Ulysses Part 67

M'Coy peered into Marcus Tertius Moses' sombre office, then at O'Neill's clock.

--After three, he said. Who's riding her?

--O. Madden, Lenehan said. And a game filly she is.

While he waited in Temple bar M'Coy dodged a banana peel with gentle pushes of his toe from the path to the gutter. Fellow might d.a.m.n easy get a nasty fall there coming along tight in the dark.

The gates of the drive opened wide to give egress to the viceregal cavalcade.

--Even money, Lenehan said returning. I knocked against Bantam Lyons in there going to back a b.l.o.o.d.y horse someone gave him that hasn't an earthly. Through here.

They went up the steps and under Merchants' arch. A darkbacked figure scanned books on the hawker's cart.

--There he is, Lenehan said.

--Wonder what he's buying, M'Coy said, glancing behind.

--_Leopoldo or the Bloom is on the Rye,_ Lenehan said.

--He's dead nuts on sales, M'Coy said. I was with him one day and he bought a book from an old one in Liffey street for two bob. There were fine plates in it worth double the money, the stars and the moon and comets with long tails. Astronomy it was about.

Lenehan laughed.

--I'll tell you a d.a.m.n good one about comets' tails, he said. Come over in the sun.

They crossed to the metal bridge and went along Wellington quay by the riverwall.

Master Patrick Aloysius Dignam came out of Mangan's, late Fehrenbach's, carrying a pound and a half of porksteaks.

--There was a long spread out at Glencree reformatory, Lenehan said eagerly. The annual dinner, you know. Boiled s.h.i.+rt affair. The lord mayor was there, Val Dillon it was, and sir Charles Cameron and Dan Dawson spoke and there was music. Bartell d'Arcy sang and Benjamin Dollard...

--I know, M'Coy broke in. My missus sang there once.

--Did she? Lenehan said.

A card _Unfurnished Apartments_ reappeared on the windowsash of number 7 Eccles street.

He checked his tale a moment but broke out in a wheezy laugh.

--But wait till I tell you, he said. Delahunt of Camden street had the catering and yours truly was chief bottlewasher. Bloom and the wife were there. Las.h.i.+ngs of stuff we put up: port wine and sherry and curacao to which we did ample justice. Fast and furious it was. After liquids came solids. Cold joints galore and mince pies...

--I know, M'Coy said. The year the missus was there...

Lenehan linked his arm warmly.

--But wait till I tell you, he said. We had a midnight lunch too after all the jollification and when we sallied forth it was blue o'clock the morning after the night before. Coming home it was a gorgeous winter's night on the Featherbed Mountain. Bloom and Chris Callinan were on one side of the car and I was with the wife on the other. We started singing glees and duets: _Lo, the early beam of morning_. She was well primed with a good load of Delahunt's port under her bellyband. Every jolt the b.l.o.o.d.y car gave I had her b.u.mping up against me. h.e.l.l's delights! She has a fine pair, G.o.d bless her. Like that.

He held his caved hands a cubit from him, frowning:

--I was tucking the rug under her and settling her boa all the time.

Know what I mean?

His hands moulded ample curves of air. He shut his eyes tight in delight, his body shrinking, and blew a sweet chirp from his lips.

--The lad stood to attention anyhow, he said with a sigh. She's a gamey mare and no mistake. Bloom was pointing out all the stars and the comets in the heavens to Chris Callinan and the jarvey: the great bear and Hercules and the dragon, and the whole jingbang lot. But, by G.o.d, I was lost, so to speak, in the milky way. He knows them all, faith. At last she spotted a weeny weeshy one miles away. _And what star is that, Poldy?_ says she. By G.o.d, she had Bloom cornered. _That one, is it?_ says Chris Callinan, _sure that's only what you might call a pinp.r.i.c.k._ By G.o.d, he wasn't far wide of the mark.

Lenehan stopped and leaned on the riverwall, panting with soft laughter.

--I'm weak, he gasped.

M'Coy's white face smiled about it at instants and grew grave. Lenehan walked on again. He lifted his yachtingcap and scratched his hindhead rapidly. He glanced sideways in the sunlight at M'Coy.

--He's a cultured allroundman, Bloom is, he said seriously. He's not one of your common or garden... you know... There's a touch of the artist about old Bloom.

Mr Bloom turned over idly pages of _The Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk,_ then of Aristotle's _Masterpiece._ Crooked botched print. Plates: infants cuddled in a ball in bloodred wombs like livers of slaughtered cows. Lots of them like that at this moment all over the world. All b.u.t.ting with their skulls to get out of it. Child born every minute somewhere. Mrs Purefoy.

He laid both books aside and glanced at the third: _Tales of the Ghetto_ by Leopold von Sacher Masoch.

--That I had, he said, pus.h.i.+ng it by.

The shopman let two volumes fall on the counter.

--Them are two good ones, he said.

Onions of his breath came across the counter out of his ruined mouth.

He bent to make a bundle of the other books, hugged them against his unb.u.t.toned waistcoat and bore them off behind the dingy curtain.

On O'Connell bridge many persons observed the grave deportment and gay apparel of Mr Denis J Maginni, professor of dancing &c.

Mr Bloom, alone, looked at the t.i.tles. _Fair Tyrants_ by James Lovebirch. Know the kind that is. Had it? Yes.

He opened it. Thought so.

A woman's voice behind the dingy curtain. Listen: the man.

No: she wouldn't like that much. Got her it once.

He read the other t.i.tle: _Sweets of Sin_. More in her line. Let us see.

He read where his finger opened.

_--All the dollarbills her husband gave her were spent in the stores on wondrous gowns and costliest frillies. For him! For raoul!_

Yes. This. Here. Try.

--_Her mouth glued on his in a luscious voluptuous kiss while his hands felt for the opulent curves inside her deshabille._