We read as far as "Will eat anything." (Gabler 8.1068) Penguin (230.12)
(By the way, unless otherwise mentioned, the page numbers mentioned refer to the 1992 Penguin edition.)
Last week we had left Mr. Bloom having his lunch in Davy Byrne's.
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He ate his strips of sandwich, fresh clean bread, with relish of disgust pungent mustard, the ferry savor of green cheese. Sips of his wine soothed his palate. Nosey Flynn is also there, sipping his grog, and wondering loudly about which horse to bet on in that day's Gold Cup Race. Davy Byrne cannot help, saying, "I'm off that." Bloom decides not to say anything too because he is afraid Flynn will lose more (by betting on a horse.)
Bloom realizes that the wine tasted better as he was not thirsty. Perhaps he can (go home?) at about six o'clock. Time will be gone then. (What he no doubt means is that the visit will be over by six o'clock.) His eyes unhungrily saw shelves of tins of seafood. Bloom then muses over the various kinds of odd things people pick up for food. Of how the animals are picked, treated, cooked, the kind of food rich people eat,... Thinking of Oysters, for example, he recalls seeing that morning, on the way to the Dignam's funeral, Boylan in front of the Red Bank (a seafood restaurant).
Stuck on the pane two flies buzzed, stuck. Their buzzing reminds Bloom of the time he had spent on the Howth with Molly, how the bay looked, how she passed on a piece of seedcake from her mouth to his, how her eyes were like flowers, take me, willing eyes, how he kissed her, how she kissed him,.. He thinks, she kissed me. Me. And me now. (Here Bloom is thinking of one of the nicest moments of his life. She had kissed him. Him. Now he is knows that Boylan will be visiting Molly that afternoon, and so has kept out of the house.)
His downcast eyes followed the silent veining of the oaken slab. At the counter of Davy Byrne's bar. These veins in the wood make him think of curves, of lovely forms of women, of sculptures. The next question that arises in his mind is whether these lovely sculptures have ...? Because we stuffing food in one hole and out behind. They have no. (that anatomical feature Bloom is curious of, is not mentioned.) Bloom, who has never looked whether or not they have any.., decides to go to the National Library to investigate the sculptures. (The National Library houses many such sculptures). He would bend down as if he is retrieving something he dropped, so that the keeper won't see what he is up to!
Bloom has to go out of the bar quickly. In his absence Nosey Flynn and Davy Byrne discuss about him, coming finally to the conclusion that He's not too bad. By then new customers walk in- Paddy Leonard, Bantam Lyons and Tom Rockford. (Bloom had passed on his paper that morning to Bantam Lyons saying that he was about to throwaway the paper anyway.)
Mr Bloom walked towards Dawson street. Wandering, wondering about many things. For instance, for some reason not apparent, he thinks of the final aria of Don Giovanni. He dreams about how much money he could make if he gets ads from Keyes, Prescott's,... What all could he do with that money? Could buy one of those silk petticoats for Molly, tour the south,... At the same time, he is trying not to think. Of what is to happen today.
He sees a loafer outside the pub, John Long's. And the notice that says, "Handy man wants job. Small wages. Will eat anything.
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