaths。Remindyouofamosque,redbakedbricks,theminarets。CollegesportstodayIsee。Heeyedthehorseshoeposteroverthegateofcollegepark:cyclistdoubleduplikeacodinapot。Damnbadad。Nowiftheyhadmadeitroundlikeawheel。Thenthespokes:sports,sports,sports:andthehubbig:college。Somethingtocatchtheeye。
There’sHornblowerstandingattheporter’slodge。Keephimonhands:mighttakeaturninthereonthenod。Howdoyoudo,MrHornblower?Howdoyoudo,sir?
Heavenlyweatherreally。Iflifewasalwayslikethat。Cricketweather。Sitaroundundersunshades。Overafterover。Out。Theycan’tplayithere。Duckforsixwickets。StillCaptainBullerbrokeawindowintheKildarestreetclubwithaslogtosquareleg。Donnybrookfairmoreintheirline。AndtheskullswewereacrackingwhenM’Carthytookthefloor。Heatwave。Won’tlast。Alwayspassing,thestreamoflife,whichinthestreamoflifewetraceisdearerthanthemall。
Enjoyabathnow:cleantroughofwater,coolenamel,thegentletepidstream。Thisismybody。
Heforesawhispalebodyreclinedinitatfull,naked,inawombofwarmth,oiledbyscentedmeltingsoap,softlylaved。Hesawhistrunkandlimbsriprippledoverandsustained,buoyedlightlyupward,lemonyellow:hisnavel,budofflesh:andsawthedarktangledcurlsofhisbushfloating,floatinghairofthestreamaroundthelimpfatherofthousands,alanguidfloatingflower。
Hades
MARTINCUNNINGHAM,FIRST,POKEDHISSILKHATTEDHEADINTOthecreakingcarriageand,enteringdeftly,seatedhimself。MrPowersteppedinafterhim,curvinghisheightwithcare——
Comeon,Simon——
Afteryou,MrBloomsaid。
MrDedaluscoveredhimselfquicklyandgotin,saying:——
Yes,yes——
Areweallherenow?MartinCunninghamasked。Comealong,Bloom。
MrBloomenteredandsatinthevacantplace。Hepulledthedoortoafterhimandslammedittighttillitshuttight。Hepassedanarmthroughthearmstrapandlookedseriouslyfromtheopencarriagewindowattheloweredblindsoftheavenue。Onedraggedaside:anoldwomanpeeping。Nosewhiteflattenedagainstthepane。Thankingherstarsshewaspassedover。Extraordinarytheinteresttheytakeinacorpse。Gladtoseeusgowegivethemsuchtroublecoming。Jobseemstosuitthem。Huggermuggerincorners。Slopaboutinslipper-slappersforfearhe’dwake。Thengettingitready。Layingitout。MollyandMrsFlemingmakingthebed。Pullitmoretoyourside。Ourwindingsheet。Neverknowwhowilltouchyoudead。Washandshampoo。Ibelievetheyclipthenailsandthehair。Keepabitinanenvelope。Growallthesameafter。Uncleanjob。
Allwaited。Nothingwassaid。Stowinginthewreathsprobably。Iamsittingonsomethinghard。Ah,thatsoapinmyhippocket。Bettershiftitoutofthat。Waitforanopportunity。
Allwaited。Thenwheelswereheardfrominfrontturning:thennearer:thenhorses’hoofs。Ajolt。Theircarriagebegantomove,creakingandswaying。Otherhoofsandcreakingwheelsstartedbehind。Theblindsoftheavenuepassedandnumberninewithitscrapedknocker,doorajar。Atwalkingpace。
Theywaitedstill,theirkneesjogging,tilltheyhadturnedandwerepassingalongthetramtracks。Tritonvilleroad。Quicker。Thewheelsrattledrollingoverthecobbledcausewayandthecrazyglassesshookrattlinginthedoorframes——
Whatwayishetakingus?MrPoweraskedthroughbothwindows——
Irishtown,MartinCunninghamsaid。Ringsend。Brunswickstreet。
MrDedalusnodded,lookingout——
That’safineoldcustom,hesaid。Iamgladtoseeithasnotdiedout。
Allwatchedawhilethroughtheirwindowscapsandhatsliftedbypassers。Respect。ThecarriageswervedfromthetramtracktothesmootherroadpastWaterylane。MrBloomatgazesawalitheyoungman,cladinmourning,awidehat——
There’safriendofyoursgoneby,Dedalus,hesaid——
Whoisthat?——
Yoursonandheir——
Whereishe?MrDedalussaid,stretchingoveracross。
Thecarriage,passingtheopendrainsandmoundsofrippeduproadwaybeforethetenementhouses,lurchedroundthecornerand,swervingbacktothetramtrack,rolledonnoisilywithchatteringwheels。MrDedalusfellback,saying:——
WasthatMulligancadwithhim?HisfidusAchates?——
No,MrBloomsaid。Hewasalone——
DownwithhisauntSally,Isuppose,MrDedalussaid,theGouldingfaction,thedrunkenlittlecost-drawerandCrissie,papa’slittlelumpofdung,thewisechildthatknowsherownfather。
MrBloomsmiledjoylesslyonRingsendroad。WallaceBrosthebottleworks。Dodderbridge。
RichieGouldingandthelegalbag。Goulding,CollisandWardhecallsthefirm。Hisjokesaregettingabitdamp。Greatcardhewas。WaltzinginStamerstreetwithIgnatiusGallaheronaSundaymorning,thelandlady’stwohatspinnedonhishead。Outontherampageallnight。Beginningtotellonhimnow:thatbackacheofhis,Ifear。Wifeironinghisback。Thinkshe’llcureitwithpills。Allbreadcrumbstheyare。Aboutsixhundredpercentprofit——
He’sinwithalowdowncrowd,MrDedalussnarled。ThatMulliganisacontaminatedbloodydoubledyedruffianbyallaccounts。HisnamestinksalloverDublin。ButwiththehelpofGodandHisblessedmotherI’Ilmakeitmybusinesstowritealetteroneofthosedaystohismotherorhisauntorwhateversheisthatwillopenhereyeaswideasagate。I`Ilticklehiscatastrophe,believeyoume。
Hecriedabovetheclatterofthewheels——
Iwon’thaveherbastardofanephewruinmyson。Acounter-jumper’sson。Sellingtapesinmycousin,PeterPaulM’Swiney’s。Notlikely。
Heceased。MrBloomglancedfromhisangrymoustachetoMrPower’smildfaceandMartinCunningham’seyesandbeard,gravelyshaking。Noisyselfwilledman。Fullofhisson。Heisright。Somethingtohandon。IflittleRudyhadlived。Seehimgrowup。Hearhisvoiceinthehouse。WalkingbesideMollyinanEtonsuit。Myson。Meinhiseyes。Strangefeelingitwouldbe。Fromme。Justachance。MusthavebeenthatmorninginRaymondterraceshewasatthewindow,watchingthetwodogsatitbythewalloftheceasetodoevil。Andthesergeantgrinningup。Shehadthatcreamgownonwiththeripsheneverstitched。Giveusatouch,Poldy。God,I’mdyingforit。Howlifebegins。
Gotbigthen。HadtorefusetheGreystonesconcert。Mysoninsideher。Icouldhavehelpedhimoninlife。Icould。Makehimindependent。LearnGermantoo——
Arewelate?MrPowerasked——
Tenminutes,MartinCunninghamsaid,lookingathiswatch
Molly。Milly。Samethingwatereddown。Hertomboyoaths。OjumpingJupiter!Yegodsandlittlefishes!Still,she’sadeargirl。Soonbeawoman。Mullingar。DearestPapli。Youngstudent。Yes,yes:awomantoo。Life。Life。
Thecarriageheeledoverandback,theirfourtrunksswaying——
Cornymighthavegivenusamorecommodiousyoke,MrPowersaid——
Hemight,MrDedalussaid,ifhehadn’tthatsquinttroublinghim。Doyoufollowme?
Heclosedhislefteye。MartinCunninghambegantobrushawaycrustcrumbsfromunderhisthighs——
Whatisthis,hesaid,inthenameofGod?Crumbs?——
Someoneseemstohavebeenmakingapicnicpartyherelately,MrPowersaid。
Allraisedtheirthighs,eyedwithdisfavourthemildewedbuttonlessleatheroftheseats。MrDedalus,twistinghisnose,frowneddownwardandsaid:——
UnlessI’mgreatlymistaken。Whatdoyouthink,Martin?——
Itstruckmetoo,MartinCunninghamsaid。
MrBloomsethisthighdown。GladItookthatbath。Feelmyfeetquiteclean。ButIwishMrsFleminghaddarnedthesesocksbetter。
MrDedalussighedresignedly——
Afterall,hesaid,it’sthemostnaturalthingintheworld——
DidTomKernanturnup?MartinCunninghamasked,twirlingthepeakofhisbeardgently——
Yes,MrBloomanswered。He’sbehindwithNedLambertandHynes——
AndCornyKelleherhimself?MrPowerasked——
Atthecemetery,MartinCunninghamsaid——
ImetM’Coythismorning,MrBloomsaid。Hesaidhe’dtrytocome。
Thecarriagehaltedshort——
What’swrong?——
We’restopped——
Wherearewe?
MrBloomputhisheadoutofthewindow——
Thegrandcanal,hesaid。
Gasworks。Whoopingcoughtheysayitcures。GoodjobMillynevergotit。Poorchildren!Doublesthemupblackandblueinconvulsions。Shamereally。Gotofflightlywithillnesscompared。Onlymeasles。Flaxseedtea。Scarlatina,influenzaepidemics。Canvassingfordeath。Don’tmissthischance。Dogs’homeoverthere。PooroldAthos!BegoodtoAthos,Leopold,ismylastwish。Thywillbedone。Weobeytheminthegrave。Adyingscrawl。Hetookittoheart,pinedaway。Quietbrute。Oldmen’sdogsusuallyare。
Araindropspatonhishat。Hedrewbackandsawaninstantofshowerspraydotsoverthegreyflags。Apart。Curious。Likethroughacolander。Ithoughtitwould。MybootswerecreakingIremembernow——
Theweatherischanging,hesaidquietly——
Apityitdidnotkeepupfine,MartinCunninghamsaid——
Wantedforthecountry,MrPowersaid。There’sthesunagaincomingout。
MrDedalus,peeringthroughhisglassestowardstheveiledsun,hurledamutecurseatthesky——
It’sasuncertainasachild’sbottom,hesaid——
We’reoffagain。
Thecarriageturnedagainitsstiffwheelsandtheirtrunksswayedgently。MartinCunninghamtwirledmorequicklythepeakofhisbeard——
TomKernanwasimmenselastnight,hesaid。AndPaddyLeonardtakinghimofftohisface——
Odrawhimout,Martin,MrPowersaideagerly。Waittillyouhearhim,Simon,onBenDollard’ssingingofTheCroppyBoy——
Immense,MartinCunninghamsaidpompously。Hissingingofthatsimpleballad,Martin,isthemosttrenchantrenderingIeverheardinthewholecourseofmyexperience——
Trenchant,MrPowersaidlaughing。He’sdeadnutsonthat。Andtheretrospectivearrangement——
DidyoureadDanDawson’sspeech?MartinCunninghamasked——
Ididnotthen,MrDedalussaid。Whereisit?——
Inthepaperthismorning。
MrBloomtookthepaperfromhisinsidepocket。ThatbookImustchangeforher——
No,no,MrDedalussaidquickly。Lateron,please。
MrBloom’sglancetravelleddowntheedgeofthepaper,scanningthedeaths。Callan,Coleman,Dignam,Fawcett,Lowry,Naumann,Peake,whatPeakeisthat?isitthechapwasinCrosbieandAlleyne’s?no,Sexton,Urbright。Inkedcharactersfastfadingonthefrayedbreakingpaper。ThankstotheLittleFlower。Sadlymissed。Totheinexpressiblegriefofhis。Aged88afteralongandtediousillness。Month’smind。Quinlan。OnwhosesoulSweetJesushavemercy。
ItisnowamonthsincedearHenryfled
Tohishomeupaboveinthesky
Whilehisfamilyweepsandmournshisloss
Hopingsomedaytomeethimonhigh。
Itoreuptheenvelope?Yes。WheredidIputherletterafterIreaditinthebath?Hepattedhiswaistcoatpocket。Thereallright。DearHenryfled。Beforemypatienceareexhausted。
Nationalschool。Meade’syard。Thehazard。Onlytwotherenow。Nodding。Fullasatick。Toomuchboneintheirskulls。Theothertrottingroundwithafare。AnhouragoIwaspassingthere。Thejarviesraisedtheirhats。
Apointsman’sbackstraighteneditselfuprightsuddenlyagainstatramwaystandardbyMrBloom’swindow。Couldn’ttheyinventsomethingautomaticsothatthewheelitselfmuchhandler?Wellbutthatfellowwouldlosehisjobthen?Wellbutthenanotherfellowwouldgetajobmakingthenewinvention?
Antientconcertrooms。Nothingonthere。Amaninabuffsuitwithacrapearmlet。Notmuchgriefthere。Quartermourning。Peopleinlaw,perhaps。
TheywentpastthebleakpulpitofSaintMark’s,undertherailwaybridge,pasttheQueen’stheatre:insilence。Hoardings。EugeneStratton。MrsBandmanPalmer。CouldIgotoseeLeahtonight,Iwonder。IsaidI。OrtheLilyofKillarney?ElsterGrimesOperacompany。Bigpowerfulchange。Wetbrightbillsfornextweek。FunontheBristol。MartinCunninghamcouldworkapassfortheGaiety。Havetostandadrinkortwo。Asbroadasit’slong。
He’scomingintheafternoon。Hersongs。
Plasto’s。SirPhilipCrampton’smemorialfountainbust。Whowashe?——
Howdoyoudo?MartinCunninghamsaid,raisinghispalmtohisbrowinsalute——
Hedoesn’tseeus,MrPowersaid。Yes,hedoes。Howdoyoudo?——
Who?MrDedalusasked——
BlazesBoylan,MrPowersaid。Thereheisairinghisquiff。
JustthatmomentIwasthinking。
MrDedalusbentacrosstosalute。FromthedooroftheRedBankthewhitediscofastrawhatflashedreply:passed。
MrBloomreviewedthenailsofhislefthand,thenthoseofhisrighthand。Thenails,yes。Isthereanythingmoreinhimthattheyshesees?Fascination。WorstmaninDublin。Thatkeepshimalive。TheysometimesfeelwhatapersonIs。Instinct。Butatypelikethat。Mynails。Iamjustlookingatthem:wellpared。Andafter:thinkingalone。Bodygettingabitsofty。Iwouldnoticethatfromremembering。WhatcausesthatIsupposetheskincan’tcontractquicklyenoughwhenthefleshfallsoff。Buttheshapeisthere。Theshapeistherestill。Shoulders。Hips。Plump。Nightofthedancedressing。Shiftstuckbetweenthecheeksbehind。
Heclaspedhishandsbetweenhiskneesand,satisfied,senthisvacantglanceovertheirfaces。
MrPowerasked:——
Howistheconcerttourgettingon,Bloom?——
Overywell,MrBloomsaid。Iheargreataccountsofit。It’sagoodidea,yousee——
Areyougoingyourself?——
Wellno,MrBloomsaid。InpointoffactIhavetogodowntothecountyClareonsomeprivatebusiness。Youseetheideaistotourthechieftowns。Whatyouloseononeyoucanmakeupontheother——
Quiteso,MartinCunninghamsaid。MaryAndersonisuptherenow——
Haveyougoodartists?——
LouisWerneristouringher,MrBloomsaid。Oyes,we’llhavealltopnobbers。J。C。DoyleandJohnMacCormackIhopeand。Thebest,infact——
AndMadame,MrPowersaid,smiling。butnotleast。
MrBloomunclaspedhishandsinagestureofsoftpolitenessandclaspedthem。SmithO’Brien。Someonehaslaidabunchofflowersthere。Woman。Mustbehisdeathday。Formanyhappyreturns。ThecarriagewheelingbyFarrell’sstatueunitednoiselesslytheirunresistingknees。
Oot:adullgarbedoldmanfromthecurbstonetenderedhiswares,hismouthopening:oot——
Fourbootlacesforapenny。
Wonderwhyhewasstruckofftherolls。HadhisofficeinHumestreet。SamehouseasMolly’snamesake。Tweedy,crownsolicitorforWaterford。Hasthatsilkhateversince。Relicsofolddecency。Mourningtoo。Terriblecomedown,poorwretch!kickedaboutlikesnuffatawake。O’Callaghanonhislastlegs。
AndMadame。Twentypasteleven。Up。MrsFlemingisintoclean。Doingherhair,humming:voglioenonvorrei。No:vorreienon。Lookingatthetipsofherhairstoseeiftheyaresplit。Mitremaunpocoil。Beautifulonthattrehervoiceis:weepingtone。Athrust。Athrostle。Thereisawordthrostlethatexpressedthat。
HiseyespassedlightlyoverMrPower’sgoodlookingface。Greyishovertheears。Madame:smiling。Ismiledback。Asmiledoesalongway。Onlypolitenessperhaps。Nicefellow。Whoknowsisthattrueaboutthewomanhekeeps?Notpleasantforthewife。Yettheysay,whowasittoldme,thereisnocarnal。Youwouldimaginethatwouldgetplayedoutprettyquick。Yes,itwasCroftonmethimoneeveningbringingherapoundofrumpsteak。Whatisthisshewas?BarmaidinJury’s。OrtheMoira,wasit?
TheypassedunderthehugecloakedLiberator’sform。
MartinCunninghamnudgedMrPower——
OfthetribeofReuben,hesaid。
Atallblackbeardedfigure,bentonastick,stumpingroundthecornerofElvery’selephanthouseshowedthemacurvedhandopenonhisspine——
Inallhispristinebeauty,MrPowersaid。
MrDedaluslookedafterthestumpingfigureandsaidmildly:——
Thedevilbreakthehaspofyourback!
MrPower,collapsinginlaughter,shadedhisfacefromthewindowasthecarriagepassedGray’sstatue——
Wehaveallbeenthere,MartinCunninghamsaidbroadly。
HiseyesmetMrBloom’seyes。Hecaressedhisbeard,adding:——
Well,nearlyallofus。
MrBloombegantospeakwithsuddeneagernesstohiscompanions’faces——That’sanawfullygoodonethat’sgoingtheroundsaboutReubenJ。andtheson——
Abouttheboatman?MrPowerasked——
Yes。Isn’titawfullygood?——
Whatisthat?MrDedalusasked。Ididn’thearit——
Therewasagirlinthecase,MrBloombegan,andhedeterminedtosendhimtotheisleofManoutofharm’swaybutwhentheywereboth——
What?MrDedalusasked。Thatconfirmedbloodyhobbledehoyisit?——
Yes,MrBloomsaid。Theywerebothonthewaytotheboatandhetriedtodrown——
DrownBarabbas!MrDedaluscried。IwishtoChristhedid!
MrPowersentalonglaughdownhisshadednostrils——
No,MrBloomsaidthesonhimself……
MartinCunninghamthwartedhisspeechrudely——
ReubenJ。andthesonwerepikingitdownthequaynexttheriverontheirwaytotheisleofManboatandtheyoungchisellersuddenlygotlooseandoverthewallwithhimintotheLiffey——
ForGod’ssake!MrDedalusexclaimedinfright。Ishedead?——
Dead!MartinCunninghamcried。Nothe!Aboatmangotapoleandfishedhimoutbytheslackofthebreechesandhewaslandeduptothefatheronthequay。Moredeadthanalive。Halfthetownwasthere——
Yes,MrBloomsaid。Butthefunnypartis——
AndReubenJ。,MartinCunninghamsaid,gavetheboatmanaflorinforsavinghisson’slife。
AstifledsighcamefromunderMrPower’shand——
O,hedid,MartinCunninghamaffirmed。Likeahero。Asilverflorin——
Isn’titawfullygood?MrBloomsaideagerly——
Oneandeightpencetoomuch,MrDedalussaiddrily。MrPower’schokedlaughburstquietlyinthecarriage。Nelson’spillar——
Eightplumsapenny!Eightforapenny!——
Wehadbetterlookalittleserious,MartinCunninghamsaid。
MrDedalussighed——
Andthenindeed,hesaid,poorlittlePaddywouldn’tgrudgeusalaugh。Manyagoodonehetoldhimself——
TheLordforgiveme!MrPowersaid,wipinghisweteyeswithhisfingers。PoorPaddy!IlittlethoughtaweekagowhenIsawhimlastandhewasinhisusualhealththatI’dbedrivingafterhimlikethis。He’sgonefromus——
Asdecentalittlemanaseverworeahat,MrDedalussaid。Hewentverysuddenly——
Breakdown,MartinCunninghamsaid。Heart。
Hetappedhischestsadly。
Blazingface:redhot。ToomuchJohnBarleycorn。Cureforarednose。Drinklikethedeviltillitturnsadelite。Alotofmoneyhespentcolouringit。
MrPowergazedatthepassinghouseswithruefulapprehension——
Hehadasuddendeath,poorfellow,hesaid——
Thebestdeath,MrBloomsaid。
Theirwideopeneyeslookedathim——
Nosuffering,hesaid。Amomentandallisover。Likedyinginsleep。
No-onespoke。
Deadsideofthestreetthis。Dullbusinessbyday,landagents,temperancehotel,Falconer’srailwayguide,civilservicecollege,Gill’s,catholicclub,theindustriousblind。Why?Somereason。Sunorwind。Atnighttoo。Chummiesandslaveys。UnderthepatronageofthelateFatherMathew。FoundationstoneforParnell。Breakdown。Heart。
WhitehorseswithwhitefrontletplumescameroundtheRotundacorner,galloping。Atinycoffinflashedby。Inahurrytobury。Amourningcoach。Unmarried。Blackforthemarried。Piebaldforbachelors。Dunforanun——
Sad,MartinCunninghamsaid。Achild。
Adwarf’sfacemauveandwrinkledlikelittleRudy’swas。Dwarf’sbody,weakasputty,inawhitelineddealbox。Burialfriendlysocietypays。Pennyaweekforasodofturf。Our。Little。Beggar。Baby。Meantnothing。Mistakeofnature。Ifit’shealthyit’sfromthemother。Ifnottheman。Betterlucknexttime——
Poorlittlething,MrDedalussaid。It’swelloutofit。
ThecarriageclimbedmoreslowlythehillofRutlandsquare。Rattlehisbones。Overthestones。Onlyapauper。Nobodyowns——
Inthemidstoflife,MartinCunninghamsaid——
Buttheworstofall,MrPowersaid,isthemanwhotakeshisownlife。
MartinCunninghamdrewouthiswatchbriskly,coughedandputitback——
Thegreatestdisgracetohaveinthefamily,MrPoweradded——
Temporaryinsanity,ofcourse,MartinCunninghamsaiddecisively。Wemusttakeacharitableviewofit——
Theysayamanwhodoesitisacoward,MrDedalussaid——
Itisnotforustojudge,MartinCunninghamsaid。
MrBloom,abouttospeak,closedhislipsagain。MartinCunningham’slargeeyes。Lookingawaynow。Sympathetichumanmanheis。Intelligent。LikeShakespeare’sface。Alwaysagoodwordtosay。Theyhavenomercyonthathereorinfanticide。Refusechristianburial。Theyusedtodriveastakeofwoodthroughhisheartinthegrave。Asifitwasn’tbrokenalready。Yetsometimestheyrepenttoolate。Foundintheriverbedclutchingrushes。Helookedatme。Andthatawfuldrunkardofawifeofhis。SettinguphouseforhertimeaftertimeandthenpawningthefurnitureonhimeverySaturdayalmost。Leadinghimthelifeofthedamned。Weartheheartoutofastone,that。Mondaymorningstartafresh。Shouldertothewheel。Lord,shemusthavelookedasightthatnight,Dedalustoldmehewasinthere。DrunkabouttheplaceandcaperingwithMartin’sumbrella:
AndtheycallmethejewelofAsia,
OfAsia,
Thegeisha。
Helookedawayfromme。Heknows。Rattlehisbones。
Thatafternoonoftheinquest。Theredlabelledbottleonthetable。Theroominthehotelwithhuntingpictures。Stuffyitwas。SunlightthroughtheslatsoftheVenetianblinds。Thecoroner’sears,bigandhairy。Bootsgivingevidence。Thoughthewasasleepfirst。Thensawlikeyellowstreaksonhisface。Hadslippeddowntothefootofthebed。Verdict:overdose。Deathbymisadventure。Theletter。FormysonLeopold。
Nomorepain。Wakenomore。Nobodyowns。
ThecarriagerattledswiftlyalongBlessingtonstreet。Overthestones——
Wearegoingthepace,Ithink,MartinCunninghamsaid——
Godgranthedoesn’tupsetusontheroad,MrPowersaid——
Ihopenot,MartinCunninghamsaid。ThatwillbeagreatracetomorrowinGermany。TheGordonBennett——
Yes,byJove,MrDedalussaid。Thatwillbeworthseeing,faith。
AstheyturnedintoBerkeleystreetastreetorganneartheBasinsentoverandafterthemarollickingrattlingsongofthehalls。HasanybodyhereseenKelly?Kayeedoubleellwy。DeadmarchfromSaul。He’sasbadasoldAntonio。Heleftmeonmyownio。Pirouette!TheMaterMisericordiae。Ecclesstreet。Myhousedownthere。Bigplace。Wardforincurablesthere。Veryencouraging。OurLady’sHospiceforthedying。Deadhousehandyunderneath。WhereoldMrsRiordandied。Theylookterriblethewomen。Herfeedingcupandrubbinghermouthwiththespoon。Thenthescreenroundherbedforhertodie。Niceyoungstudentthatwasdressedthatbitethebeegaveme。He’sgoneovertothelying-inhospitaltheytoldme。Fromoneextremetotheother。
Thecarriagegallopedroundacorner:stopped——
What’swrongnow?
Adivideddroveofbrandedcattlepassedthewindows,lowing,slouchingbyonpaddedhoofs,whiskingtheirtailsslowlyontheirclottedbonycroups。Outsidethemandthroughthemranraddledsheepbleatingtheirfear——
Emigrants,MrPowersaid——
Huuuh!thedrover’svoicecried,hisswitchsoundingontheirflanks。Huuuh!Outofthat!
Thursdayofcourse。Tomorrowiskillingday。Springers。Cuffesoldthemabouttwentysevenquideach。ForLiverpoolprobably。RoastbeefforoldEngland。Theybuyupallthejuicyones。Andthenthefifthquarterislost:allthatrawstuff,hide,hair,horns。Comestoabigthinginayear。Deadmeattrade。Byproductsoftheslaughterhousesfortanneries,soap,margarine。WonderifthatdodgeworksnowgettingdickymeatoffthetrainatClonsilla。
Thecarriagemovedonthroughthedrove——
Ican’tmakeoutwhythecorporationdoesn’trunatramlinefromtheparkgatetothequays,MrBloomsaid。Allthoseanimalscouldbetakenintrucksdowntotheboats——
Insteadofblockingupthethoroughfare,MartinCunninghamsaid。Quiteright。Theyoughtto——
Yes,MrBloomsaid,andanotherthingIoftenthoughtistohavemunicipalfuneraltramsliketheyhaveinMilan,youknow。Runthelineouttothecemeterygatesandhavespecialtrams,hearseandcarriageandall。Don’tyouseewhatImean?——
Othatbedamnedforastory,MrDedalussaid。Pullmancarandsaloondiningroom——
ApoorlookoutforCorny,MrPoweradded——
Why?MrBloomasked,turningtoMrDedalus。Wouldn’titbemoredecentthangallopingtwoabreast?——
Well,there’ssomethinginthat,MrDedalusgranted——
And,MartinCunninghamsaid,wewouldn’thavesceneslikethatwhenthehearsecapsizedroundDunphy’sandupsetthecoffinontotheroad——
Thatwasterrible,MrPower’sshockedfacesaid,andthecorpsefellabouttheroad。Terrible!——
FirstroundDunphy’s,MrDedalusaid,nodding。GordonBennettcup——
PraisesbetoGod!MartinCunninghamsaidpiously。
Bom!Upset。Acoffinbumpedoutontotheroad。Burstopen。PaddyDignamshotoutandrollingoverstiffinthedustinabrownhabittoolargeforhim。Redface:greynow。Mouthfallenopen。Askingwhat’supnow。Quiterighttocloseit。Lookshorridopen。Thentheinsidesdecomposequickly。Muchbettertocloseupalltheorifices。Yes,also。Withwax。Thesphincterloose。Sealupall——
Dunphy’s,MrPowerannouncedasthecarriageturnedright。
Dunphy’scorner。Mourningcoachesdrawnupdrowningtheirgrief。Apausebythewayside。Tiptoppositionforapub。Expectwe’llpulluphereonthewaybacktodrinkhishealth。Passroundtheconsolation。Elixiroflife。
Butsupposenowitdidhappen。Wouldhebleedifanailsaycuthimintheknockingabout?Hewouldandhewouldn’t,Isuppose。Dependsonwhere。Thecirculationstops。Stillsomemightoozeoutofanartery。Itwouldbebettertoburytheminred:adarkred。
InsilencetheydrovealongPhibsboroughroad。Anemptyhearsetrottedby,comingfromthecemetery:looksrelieved。
Crossgunsbridge:theroyalcanal。
Waterrushedroaringthroughthesluices。Amanstoodonhisdroppingbargebetweenclampsofturf。Onthetowpathbythelockaslacktetheredhorse。AboardoftheBugabu。
Theireyeswatchedhim。OntheslowweedywaterwayhehadfloatedonhisraftcoastwardoverIrelanddrawnbyahaulageropepastbedsofreeds,overslime,mud-chokedbottles,carriondogs。Athlone,Mullingar,Moyvalley,IcouldmakeawalkingtourtoseeMillybythecanal。Orcycledown。Hiresomeoldcrock,safety。Wrenhadonetheotherdayattheauctionbutalady’s。Developingwaterways。JamesM’Cann’shobbytorowmeo’ertheferry。Cheapertransit。Byeasystages。Houseboats。Campingout。Alsohearses。Toheavenbywater。PerhapsIwillwithoutwriting。Comeasasurprise,Leixlip,Clonsilla。Droppingdown,lockbylocktoDublin。Withturffromthemidlandbogs。Salute。Heliftedhisbrownstrawhat,salutingPaddyDignam。
TheydroveonpastBrianBoroimhehouse。Nearitnow——
IwonderhowisourfriendFogartygettingon,MrPowersaid——
BetteraskTomKernan,MrDedalussaid——
Howisthat?MartinCunninghamsaid。LefthimweepingIsuppose——
Thoughlosttosight,MrDedalussaid,tomemorydear。
ThecarriagesteeredleftforFinglasroad。
Thestonecutter’syardontheright。lap。Crowdedonthespitoflandsilentshapesappeared,white,sorrowful,holdingoutcalmhands,kneltingrief,pointing。Fragmentsofshapes,hewn。Inwhitesilence:appealing。Thebestobtainable。Thos。H。Dennany,monumentalbuilderandsculptor。
Passed。
OnthecurbstonebeforeJimmyGearythesexton’sanoldtrampsat,grumbling,emptyingthedirtandstonesoutofhishugedustbrownyawningboot。Afterlife’sjourney。
Gloomygardensthenwentby,onebyone:gloomyhouses。
MrPowerpointed——
ThatiswhereChildswasmurdered,hesaid。Thelasthouse——
Soitis,MrDedalussaid。Agruesomecase。SeymourBushegothimoff。Murderedhisbrother。Orsotheysaid——
Thecrownhadnoevidence,MrPowersaid——
Onlycircumstantial,MartinCunninghamsaid。That’sthemaximofthelaw。Betterforninetynineguiltytoescapethanforoneinnocentpersontobewrongfullycondemned。
Theylooked。Murderer’sground。Itpasseddarkly。Shuttered,tenantless,unweededgarden。Wholeplacegonetohell。Wrongfullycondemned。Murder。Themurderer’simageintheeyeofthemurdered。Theylovereadingaboutit。Man’sheadfoundinagarden。Herclothingconsistedof。Howshemetherdeath。Recentoutrage。Theweaponused。Murdererisstillatlarge。Clues。Ashoelace。Thebodytobeexhumed。Murderwillout。
Crampedinthiscarriage。Shemightn’tlikemetocomethatwaywithoutlettingherknow。Mustbecarefulaboutwomen。Catchthemoncewiththeirpantsdown。Neverforgiveyouafter。Fifteen。
ThehighrailingsofProspectsrippledpasttheirgaze。Darkpoplars,rarewhiteforms。Formsmorefrequent,whiteshapesthrongedamidthetrees,whiteformsandfragmentsstreamingbymutely,sustainingvaingesturesontheair。
Thefellyharshedagainstthecurbstone:stopped。MartinCunninghamputouthisarmand,wrenchingbackthehandle,shovedthedooropenwithhisknee。Hesteppedout。MrPowerandMrDedalusfollowed。
Changethatsoapnow。MrBloom’shandunbuttonedhishippocketswiftlyandtransferredthepaperstucksoaptohisinnerhandkerchiefpocket。Hesteppedoutofthecarriage,replacingthenewspaperhisotherhandstillheld。
Paltryfuneral:coachandthreecarriages。It’sallthesame。Pallbearers,goldreins,requiemmass,firingavolley。Pompofdeath。Beyondthehindcarriageahawkerstoodbyhisbarrowofcakesandfruit。Simnelcakesthoseare,stucktogether:cakesforthedead。Dogbiscuits。Whoatethem?Mournerscomingout。
Hefollowedhiscompanions。MrKernanandNedLambertfollowed,Hyneswalkingafterthem。CornyKelleherstoodbytheopenedhearseandtookoutthetwowreaths。Hehandedonetotheboy。
Whereisthatchild’sfuneraldisappearedto?
AteamofhorsespassedfromFinglaswithtoilingploddingtread,draggingthroughthefunerealsilenceacreakingwaggononwhichlayagraniteblock。Thewaggonermarchingattheirheadsaluted。
Coffinnow。Gotherebeforeus,deadasheis。Horselookingroundatitwithhisplumeskeowways。Dulleye:collartightonhisneck,pressingonabloodvesselorsomething。Dotheyknowwhattheycartouthereeveryday?Mustbetwentyorthirtyfuneralseveryday。ThenMountJeromefortheprotestants。Funeralsallovertheworldeverywhereeveryminute。Shovellingthemunderbythecartloaddoublequick。Thousandseveryhour。Toomanyintheworld。
Mournerscameoutthroughthegates:womanandagirl。Leanjawedharpy,hardwomanatabargain,herbonnetawry。Girl’sfacestainedwithdirtandtears,holdingthewoman’sarmlookingupatherforasigntocry。Fish’sface,bloodlessandlivid。
Themutesshoulderedthecoffinandboreitinthroughthegates。Somuchdeadweight。Feltheaviermyselfsteppingoutofthatbath。Firstthestiff:thenthefriendsofthestiff。CornyKelleherandtheboyfollowedwiththeirwreaths。Whoisthatbesidethem?Ah,thebrother-in-law。
Allwalkedafter。
MartinCunninghamwhispered:——
IwasinmortalagonywithyoutalkingofsuicidebeforeBloom——
What?MrPowerwhispered。Howso?——
Hisfatherpoisonedhimself,MartinCunninghamwhispered。HadtheQueen’shotelinEnnis。YouheardhimsayhewasgoingtoClare。Anniversary——
OGod!MrPowerwhispered。FirstIheardofit。Poisonedhimself!
Heglancedbehindhimtowhereafacewithdarkthinkingeyesfollowedtowardsthecardinal’smausoleum。Speaking——
Washeinsured?MrBloomasked——
Ibelieveso,MrKernananswered,butthepolicywasheavilymortgaged。MartinistryingtogettheyoungsterintoArtane——
Howmanychildrendidheleave?——
Five。NedLambertsayshe’lltrytogetoneofthegirlsintoTodd’s——
Asadcase,MrBloomsaidgently。Fiveyoungchildren——
Agreatblowtothepoorwife,MrKernanadded——
Indeedyes,MrBloomagreed。
Hasthelaughathimnow。
Helookeddownatthebootshehadblackedandpolished。Shehadoutlivedhim,lostherhusband。Moredeadforherthanforme。Onemustoutlivetheother。Wisemensay。Therearemorewomenthanmenintheworld。Condolewithher。Yourterribleloss。Ihopeyou’llsoonfollowhim。ForHinduwidowsonly。Shewouldmarryanother。Him?No。Yetwhoknowsafter?Widowhoodnotthethingsincetheoldqueendied。Drawnonaguncarriage。VictoriaandAlbert。Frogmorememorialmourning。Butintheendsheputafewvioletsinherbonnet。Vaininherheartofhearts。Allforashadow。Consortnotevenaking。Hersonwasthesubstance。Somethingnewtohopefornotlikethepastshewantedback,waiting。Itnevercomes。Onemustgofirst:aloneundertheground:andlienomoreinherwarmbed——
Howareyou,Simon?NedLambertsaidsoftly,claspinghands。Haven’tseenyouforamonthofSundays——
Neverbetter。HowareallinCork’sowntown?——
IwasdowntherefortheCorkparkracesonEasterMonday,NedLambertsaid。Sameoldsixandeightpence。StoppedwithDickTivy——
AndhowisDick,thesolidman?——
Nothingbetweenhimselfandheaven,NedLambertanswered——
BytheholyPaul!MrDedalussaidinsubduedwonder。DickTivybald?——
Martinisgoingtogetupawhipfortheyoungsters,NedLambertsaid,pointingahead。Afewbobaskull。Justtokeepthemgoingtilltheinsuranceisclearedup——
Yes,yes,MrDedalussaiddubiously。Isthattheeldestboyinfront?——
Yes,NedLambertsaid,withthewife’sbrother。JohnHenryMentonisbehind。Heputdownhisnameforaquid——
I’llengagehedid,MrDedalussaid。IoftentoldpoorPaddyheoughttomindthatjob。JohnHenryisnottheworstintheworld——
Howdidheloseit?NedLambertasked。Liquor,what?——
Manyagoodman’sfault,MrDedalussaidwithasigh。
Theyhaltedaboutthedoorofthemortuarychapel。MrBloomstoodbehindtheboywiththewreath,lookingdownathissleekcombedhairandtheslenderfurrowedneckinsidehisbrandnewcollar。Poorboy!Washetherewhenthefather?Bothunconscious。Lightenupatthelastmomentandrecogniseforthelasttime。Allhemighthavedone。IowethreeshillingstoO’Grady。Wouldheunderstand?Themutesborethecoffinintothechapel。Whichendishishead。
Afteramomenthefollowedtheothersin,blinkinginthescreenedlight。Thecoffinlayonitsbierbeforethechancel,fourtallyellowcandlesatitscorners。Alwaysinfrontofus。CornyKelleher,layingawreathateachforecorner,beckonedtotheboytokneel。Themournersknelthereandthereinprayingdesks。MrBloomstoodbehindnearthefontand,whenallhadkneltdroppedcarefullyhisunfoldednewspaperfromhispocketandknelthisrightkneeuponit。Hefittedhisblackhatgentlyonhisleftkneeand,holdingitsbrim,bentoverpiously。
Aserver,bearingabrassbucketwithsomethinginit,cameoutthroughadoor。Thewhitesmockedpriestcameafterhimtidyinghisstolewithonehand,balancingwiththeotheralittlebookagainsthistoad’sbelly。Who’llreadthebook?I,saidtherook。
Theyhaltedbythebierandthepriestbegantoreadoutofhisbookwithafluentcroak。
FatherCoffey。Iknewhisnamewaslikeacoffin。Dominenamine。Bullyaboutthemuzzlehelooks。Bossestheshow。Muscularchristian。Woebetideanyonethatlookscrookedathim:priest。ThouartPeter。BurstsidewayslikeasheepincloverDedalussayshewill。Withabellyonhimlikeapoisonedpup。Mostamusingexpressionsthatmanfinds。Hhhn:burstsideways——
Nonintresinjudiciumcumservotuo,Domine。
MakesthemfeelmoreimportanttobeprayedoverinLatin。Requiemmass。Crapeweepers。Blackedgednotepaper。Yournameonthealtarlist。Chillyplacethis。Wanttofeedwell,sittinginthereallthemorninginthegloomkickinghisheelswaitingforthenextplease。Eyesofatoadtoo。Whatswellshimupthatway?Mollygetsswelledaftercabbage。Airoftheplacemaybe。Looksfullupofbadgas。Mustbeaninfernallotofbaagasroundtheplace。Butchersforinstance:theygetlikerawbeefsteaks。Whowastellingme?MervynBrown。DowninthevaultsofsaintWerburgh’slovelyoldorganhundredandfiftytheyhavetoboreaholeinthecoffinssometimestoletoutthebadgasandburnit。Outitrushes:blue。Onewhiffofthatandyou’reagoner。
Mykneecapishurtingme。Ow。That’sbetter。
Thepriesttookastickwithaknobattheendofitoutoftheboy’sbucketandshookitoverthecoffin。Thenhewalkedtotheotherendandshookitagain。Thenhecamebackandputitbackinthebucket。Asyouwerebeforeyourested。It’sallwrittendown:hehastodoit——
Etnenosinducasintentationem。
Theserverpipedtheanswersinthetreble。Ioftenthoughtitwouldbebettertohaveboyservants。Uptofifteenorso。Afterthatofcourse。
Holywaterthatwas,Iexpect。Shakingsleepoutofit。Hemustbefedupwiththatjob,shakingthatthingoverallthecorpsestheytrotup。Whatharmifhecouldseewhathewasshakingitover。Everymortaldayafreshbatch:middleagedmen,oldwomen,children,womendeadinchildbirth,menwithbeards,baldheadedbusinessmen,consumptivegirlswithlittlesparrow’sbreasts。Alltheyearroundheprayedthesamethingoverthemalladshookwaterontopofthem:sleep。OnDignamnow——
Inparadisum。
Saidhewasgoingtoparadiseorisinparadise。Saysthatovereverybody。Tiresomekindofajob。Buthehastosaysomething。
Thepriestclosedhisbookandwentoff,followedbytheserver。CornyKelleheropenedthesidedoorsandthegravediggerscamein,hoistedthecoffinagain,carrieditoutandshoveditontheircart。CornyKellehergaveonewreathtotheboyandonetothebrother-in-law。Allfollowedthemoutofthesidedoorsintothemildgreyair。MrBloomcamelast,foldinghispaperagainintohispocket。Hegazedgravelyatthegroundtillthecoffincartwheeledofftotheleft。Themetalwheelsgroundthegravelwithasharpgratingcryandthepackofbluntbootsfollowedthebarrowalongalaneofsepulchres。
ThereetheratheFeetheratheroo。Lord,Imustn’tlilthere——
TheO’Connellcircle,MrDedalussaidabouthim。
MrPower’ssofteyeswentuptotheapexoftheloftycone——
He’satrest,hesaid,inthemiddleofhispeople,oldDanO’。ButhisheartisburiedinRome。Howmanybrokenheartsareburiedhere,Simon!——
Hergraveisoverthere,Jack,MrDedalussaid。I’Ilsoonbestretchedbesideher。LetHimtakemewheneverHelikes。
Breakingdown,hebegantoweeptohimselfquietly,stumblingalittleinhiswalk。MrPowertookhisarm——
She’sbetterwheresheis,hesaidkindly——
Isupposeso,MrDedalussaidwithaweakgasp。Isupposesheisinheavenifthereisaheaven。
CornyKellehersteppedasidefromhisrankandallowedthemournerstoplodby——
Sadoccasions,MrKernanbeganpolitely。
MrBloomclosedhiseyesandsadlytwicebowedhishead——
Theothersareputtingontheirhats,MrKernansaid。Isupposewecandosotoo。Wearethelast。Thiscemeteryisatreacherousplace。
Theycoveredtheirheads——
Thereverendgentlemanreadtheservicetooquickly,don’tyouthink?MrKernansaidwithreproof。
MrBloomnoddedgravely,lookinginthequickbloodshoteyes。Secreteyes,secretsearchingeyes。Mason,Ithink:notsure。Besidehimagain。Wearethelast。Inthesameboat。Hopehe’llsaysomethingelse。
MrKernanadded:——
TheserviceoftheIrishchurch,usedinMountJerome,issimpler,moreimpressive,Imustsay。
MrBloomgaveprudentassent。Thelanguageofcoursewasanotherthing。
MrKernansaidwithsolemnity:——
Iamtheresurrectionandthelife。Thattouchesaman’sinmostheart——
Itdoes,MrBloomsaid。
Yourheartperhapsbutwhatpricethefellowinthesixfeetbytwowithhistoestothedaisies?Notouchingthat。Seatoftheaffections。Brokenheart。Apumpafterall,pumpingthousandsofgallonsofbloodeveryday。Onefinedayitgetsbungedupandthereyouare。Lotsofthemlyingaroundhere:lungs,hearts,livers。Oldrustypumps:damnthethingelse。Theresurrectionandthelife。Onceyouaredeadyouaredead。Thatlastdayidea。Knockingthemallupoutoftheirgraves。Comeforth,Lazarus!Andhecamefifthandlostthejob。Getup!day!Theneveryfellowmousingaroundforhisliverandhislightsandtherestofhistraps。Finddamnallofhimselfthatmorning。Pennyweightofpowderinaskull。Twelvegrammesonepennyweight。Troymeasure。
CornyKelleherfellintostepattheirside——
EverythingwentoffA1,hesaid。What?
Helookedonthemfromhisdrawlingeye。Policeman’sshoulders。Withyourtooraloomtooraloom——
Asitshouldbe,MrKernansaid——
What?Eh?CornyKellehersaid。
MrKernanassuredhim——
WhoisthatchapbehindwithTomKernan?JohnHenryMentonasked。Iknowhisface。
NedLambertglancedback——
Bloom,hesaid,MadamMarionTweedythatwas,is,Imean,thesoprano。She’shiswife——
O,tobesure,JohnHenryMentonsaid。Ihaven’tseenherforsometime。Shewasafinelookingwoman。Idancedwithher,wait,fifteenseventeengoldenyearsago,atMatDillon’s,inRoundtown。Andagoodarmfulshewas。
Helookedbehindthroughtheothers——
Whatishe?heasked。Whatdoeshedo?Wasn’theinthestationeryline?Ifellfoulofhimoneevening,Iremember,atbowls。
NedLambertsmiled——
Yes,hewas,hesaid,inWisdomHely’s。Atravellerforblottingpaper——
InGod’sname,JohnHenryMentonsaid,whatdidshemarryacoonlikethatfor?Shehadplentyofgameinherthen——
Hasstill,NedLambertsaid。Hedoessomecanvassingforads。
JohnHenryMenton’slargeeyesstaredahead。
Thebarrowturnedintoasidelane。Aportlyman,ambushedamongthegrasses,raisedhishatinhomage。Thegravediggerstouchedtheircaps——
JohnO’Connell,MrPowersaid,pleased。Heneverforgetsafriend。
MrO’Connellshookalltheirhandsinsilence。MrDedalussaid:——
Iamcometopayyouanothervisit——
MydearSimon,thecaretakeransweredinalowvoice。Idon’twantyourcustomatall。
SalutingNedLambertandJohnHenryMentonhewalkedonatMartinCunningham’sside,puzzlingtwokeysathisback——
Didyouhearthatone,heaskedthem,aboutMulcahyfromtheCoombe?——
Ididnot,MartinCunninghamsaid。
TheybenttheirsilkhatsinconcertandHynesinclinedhisear。Thecaretakerhunghisthumbsintheloopsofhisgoldwatchchainandspokeinadiscreettonetotheirvacantsmiles——
Theytellthestory,hesaid,thattwodrunkscameouthereonefoggyeveningtolookforthegraveofafriendoftheirs。TheyaskedforMulcahyfromtheCoombeandweretoldwherehewasburied。Aftertraipsingaboutinthefogtheyfoundthegrave,sureenough。Oneofthedrunksspeltoutthename:TerenceMulcahy。TheotherdrunkwasblinkingupatastatueofourSaviourthewidowhadgotputup。
Thecaretakerblinkedupatoneofthesepulchrestheypassed。Heresumed:——
And,afterblinkingupatthesacredfigure,Notabloodybitliketheman,sayshe。That’snotMulcahy,sayshe,whoeverdoneit。
RewardedbysmileshefellbackandspokewithCornyKelleher,acceptingthedocketsgivenhim,turningthemoverandscanningthemashewalked——
That’salldonewithapurpose,MartinCunninghamexplainedtoHynes——
Iknow,Hynessaid,Iknowthat——
Tocheerafellowup,MartinCunninghamsaid。It’spuregoodheartedness:damnthethingelse。