The reading stopped at "... Parliament street." (10.981)
Summary:
On this morning Tom Kernan is on his rounds to get orders for Tea. He has already secured an order for Pulbrook Robertson, his employer, and now he is talking to Mr Crimmins, a tea, wine and spirits merchant. After exchanging comments on the disaster of the ship, General Slocum, on the East River, in New York, the day before, and enjoying a thimbleful of his best gin before securing an order for Tea, Kernan continues on his way. Immersed in thoughts he misses a cavalcade that passes.
We soon meet Stephen. Where Stephen is, there is the talk of literature and philosophy. Classical literature, Greek philosophy. And here it has many echoes from earlier episodes. Passing on along the powerhouse and Clohissey's book shop, he stops to look at the books displayed on a cart when Dilly comes along. She has just spent a penny she got from her father and bought a coverless book on French grammar. Stephen, looking at her, thinks how she resembles him. He feels sorry for her but does not do anything to help his little sister.
Later we meet Simon Dedalus and Father Cowley. (We had met another “Father”, Father Conmee, earlier in the episode.) Father Cowley’s is another portrait of the poverty prevalent at the time in Dublin. He owes money to his landlord and others. So two men are at his back to make him pay. As Father Cowley has no way of paying off his debts, he is waiting for Ben Dollard, who he hopes will get these bailiffs off his back for a while.
Martin Cunningham and Mr Power are also out, as is John Wyse Nolan, who has a list of donations for Patrick Dignam's family. Bloom also enters the picture here though not in person. He had put his name down for five shillings (10.974). And had in fact put down [paid] the five shillings too (10.975). Seeing this, John Wyse Nolan quotes from act 1, scene 3rd of The Merchant of Venice, saying, “There is much kindness in the jew” (10.980). We realize then that this act of Bloom is acknowledged by others as a real kind one.
We also become here aware of new faces. Among these are Miss Kennedy and Miss Douce, whom we meet again in the Ormond hotel in Sirens, episode 11.
