A gruff squire on horseback with shiny topboots. Soft day, sir John. Soft,
day, your honour... Day... Day... Two topboots jog dangling on to Dublin.
Lal the ral the ra, lal the ral the raddy.
— That reminds me, Mr Deasy said. You can do me a favour, Mr
Dedalus, with some of your literary friends : I have a letter here for the press.
Sit down a moment. I have just to copy the end.
He went to the desk near the window, pulled in his chair twice and read
off some words from the sheet on the drum of his typewriter.
— Sit down. Excuse me, he said over his shoulder, the dictates of
common sense. Just a moment.
He peered from under his shaggy brows at the manuscript by his elbow
and, muttering, began to prod the stiff buttons of the keyboard slowly, some
times blowing as he screwed up the drum to erase an error.
Stephen seated himself noiselessly before the princely presence. Framed
around the walls images of vanished horses stood in homage, their meek heads
poised in air : lord Hastings’ Repulse, the duke of Westminster’s Shotover, the
duke of Beaufort’s Ceylon, prix de Paris, 1866. Elfin riders sat them, watchful of
a sign. He saw their speeds, backing king’s colours, and shouted with the
shouts of vanished crowds.
— Full stop, Mr Deasy bade his keys. But prompt ventilation of this
important question...
Where Cranly led me to get rich quick, hunting his winners among the
mudsplashed brakes, amid the bawls of bookies on their pitches and reek of
the canteen, over the motley slush. Even money Fair Rebel : ten to one the
field. Dicers and thimbleriggers we hurried by after the hoofs, the vying caps
and jackets and past the meatfaced woman, a butcher’s dame, nuzzling
thirstily her clove of orange.
Shouts rang shrill from the boys’ playfield and a whirring whistle.
Again : a goal. I am among them, among their battling bodies in a medley,
the joust of life. You mean that knockkneed mother’s darling who seems to
be slightly crawsick? Jousts. Time shocked rebounds, shock by shock. Jousts,
slush and uproar of battles, the frozen deathspew of the slain, a shout of spear
spikes baited with men’s bloodied guts.
— Now then, Mr Deasy said, rising.
He came to the table, pinning together his sheets. Stephen stood up.
— I have put the matter into a nutshell, Mr Deasy said. It’s about the foot and
mouth disease. Just look through it. There can be no two opinions on the matter.