Улисс
Chapter 1
—ButIsuspect,Stepheninterrupted,thatIrelandmustbeimportantbecauseitbelongstome.
—Whatbelongs,queriedMrBloombending,fancyinghewasperhapsundersomemisapprehension.Excuseme.Unfortunately,Ididn’tcatchthelatterportion.Whatwasityou...?
Stephen,patentlycrosstempered,repeatedandshovedasidehismugofcoffeeorwhateveryouliketocallitnonetoopolitely,adding:
—Wecan’tchangethecountry.Letuschangethesubject.
AtthispertinentsuggestionMrBloom,tochangethesubject,lookeddownbutinaquandary,ashecouldn’ttellexactlywhatconstructiontoputonbelongstowhichsoundedratherafarcry.Therebukeofsomekindwasclearerthantheotherpart.Needlesstosaythefumesofhisrecentorgyspokethenwithsomeasperityinacuriousbitterwayforeigntohissoberstate.ProbablythehomelifetowhichMrBattachedtheutmostimportancehadnotbeenallthatwasneedfulorhehadn’tbeenfamiliarisedwiththerightsortofpeople.WithatouchoffearfortheyoungmanbesidehimwhomhefurtivelyscrutinisedwithanairofsomeconsternationrememberinghehadjustcomebackfromParis,theeyesmoreespeciallyremindinghimforciblyoffatherandsister,failingtothrowmuchlightonthesubject,however,hebroughttomindinstancesofculturedfellowsthatpromisedsobrilliantlynippedinthebudofprematuredecayandnobodytoblamebutthemselves.
