投诉 阅读记录

第1章

OnceuponatimeandaverygoodtimeitwastherewasamoocowcomingdownalongtheroadandthismoocowthatwascomingdownalongtheroadmetanicenslittleboynamedbabytuckooHisfathertoldhimthatstory:hisfatherlookedathimthroughaglass:

hehadahairyface。

Hewasbabytuckoo。ThemoocowcamedowntheroadwhereBettyByrnelived:shesoldlemonplatt。O,thewildroseblossomsOnthelittlegreenplace。Hesangthatsong。Thatwashissong。O,thegreenwothebotheth。Whenyouwetthebedfirstitiswarmthenitgetscold。Hismotherputontheoilsheet。Thathadthequeersmell。

Hismotherhadanicersmellthanhisfather。Sheplayedonthepianothesailor"shornpipeforhimtodance。Hedanced:Tralalalala,Tralalatralaladdy,Tralalalala,Tralalalala。UncleCharlesandDanteclapped。TheywereolderthanhisfatherandmotherbutuncleCharleswasolderthanDante。

Dantehadtwobrushesinherpress。ThebrushwiththemaroonvelvetbackwasforMichaelDavittandthebrushwiththegreenvelvetbackwasforParnell。Dantegavehimacachoueverytimehebroughtherapieceoftissuepaper。

TheVanceslivedinnumberseven。Theyhadadifferentfatherandmother。

TheywereEileen"sfatherandmother。WhentheyweregrownuphewasgoingtomarryEileen。Hehidunderthetable。Hismothersaid:——

O,Stephenwillapologize。

Dantesaid:——

O,ifnot,theeagleswillcomeandpullouthiseyes——Pullouthiseyes,Apologize,Apologize,Pullouthiseyes。

Apologize,Pullouthiseyes,Pullouthiseyes,Apologize。Thewideplaygroundswereswarmingwithboys。Allwereshoutingandtheprefectsurgedthemonwithstrongcries。Theeveningairwaspaleandchillyandaftereverychargeandthudofthefootballersthegreasyleatherorbflewlikeaheavybirdthroughthegreylight。Hekeptonthefringeofhisline,outofsightofhisprefect,outofthereachoftherudefeet,feigningtorunnowandthen。Hefelthisbodysmallandweakamidthethrongoftheplayersandhiseyeswereweakandwatery。RodyKickhamwasnotlikethat:hewouldbecaptainofthethirdlineallthefellowssaid。

RodyKickhamwasadecentfellowbutNastyRochewasastink。RodyKickhamhadgreavesinhisnumberandahamperintherefectory。NastyRochehadbighands。HecalledtheFridaypuddingdog-in-the-blanket。Andonedaybehadasked:——

Whatisyourname?

Stephenhadanswered:StephenDedalus。

ThenNastyRochehadsaid:——

Whatkindofanameisthat?

AndwhenStephenhadnotbeenabletoanswerNastyRochehadasked:——

Whatisyourfather?

Stephenhadanswered:——

Agentleman。

ThenNastyRochehadasked:——

Isheamagistrate?

Hecreptaboutfrompointtopointonthefringeofhisline,makinglittlerunsnowandthen。Buthishandswerebluishwithcold。Hekepthishandsinthesidepocketsofhisbeltedgreysuit。Thatwasabeltroundhispocket。Andbeltwasalsotogiveafellowabelt。OnedayafellowsaidtoCantwell:——

I"dgiveyousuchabeltinasecond。

Cantwellhadanswered:——

Goandfightyourmatch。GiveCecilThunderabelt。I"dliketoseeyou。He"dgiveyouatoeintherumpforyourself。

Thatwasnotaniceexpression。Hismotherhadtoldhimnottospeakwiththeroughboysinthecollege。Nicemother!Thefirstdayinthehallofthecastlewhenshehadsaidgoodbyeshehadputupherveildoubletohernosetokisshim:andhernoseandeyeswerered。Buthehadpretendednottoseethatshewasgoingtocry。Shewasanicemotherbutshewasnotsonicewhenshecried。Andhisfatherhadgivenhimtwofive-shillingpiecesforpocketmoney。Andhisfatherhadtoldhimifhewantedanythingtowritehometohimand,whateverhedid,nevertopeachonafellow。

Thenatthedoorofthecastletherectorhadshakenhandswithhisfatherandmother,hissoutaneflutteringinthebreeze,andthecarhaddrivenoffwithhisfatherandmotheronit。Theyhadcriedtohimfromthecar,wavingtheirhands:——

Goodbye,Stephen,goodbye!——

Goodbye,Stephen,goodbye!

Hewascaughtinthewhirlofascrimmageand,fearfuloftheflashingeyesandmuddyboots,bentdowntolookthroughthelegs。Thefellowswerestrugglingandgroaningandtheirlegswererubbingandkickingandstamping。

ThenJackLawton"syellowbootsdodgedouttheballandalltheotherbootsandlegsranafter。Heranafterthemalittlewayandthenstopped。Itwasuselesstorunon。Soontheywouldbegoinghomefortheholidays。

Aftersupperinthestudyhallhewouldchangethenumberpastedupinsidehisdeskfromseventy-seventoseventy-six。

Itwouldbebettertobeinthestudyhallthanoutthereinthecold。

Theskywaspaleandcoldbuttherewerelightsinthecastle。HewonderedfromwhichwindowHamiltonRowanhadthrownhishatontheha-haandhadtherebeenflowerbedsatthattimeunderthewindows。Onedaywhenhehadbeencalledtothecastlethebutlerhadshownhimthemarksofthesoldiers"

slugsinthewoodofthedoorandhadgivenhimapieceofshortbreadthatthecommunityate。Itwasniceandwarmtoseethelightsinthecastle。

Itwaslikesomethinginabook。PerhapsLeicesterAbbeywaslikethat。

AndtherewerenicesentencesinDoctorCornwell"sSpellingBook。Theywerelikepoetrybuttheywereonlysentencestolearnthespellingfrom。WolseydiedinLeicesterAbbeyWheretheabbotsburiedhim。

Cankerisadiseaseofplanis,Canceroneofanimals。Itwouldbenicetolieonthehearthrugbeforethefire,leaninghisheaduponhishands,andthinkonthosesentences。Heshiveredasifhehadcoldslimywaternexthisskin。ThatwasmeanofWellstoshoulderhimintothesquareditchbecausehewouldnotswophislittlesnuffboxforWells"sseasonedhackingchestnut,theconquerorofforty。Howcoldandslimythewaterhadbeen!Afellowhadonceseenabigratjumpintothescum。MotherwassittingatthefirewithDantewaitingforBrigidtobringinthetea。Shehadherfeetonthefenderandherjewellyslippersweresohotandtheyhadsuchalovelywarmsmell!Danteknewalotofthings。

ShehadtaughthimwheretheMozambiqueChannelwasandwhatwasthelongestriverinAmericaandwhatwasthenameofthehighestmountaininthemoon。

FatherArnallknewmorethanDantebecausehewasapriestbutbothhisfatheranduncleCharlessaidthatDantewasacleverwomanandawell-readwoman。AndwhenDantemadethatnoiseafterdinnerandthenputupherhandtohermouth:thatwasheartburn。

Avoicecriedfaroutontheplayground:——

Allin!

Thenothervoicescriedfromthelowerandthirdlines:——

Allin!Allin!

Theplayersclosedaround,flushedandmuddy,andhewentamongthem,gladtogoin。RodyKickhamheldtheballbyitsgreasylace。Afellowaskedhimtogiveitonelast:buthewalkedonwithoutevenansweringthefellow。SimonMoonantoldhimnottobecausetheprefectwaslooking。

ThefellowturnedtoSimonMoonanandsaid:——

Weallknowwhyyouspeak。YouareMcGlade"ssuck。

Suckwasaqueerword。ThefellowcalledSimonMoonanthatnamebecauseSimonMoonanusedtotietheprefect"sfalsesleevesbehindhisbackandtheprefectusedtoletontobeangry。Butthesoundwasugly。OncehehadwashedhishandsinthelavatoryoftheWicklowHotelandhisfatherpulledthestopperupbythechainafterandthedirtywaterwentdownthroughtheholeinthebasin。Andwhenithadallgonedownslowlytheholeinthebasinhadmadeasoundlikethat:suck。Onlylouder。

Torememberthatandthewhitelookofthelavatorymadehimfeelcoldandthenhot。Thereweretwococksthatyouturnedandwatercameout:

coldandhot。Hefeltcoldandthenalittlehot:andhecouldseethenamesprintedonthecocks。Thatwasaveryqueerthing。

Andtheairinthecorridorchilledhimtoo。Itwasqueerandwettish。

Butsoonthegaswouldbelitandinburningitmadealightnoiselikealittlesong。Alwaysthesame:andwhenthefellowsstoppedtalkingintheplayroomyoucouldhearit。

Itwasthehourforsums。FatherArnallwroteahardsumontheboardandthensaid:——

Nowthen,whowillwin?Goahead,York!Goahead,Lancaster!

Stephentriedhisbest,butthesumwastoohardandhefeltconfused。

Thelittlesilkbadgewiththewhiteroseonitthatwaspinnedonthebreastofhisjacketbegantoflutter。Hewasnogoodatsums,buthetriedhisbestsothatYorkmightnotlose。FatherArnall"sfacelookedveryblack,buthewasnotinawax:hewaslaughing。ThenJackLawtoncrackedhisfingersandFatherArnalllookedathiscopybookandsaid:——

Right。BravoLancaster!Theredrosewins。Comeonnow,York!Forgeahead!

JackLawtonlookedoverfromhisside。Thelittlesilkbadgewiththeredroseonitlookedveryrichbecausehehadabluesailortopon。Stephenfelthisownfaceredtoo,thinkingofallthebetsaboutwhowouldgetfirstplaceinelements,JackLawtonorhe。SomeweeksJackLawtongotthecardforfirstandsomeweekshegotthecardforfirst。HiswhitesilkbadgeflutteredandflutteredasheworkedatthenextsumandheardFatherArnall"svoice。Thenallhiseagernesspassedawayandhefelthisfacequitecool。Hethoughthisfacemustbewhitebecauseitfeltsocool。

Hecouldnotgetouttheanswerforthesumbutitdidnotmatter。Whiterosesandredroses:thosewerebeautifulcolourstothinkof。Andthecardsforfirstplaceandsecondplaceandthirdplacewerebeautifulcolourstoo:pinkandcreamandlavender。Lavenderandcreamandpinkroseswerebeautifultothinkof。Perhapsawildrosemightbelikethosecoloursandherememberedthesongaboutthewildroseblossomsonthelittlegreenplace。Butyoucouldnothaveagreenrose。Butperhapssomewhereintheworldyoucould。

Thebellrangandthentheclassesbegantofileoutoftheroomsandalongthecorridorstowardstherefectory。Hesatlookingatthetwoprintsofbutteronhisplatebutcouldnoteatthedampbread。Thetableclothwasdampandlimp。Buthedrankoffthehotweakteawhichtheclumsyscullion,girtwithawhiteapron,pouredintohiscup。Hewonderedwhetherthescullion"sapronwasdamptooorwhetherallwhitethingswerecoldanddamp。NastyRocheandSaurindrankcocoathattheirpeoplesentthemintins。Theysaidtheycouldnotdrinkthetea;thatitwashogwash。Theirfathersweremagistrates,thefellowssaid。

Alltheboysseemedtohimverystrange。Theyhadallfathersandmothersanddifferentclothesandvoices。Helongedtobeathomeandlayhisheadonhismother"slap。Buthecouldnot:andsohelongedfortheplayandstudyandprayerstobeoverandtobeinbed。

HedrankanothercupofhotteaandFlemingsaid:——

What"sup?Haveyouapainorwhat"supwithyou?——

Idon"tknow,Stephensaid——

Sickinyourbreadbasket,Flemingsaid,becauseyourfacelookswhite。

Itwillgoaway——

Oyes,Stephensaid。

Buthewasnotsickthere。Hethoughtthathewassickinhisheartifyoucouldbesickinthatplace。Flemingwasverydecenttoaskhim。

Hewantedtocry。Heleanedhiselbowsonthetableandshutandopenedtheflapsofhisears。Thenheheardthenoiseoftherefectoryeverytimeheopenedtheflapsofhisears。Itmadearoarlikeatrainatnight。

Andwhenheclosedtheflapstheroarwasshutofflikeatraingoingintoatunnel。ThatnightatDalkeythetrainhadroaredlikethatandthen,whenitwentintothetunnel,theroarstopped。Heclosedhiseyesandthetrainwenton,roaringandthenstopping;roaringagain,stopping。

Itwasnicetohearitroarandstopandthenroaroutofthetunnelagainandthenstop。

Thenthehigherlinefellowsbegantocomedownalongthemattinginthemiddleoftherefectory,PaddyRathandJimmyMageeandtheSpaniardwhowasallowedtosmokecigarsandthelittlePortuguesewhoworethewoollycap。Andthenthelowerlinetablesandthetablesofthethirdline。Andeverysinglefellowhadadifferentwayofwalking。

Hesatinacorneroftheplayroompretendingtowatchagameofdominoesandonceortwicehewasabletohearforaninstantthelittlesongofthegas。TheprefectwasatthedoorwithsomeboysandSimonMoonanwasknottinghisfalsesleeves。HewastellingthemsomethingaboutTullabeg。

ThenhewentawayfromthedoorandWellscameovertoStephenandsaid:——

Tellus,Dedalus,doyoukissyourmotherbeforeyougotobed?

Stephenanswered:——

Ido。

Wellsturnedtotheotherfellowsandsaid:——

O,Isay,here"safellowsayshekisseshismothereverynightbeforehegoestobed。

Theotherfellowsstoppedtheirgameandturnedround,laughing。Stephenblushedundertheireyesandsaid:——

Idonot。

Wellssaid:——

O,Isay,here"safellowsayshedoesn"tkisshismotherbeforehegoestobed。

Theyalllaughedagain。Stephentriedtolaughwiththem。Hefelthiswholebodyhotandconfusedinamoment。Whatwastherightanswertothequestion?HehadgiventwoandstillWellslaughed。ButWellsmustknowtherightanswerforhewasinthirdofgrammar。HetriedtothinkofWells"smotherbuthedidnotdaretoraisehiseyestoWells"sface。HedidnotlikeWells"sface。ItwasWellswhohadshoulderedhimintothesquareditchthedaybeforebecausehewouldnotswophislittlesnuffboxforWells"sseasonedhackingchestnut,theconquerorofforty。Itwasameanthingtodo;allthefellowssaiditwas。Andhowcoldandslimythewaterhadbeen!Andafellowhadonceseenabigratjumpplopintothescum。

Thecoldslimeoftheditchcoveredhiswholebody;and,whenthebellrangforstudyandthelinesfiledoutoftheplayrooms,hefeltthecoldairofthecorridorandstaircaseinsidehisclothes。Hestilltriedtothinkwhatwastherightanswer。Wasitrighttokisshismotherorwrongtokisshismother?Whatdidthatmean,tokiss?Youputyourfaceuplikethattosaygoodnightandthenhismotherputherfacedown。Thatwastokiss。Hismotherputherlipsonhischeek;herlipsweresoftandtheywettedhischeek;andtheymadeatinylittlenoise:kiss。Whydidpeopledothatwiththeirtwofaces?

Sittinginthestudyhallheopenedthelidofhisdeskandchangedthenumberpastedupinsidefromseventy-seventoseventy-six。ButtheChristmasvacationwasveryfaraway:butonetimeitwouldcomebecausetheearthmovedroundalways。

Therewasapictureoftheearthonthefirstpageofhisgeography:

abigballinthemiddleofclouds。Fleminghadaboxofcrayonsandonenightduringfreestudyhehadcolouredtheearthgreenandthecloudsmaroon。ThatwaslikethetwobrushesinDante"spress,thebrushwiththegreenvelvetbackforParnellandthebrushwiththemaroonvelvetbackforMichaelDavitt。ButhehadnottoldFlemingtocolourthemthosecolours。Fleminghaddoneithimself。

Heopenedthegeographytostudythelesson;buthecouldnotlearnthenamesofplacesinAmerica。Stilltheywerealldifferentplacesthathaddifferentnames。Theywereallindifferentcountriesandthecountrieswereincontinentsandthecontinentswereintheworldandtheworldwasintheuniverse。

Heturnedtotheflyleafofthegeographyandreadwhathehadwrittenthere:himself,hisnameandwherehewas。StephenDedalusClassofElementsClongowesWoodCollegeSallinsCountyKildareIrelandEuropeTheWorldTheUniverseThatwasinhiswriting:andFlemingonenightforacodhadwrittenontheoppositepage:StephenDedalusismyname,Irelandismynation。

ClongowesismydwellingplaceAndheavenmyexpectation。Hereadtheversesbackwardsbutthentheywerenotpoetry。Thenhereadtheflyleaffromthebottomtothetoptillhecametohisownname。Thatwashe:andhereaddownthepageagain。Whatwasaftertheuniverse?

Nothing。Butwasthereanythingroundtheuniversetoshowwhereitstoppedbeforethenothingplacebegan?

Itcouldnotbeawall;buttherecouldbeathinthinlinethereallroundeverything。Itwasverybigtothinkabouteverythingandeverywhere。

OnlyGodcoulddothat。Hetriedtothinkwhatabigthoughtthatmustbe;buthecouldonlythinkofGod。GodwasGod"snamejustashisnamewasStephen。DieuwastheFrenchforGodandthatwasGod"snametoo;andwhenanyoneprayedtoGodandsaidDieuthenGodknewatoncethatitwasaFrenchpersonthatwaspraying。But,thoughthereweredifferentnamesforGodinallthedifferentlanguagesintheworldandGodunderstoodwhatallthepeoplewhoprayedsaidintheirdifferentlanguages,stillGodremainedalwaysthesameGodandGod"srealnamewasGod。

Itmadehimverytiredtothinkthatway。Itmadehimfeelhisheadverybig。Heturnedovertheflyleafandlookedwearilyatthegreenroundearthinthemiddleofthemaroonclouds。Hewonderedwhichwasright,tobeforthegreenorforthemaroon,becauseDantehadrippedthegreenvelvetbackoffthebrushthatwasforParnellonedaywithherscissorsandhadtoldhimthatParnellwasabadman。Hewonderediftheywerearguingathomeaboutthat。Thatwascalledpolitics。Thereweretwosidesinit:

DantewasononesideandhisfatherandMrCaseywereontheothersidebuthismotheranduncleCharleswereonnoside。Everydaytherewassomethinginthepaperaboutit。

Itpainedhimthathedidnotknowwellwhatpoliticsmeantandthathedidnotknowwheretheuniverseended。Hefeltsmallandweak。Whenwouldhebelikethefellowsinpoetryandrhetoric?Theyhadbigvoicesandbigbootsandtheystudiedtrigonometry。Thatwasveryfaraway。Firstcamethevacationandthenthenexttermandthenvacationagainandthenagainanothertermandthenagainthevacation。Itwaslikeatraingoinginandoutoftunnelsandthatwaslikethenoiseoftheboyseatingintherefectorywhenyouopenedandclosedtheflapsoftheears。Term,vacation;

tunnel,out;noise,stop。Howfarawayitwas!Itwasbettertogotobedtosleep。Onlyprayersinthechapelandthenbed。Heshiveredandyawned。

Itwouldbelovelyinbedafterthesheetsgotabithot。Firsttheyweresocoldtogetinto。Heshiveredtothinkhowcoldtheywerefirst。Butthentheygothotandthenhecouldsleep。Itwaslovelytobetired。Heyawnedagain。Nightprayersandthenbed:heshiveredandwantedtoyawn。

Itwouldbelovelyinafewminutes。Hefeltawarmglowcreepingupfromthecoldshiveringsheets,warmerandwarmertillhefeltwarmallover,eversowarmandyetheshiveredalittleandstillwantedtoyawn。

Thebellrangfornightprayersandhefiledoutofthestudyhallaftertheothersanddownthestaircaseandalongthecorridorstothechapel。

Thecorridorsweredarklylitandthechapelwasdarklylit。Soonallwouldbedarkandsleeping。Therewascoldnightairinthechapelandthemarbleswerethecolourtheseawasatnight。Theseawascolddayandnight:butitwascolderatnight。Itwascoldanddarkundertheseawallbesidehisfather"shouse。Butthekettlewouldbeonthehobtomakepunch。

Theprefectofthechapelprayedabovehisheadandhismemoryknewtheresponses:OLOrdopenourlipsAndourmouthsshallannounceThypraise。

Inclineuntoouraid,OGod!

OLordmakehastetohelpus!Therewasacoldnightsmellinthechapel。Butitwasaholysmell。ItwasnotlikethesmelloftheoldpeasantswhokneltatthebackofthechapelatSundaymass。Thatwasasmellofairandrainandturfandcorduroy。

Buttheywereveryholypeasants。TheybreathedbehindhimOnhisneckandsighedastheyprayed。TheylivedinClane,afellowsaid:therewerelittlecottagesthereandhehadseenawomanstandingatthehalf-doorofacottagewithachildinherarmsasthecarshadcomepastfromSallins。

Itwouldbelovelytosleepforonenightinthatcottagebeforethefireofsmokingturf,inthedarklitbythefire,inthewarmdark,breathingthesmellofthepeasants,airandrainandturfandcorduroy。ButO,theroadtherebetweenthetreeswasdark!Youwouldbelostinthedark。Itmadehimafraidtothinkofhowitwas。

Heheardthevoiceoftheprefectofthechapelsayingthelastprayers。

Heprayedittooagainstthedarkoutsideunderthetrees。Visit,webeseechThee,OLord,thishabitationanddriveawayfromitallthesnaresoftheenemy。MayThyholyangelsdwellhereintopreserveusinpeaceandmayThyblessingsbealwaysuponusthroughChristourLord。

Amen。Hisfingerstrembledasheundressedhimselfinthedormitory。Hetoldhisfingerstohurryup。Hehadtoundressandthenkneelandsayhisownprayersandbeinbedbeforethegaswasloweredsothathemightnotgotohellwhenhedied。Herolledhisstockingsoffandputonhisnightshirtquicklyandknelttremblingathisbedsideandrepeatedhisprayersquickly,fearingthatthegaswouldgodown。Hefelthisshouldersshakingashemurmured:Godblessmyfatherandmymotherandsparethemtome!

Godblessmylittlebrothersandsistersandsparethemtome!

GodblessDanteandUncleCharlesandsparethemtome!Heblessedhimselfandclimbedquicklyintobedand,tuckingtheendofthenightshirtunderhisfeet,curledhimselftogetherunderthecoldwhitesheets,shakingandtrembling。Buthewouldnotgotohellwhenhedied;

andtheshakingwouldstop。Avoicebadetheboysinthedormitorygoodnight。Hepeeredoutforaninstantoverthecoverletandsawtheyellowcurtainsroundandbeforehisbedthatshuthimoffonallsides。Thelightwasloweredquietly。

Theprefect"sshoeswentaway。Where?Downthestaircaseandalongthecorridorsortohisroomattheend?Hesawthedark。Wasittrueabouttheblackdogthatwalkedthereatnightwitheyesasbigascarriage-lamps?

Theysaiditwastheghostofamurderer。Alongshiveroffearflowedoverhisbody。Hesawthedarkentrancehallofthecastle。Oldservantsinolddresswereintheironing-roomabovethestaircase。Itwaslongago。Theoldservantswerequiet。Therewasafirethere,butthehallwasstilldark。Afigurecameupthestaircasefromthehall。Heworethewhitecloakofamarshal;hisfacewaspaleandstrange;heheldhishandpressedtohisside。Helookedoutofstrangeeyesattheoldservants。

Theylookedathimandsawtheirmaster"sfaceandcloakandknewthathehadreceivedhisdeath-wound。Butonlythedarkwaswheretheylooked:

onlydarksilentair。Theirmasterhadreceivedhisdeath-woundonthebattlefieldofPraguefarawayoverthesea。Hewasstandingonthefield;

hishandwaspressedtohisside;hisfacewaspaleandstrangeandheworethewhitecloakofamarshal。

Ohowcoldandstrangeitwastothinkofthat!Allthedarkwascoldandstrange。Therewerepalestrangefacesthere,greateyeslikecarriage-lamps。

Theyweretheghostsofmurderers,thefiguresofmarshalswhohadreceivedtheirdeath-woundonbattlefieldsfarawayoverthesea。Whatdidtheywishtosaythattheirfacesweresostrange?Visit,webeseechThee,OLord,thishabitationanddriveawayfromitallGoinghomefortheholidays!Thatwouldbelovely:thefellowshadtoldhim。Gettinguponthecarsintheearlywintrymorningoutsidethedoorofthecastle。Thecarswererollingonthegravel。Cheersfortherector!

Hurray!Hurray!Hurray!

Thecarsdrovepastthechapelandallcapswereraised。Theydrovemerrilyalongthecountryroads。ThedriverspointedwiththeirwhipstoBodenstown。Thefellowscheered。TheypassedthefarmhouseoftheJollyFarmer。Cheeraftercheeraftercheer。ThroughClanetheydrove,cheeringandcheered。Thepeasantwomenstoodatthehalf-doors,themenstoodhereandthere。Thelovelysmelltherewasinthewintryair:thesmellofClane:

rainandwintryairandturfsmoulderingandcorduroy。

Thetrainwasfulloffellows:alonglongchocolatetrainwithcreamfacings。Theguardswenttoandfroopening,closing,locking,unlockingthedoors。Theyweremenindarkblueandsilver;theyhadsilverywhistlesandtheirkeysmadeaquickmusic:click,click:click,click。

AndthetrainracedonovertheflatlandsandpasttheHillofAllen。

Thetelegraphpoleswerepassing,passing。Thetrainwentonandon。Itknew。Therewerelanternsinthehallofhisfather"shouseandropesofgreenbranches。Therewerehollyandivyroundthepierglassandhollyandivy,greenandred,twinedroundthechandeliers。Therewereredhollyandgreenivyroundtheoldportraitsonthewalls。HollyandivyforhimandforChristmas。

LovelyAllthepeople。Welcomehome,Stephen!Noisesofwelcome。Hismotherkissedhim。Wasthatright?Hisfatherwasamarshalnow:higherthanamagistrate。Welcomehome,Stephen!

NoisesTherewasanoiseofcurtain-ringsrunningbackalongtherods,ofwaterbeingsplashedinthebasins。Therewasanoiseofrisinganddressingandwashinginthedormitory:anoiseofclappingofhandsastheprefectwentupanddowntellingthefellowstolooksharp。Apalesunlightshowedtheyellowcurtainsdrawnback,thetossedbeds。Hisbedwasveryhotandhisfaceandbodywereveryhot。

Hegotupandsatonthesideofhisbed。Hewasweak。Hetriedtopullonhisstocking。Ithadahorridroughfeel。Thesunlightwasqueerandcold。

Flemingsaid:——

Areyounotwell?

Hedidnotknow;andFlemingsaid:——

Getbackintobed。I"lltellMcGladeyou"renotwell——

He"ssick——

Whois?——

TellMcGlade——

Getbackintobed——

Ishesick?

Afellowheldhisarmswhileheloosenedthestockingclingingtohisfootandclimbedbackintothehotbed。

Hecroucheddownbetweenthesheets,gladoftheirtepidglow。Heheardthefellowstalkamongthemselvesabouthimastheydressedformass。Itwasameanthingtodo,toshoulderhimintothesquareditch,theyweresaying——Thentheirvoicesceased;theyhadgone。Avoiceathisbedsaid:——

Dedalus,don"tspyonus,sureyouwon"t?

Wells"sfacewasthere。HelookedatitandsawthatWellswasafraid——

Ididn"tmeanto。Sureyouwon"t?

Hisfatherhadtoldhim,whateverhedid,nevertopeachonafellow。

Heshookhisheadandanswerednoandfeltglad。

Wellssaid:——

Ididn"tmeanto,honourbright。Itwasonlyforcod。I"msorry。

Thefaceandthevoicewentaway。Sorrybecausehewasafraid。Afraidthatitwassomedisease。Cankerwasadiseaseofplantsandcanceroneofanimals:oranotherdifferent。Thatwasalongtimeagothenoutontheplaygroundsintheeveninglight,creepingfrompointtopointonthefringeofhisline,aheavybirdflyinglowthroughthegreylight。LeicesterAbbeylitup。Wolseydiedthere。Theabbotsburiedhimthemselves。

ItwasnotWells"sface,itwastheprefect"s。Hewasnotfoxing。No,no:hewassickreally。Hewasnotfoxing。Andhefelttheprefect"shandonhisforehead;andhefelthisforeheadwarmanddampagainsttheprefect"scolddamphand。Thatwasthewayaratfelt,slimyanddampandcold。Everyrathadtwoeyestolookoutof。Sleekslimycoats,littlelittlefeettuckeduptojump,blackslimyeyestolookoutof。Theycouldunderstandhowtojump。Butthemindsofratscouldnotunderstandtrigonometry。Whentheyweredeadtheylayontheirsides。Theircoatsdriedthen。Theywereonlydeadthings。

Theprefectwasthereagainanditwashisvoicethatwassayingthathewastogetup,thatFatherMinisterhadsaidhewastogetupanddressandgototheinfirmary。Andwhilehewasdressinghimselfasquicklyashecouldtheprefectsaid:——

WemustpackofftoBrotherMichaelbecausewehavethecollywobbles!

Hewasverydecenttosaythat。Thatwasalltomakehimlaugh。Buthecouldnotlaughbecausehischeeksandlipswereallshivery:andthentheprefecthadtolaughbyhimself。

Theprefectcried:——

Quickmarch!Hayfoot!Strawfoot!

Theywenttogetherdownthestaircaseandalongthecorridorandpastthebath。Ashepassedthedoorherememberedwithavaguefearthewarmturf-colouredbogwater,thewarmmoistair,thenoiseofplunges,thesmellofthetowels,likemedicine。

BrotherMichaelwasstandingatthedooroftheinfirmaryandfromthedoorofthedarkcabinetonhisrightcameasmelllikemedicine。Thatcamefromthebottlesontheshelves。TheprefectspoketoBrotherMichaelandBrotherMichaelansweredandcalledtheprefectsir。Hehadreddishhairmixedwithgreyandaqueerlook。Itwasqueerthathewouldalwaysbeabrother。Itwasqueertoothatyoucouldnotcallhimsirbecausehewasabrotherandhadadifferentkindoflook。Washenotholyenoughorwhycouldhenotcatchupontheothers?

Thereweretwobedsintheroomandinonebedtherewasafellow:andwhentheywentinhecalledout:——

Hello!It"syoungDedalus!What"sup?——

Theskyisup,BrotherMichaelsaid。

Hewasafellowoutofthethirdofgrammarand,whileStephenwasundressing,heaskedBrotherMichaeltobringhimaroundofbutteredtoast——

Ah,do!hesaid——

Butteryouup!saidBrotherMichael。You"llgetyourwalkingpapersinthemorningwhenthedoctorcomes——

WillI?thefellowsaid。I"mnotwellyet。

BrotherMichaelrepeated:——

You"llgetyourwalkingpapers。Itellyou。

Hebentdowntorakethefire。Hehadalongbacklikethelongbackofatramhorse。Heshookthepokergravelyandnoddedhisheadatthefellowoutofthirdofgrammar。

ThenBrotherMichaelwentawayandafterawhilethefellowoutofthirdofgrammarturnedintowardsthewallandfellasleep。

Thatwastheinfirmary。Hewassickthen。Hadtheywrittenhometotellhismotherandfather?Butitwouldbequickerforoneoftheprieststogohimselftotellthem。Orhewouldwritealetterforthepriesttobring。DearMother,Iamsick。Iwanttogohome。Pleasecomeandtakemehome。Iamintheinfirmary。

Yourfondson,StephenHowfarawaytheywere!Therewascoldsunlightoutsidethewindow。Hewonderedifhewoulddie。Youcoulddiejustthesameonasunnyday。Hemightdiebeforehismothercame。ThenhewouldhaveadeadmassinthechapellikethewaythefellowshadtoldhimitwaswhenLittlehaddied。

Allthefellowswouldbeatthemass,dressedinblack,allwithsadfaces。

Wellstoowouldbetherebutnofellowwouldlookathim。Therectorwouldbethereinacopeofblackandgoldandtherewouldbetallyellowcandlesonthealtarandroundthecatafalque。Andtheywouldcarrythecoffinoutofthechapelslowlyandhewouldbeburiedinthelittlegraveyardofthecommunityoffthemainavenueoflimes。AndWellswouldbesorrythenforwhathehaddone。Andthebellwouldtollslowly。

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