The reading stopped at " . . . bottom of the ashpit." (18.747)
Summary:
At this point, Molly is mainly concerned about female and male anatomy, love making, her earlier life in Gibraltar and her loneliness in Dublin.
She thinks of her breasts in particular and breasts in general (curious the way its made 2 the same in case of twins theyre supposed to represent beauty . . .) In any case, it is obvious that Molly does not care much for the anatomy of the male either (they hide it with a cabbageleaf . . .) Still she feels as if she is on fire and can hardly wait for Monday when Boylan is supposed to visit her again.
Molly fondly remembers the Stanhope couple she was friends with while she lived in Gibraltar. Mrs Stanhope had given her books such as Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, East Lynne as well as The Shadow of Ashlydyat by Mrs Henry Wood and many more. Mr Stanhope, who was older than his wife was also awfully fond of Molly. After they left Gibraltar, Molly was quite lonely. She thinks of the letter she had got from Mrs Stanhope and her sending a frock from Paris. Molly feels quite lonely in Dublin too. So lonely that she posts letters to herself, letters containing only bits of paper in them. When frseeeeeeeefronnnng, the whistling sound of a train interferes her thoughts, Molly wonders about the poor men that have to be out all the night from their wives and families in those roasting engines . . . In this she comes across as quite a sympathetic person, caring, like Bloom, for people in unenviable.
