JAMES JOYCE - ULYSSES

BELLA

( looks at the money, then at Stephen, then at Zoe, Florry and Kitty ) Do you want three girls? It’s ten shillings here.

STEPHEN

( delightedly ) A hundred thousand apologies. ( he fumbles again and takes out and hands her two crowns ) Permit, brevi manu , my sight is somewhat troubled.

(Bella goes to the table to count the money while Stephen talks to himself in monosyllables. Zoe bends over the table. Kitty leans over Zoe’s neck. Lynch gets up, rights his cap and, clasping Kitty’s waist, adds his head to the group.)

FLORRY

( strives heavily to rise ) Ow! My foot’s asleep. ( She limps over to the table. Bloom approaches. )

BELLA, ZOE, KITTY, LYNCH, BLOOM

( chattering and squabbling ) The gentleman … ten shillings …. paying for the three … allow me a moment … this gentleman pays separate …. who’s touching it? … ow! … mind who you’re pinching … are you staying the night or a short time? … who did? … you’re a liar, excuse me … the gentleman paid down like a gentleman … drink … it’s long after eleven.

STEPHEN

( at the pianola, making a gesture of abhorrence ) No bottles! What, eleven? A riddle!

ZOE

( lifting up her pettigown and folding a half sovereign into the top of her stocking ) Hard earned on the flat of my back.

LYNCH

( lifting Kitty from the table ) Come!

KITTY

Wait. ( she clutches the two crowns )

FLORRY

And me?

LYNCH

Hoopla!

(He lifts her, carries her and bumps her down on the sofa.)

STEPHEN

The fox crew, the cocks flew,

The bells in heaven

Were striking eleven.

’Tis time for her poor soul

To get out of heaven.

BLOOM

( quietly lays a half sovereign on the table between Bella and Florry ) So. Allow me. ( he takes up the poundnote ) Three times ten. We’re square.

BELLA

( admiringly ) You’re such a slyboots, old cocky. I could kiss you.

ZOE

( points ) Him? Deep as a drawwell.

(Lynch bends Kitty back over the sofa and kisses her. Bloom goes with the poundnote to Stephen.)

BLOOM

This is yours.

STEPHEN

How is that? The distrait or absentminded beggar. ( He fumbles again in his pocket and draws out a handful of coins. An object falls. ) That fell.

BLOOM

( stooping, picks up and hands a box of matches ) This.

STEPHEN

Lucifer. Thanks.

BLOOM

( quietly ) You had better hand over that cash to me to take care of. Why pay more?

STEPHEN

( hands him all his coins ) Be just before you are generous.

BLOOM

I will but is it wise? ( he counts ) One, seven, eleven, and five. Six. Eleven. I don’t answer for what you may have lost.

STEPHEN

Why striking eleven? Proparoxyton. Moment before the next Lessing says. Thirsty fox. ( he laughs loudly ) Burying his grandmother. Probably he killed her.

BLOOM

That is one pound six and eleven. One pound seven, say.

STEPHEN

Doesn’t matter a rambling damn.

BLOOM

No, but ….

STEPHEN

( comes to the table ) Cigarette, please. ( Lynch tosses a cigarette from the sofa to the table ) And so Georgina Johnson is dead and married. ( A cigarette appears on the table. Stephen looks at it ) Wonder. Parlour magic. Married. Hm. ( he strikes a match and proceeds to light the cigarette with enigmatic melancholy )

LYNCH

( watching him ) You would have a better chance of lighting it if you held the match nearer.

STEPHEN

( brings the match near his eye ) Lynx eye. Must get glasses. Broke them yesterday. Sixteen years ago. Distance. The eye sees all flat. ( He draws the match away. It goes out. ) Brain thinks. Near: far. Ineluctable modality of the visible. ( he frowns mysteriously ) Hm. Sphinx. The beast that has two backs at midnight. Married.

ZOE

It was a commercial traveller married her and took her away with him.

FLORRY

( nods ) Mr Lambe from London.

STEPHEN

Lamb of London, who takest away the sins of our world.

LYNCH

( embracing Kitty on the sofa, chants deeply ) Dona nobis pacem .

(The cigarette slips from Stephen’s fingers. Bloom picks it up and throws it in the grate.)

BLOOM

Don’t smoke. You ought to eat. Cursed dog I met. ( to Zoe ) You have nothing?

ZOE

Is he hungry?

STEPHEN

( extends his hand to her smiling and chants to the air of the bloodoath in The Dusk of the Gods)

Hangende Hunger,

Fragende Frau,

Macht uns alle kaputt.

ZOE

( tragically ) Hamlet, I am thy father’s gimlet! ( she takes his hand ) Blue eyes beauty I’ll read your hand. ( she points to his forehead ) No wit, no wrinkles. ( she counts ) Two, three, Mars, that’s courage. ( Stephen shakes his head ) No kid.

LYNCH

Sheet lightning courage. The youth who could not shiver and shake. ( to Zoe ) Who taught you palmistry?

ZOE

( turns ) Ask my ballocks that I haven’t got. ( to Stephen ) I see it in your face. The eye, like that. ( she frowns with lowered head )

LYNCH

( laughing, slaps Kitty behind twice ) Like that. Pandybat.

(Twice loudly a pandybat cracks, the coffin of the pianola flies open, the bald little round jack-in-the-box head of Father Dolan springs up.)

FATHER DOLAN

Any boy want flogging? Broke his glasses? Lazy idle little schemer. See it in your eye.

(Mild, benign, rectorial, reproving, the head of Don John Conmee rises from the pianola coffin.)

DON JOHN CONMEE

Now, Father Dolan! Now. I’m sure that Stephen is a very good little boy!

ZOE

( examining Stephen’s palm ) Woman’s hand.

STEPHEN

( murmurs ) Continue. Lie. Hold me. Caress. I never could read His handwriting except His criminal thumbprint on the haddock.

ZOE

What day were you born?

STEPHEN

Thursday. Today.

ZOE

Thursday’s child has far to go. ( she traces lines on his hand ) Line of fate. Influential friends.

FLORRY

( pointing ) Imagination.

ZOE

Mount of the moon. You’ll meet with a …. ( she peers at his hands abruptly ) I won’t tell you what’s not good for you. Or do you want to know?

BLOOM

( detaches her fingers and offers his palm ) More harm than good. Here. Read mine.

BELLA

Show. ( she turns up Bloom’s hand ) I thought so. Knobby knuckles for the women.

ZOE

( peering at Bloom’s palm ) Gridiron. Travels beyond the sea and marry money.

BLOOM

Wrong.

ZOE

( quickly ) O, I see. Short little finger. Henpecked husband. That wrong?

(Black Liz, a huge rooster hatching in a chalked circle, rises, stretches her wings and clucks.)

BLACK LIZ

Gara. Klook. Klook. Klook. ( she sidles from her newlaid egg and waddles off )

BLOOM

( points to his hand ) That weal there is an accident. Fell and cut it twentytwo years ago. I was sixteen.

ZOE

I see, says the blind man. Tell us news.

STEPHEN

See? Moves to one great goal. I am twentytwo. Sixteen years ago he was twentytwo too. Sixteen years ago I twentytwo tumbled. Twentytwo years ago he sixteen fell off his hobbyhorse. ( he winces ) Hurt my hand somewhere. Must see a dentist. Money?

(Zoe whispers to Florry. They giggle. Bloom releases his hand and writes idly on the table in backhand, pencilling slow curves.)