尤利西斯-第77章

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　vineleaves；　smiling　at　Vincent。　That　answer　and　those　leaves；　Vincent　said　to　him；　will　adorn　you　more　fitly　when　something　more；　and　greatly　more；　than　a　capful　of　light　odes　can　call　your　genius　father。　All　who　wish　you　well　hope　this　for　you。　All　desire　to　see　you　bring　forth　the　work　you　meditate。　I　heartily　wish　you　may　not　fail　them。　O　no；　Vincent；　Lenehan　said；　laying　a　hand　on　the　shoulder　near　him；　have　no　fear。　He　could　not　leave　his　mother　an　orphan。　The　young　mans　face　grew　dark。　All　could　see　how　hard　it　was　for　him　to　be　reminded　of　his　promise　and　of　his　recent　loss。　He　would　have　withdrawn　from　the　feast　had　not　the　noise　of　voices　allayed　the　smart。　Madden　had　lost　five　drachmas　on　Sceptre　for　a　whim　of　the　rider's　name：　Lenehan　as　much　more。　He　told　them　of　the　race。　The　flag　fell　and；　huuh；　off；　scamper；　the　mare　ran　out　freshly　with　O。　Madden　up。　She　was　leading　the　field：　all　hearts　were　beating。　Even　Phyllis　could　not　contain　herself。　She　waved　her　scarf　and　cried：　Huzzah！　Sceptre　wins！　But　in　the　straight　on　the　run　home　when　all　were　in　close　order　the　dark　horse　Throwaway　drew　level；　reached；　outstripped　her。　All　was　lost　now。　Phyllis　was　silent：　her　eyes　were　sad　anemones。　Juno；　she　cried；　I　am　undone。　But　her　lover　consoled　her　and　brought　her　a　bright　casket　of　gold　in　which　lay　some　oval　sugarplums　which　she　partook。　A　tear　fell：　one　only。　A　whacking　fine　whip；　said　Lenehan；　is　W。　Lane。　Four　winners　yesterday　and　three　today。　What　rider　is　like　him？　Mount　him　on　the　camel　or　the　boisterous　buffalo　the　victory　in　a　hack　canter　is　still　his。　But　let　us　bear　it　as　was　the　ancient　wont。　Mercy　on　the　luckless！　Poor　Sceptre！　he　said　with　a　light　sigh。　She　is　not　the　filly　that　she　was。　Never；　by　this　hand；　shall　we　behold　such　another。　By　gad；　sir；　a　queen　of　them。　Do　you　remember　her；　Vincent？　I　wish　you　could　have　seen　my　queen　today；　Vincent　said；　how　young　she　was　and　radiant　（Lalage　were　scarce　fair　beside　her）　in　her　yellow　shoes　and　frock　of　muslin；　I　do　not　know　the　right　name　of　it。　The　chestnuts　that　shaded　us　were　in　bloom：　the　air　drooped　with　their　persuasive　odour　and　with　pollen　floating　by　us。　In　the　sunny　patches　one　might　easily　have　cooked　on　a　stone　a　batch　of　those　buns　with　Corinth　fruit　in　them　that　Periplepomenos　sells　in　his　booth　near　the　bridge。　But　she　had　nought　for　her　teeth　but　the　arm　with　which　I　held　her　and　in　that　she　nibbled　mischievously　when　I　pressed　too　dose。　A　week　ago　she　lay　ill；　four　days　on　the　couch；　but　today　she　was　free；　blithe；　mocked　at　peril。　She　is　more　taking　then。　Her　posies　too！　Mad　romp　that　it　is；　she　had　pulled　her　fill　as　we　reclined　together。　And　in　your　ear；　my　friend；　you　will　not　think　who　met　us　as　we　left　the　field。　Conmee　himself！　He　was　walking　by　the　hedge；　reading；　I　think　a　brevier　book　with；　I　doubt　not；　a　witty　letter　in　it　from　Glycera　or　Chloe　to　keep　the　page。　The　sweet　creature　turned　all　colours　in　her　confusion；　feigning　to　reprove　a　slight　disorder　in　her　dress：　a　slip　of　underwood　clung　there　for　the　very　trees　adore　her。　When　conmee　had　passed　she　glanced　at　her　lovely　echo　in　the　little　mirror　she　carries。　But　he　had　been　kind。　In　going　by　he　had　blessed　us。　The　gods　too　are　ever　kind；　Lenehan　said。　If　I　had　poor　luck　with　Bass's　mare　perhaps　this　draught　of　his　may　serve　me　more　propensely。　He　was　laying　his　hand　upon　a　winejar：　Malachi　saw　it　and　withheld　his　act；　pointing　to　the　stranger　and　to　the　scarlet　label。　Warily；　Malachi　whispered；　preserve　a　druid　silence。　His　soul　is　far　away。　It　is　as　painful　perhaps　to　be　awakened　from　a　vision　as　to　be　born。　Any　object；　intensely　regarded；　may　be　a　gate　of　access　to　the　incorruptible　eon　of　the　gods。　Do　you　not　think　it；　Stephen？　Theosophos　told　me　so；　Stephen　answered；　whom　in　a　previous　existence　Egyptian　priests　initiated　into　the　mysteries　of　karmic　law。　The　lords　of　the　moon；　Theosophos　told　me；　an　orange…fiery　shipload　from　planet　Alpha　of　the　lunar　chain；　would　not　assume　the　etheric　doubles　and　these　were　therefore　incarnated　by　the　ruby…coloured　egos　from　the　second　constellation。　
However；　as　a　matter　of　fact　though；　the　preposterous　surmise　about　him　being　in　some　description　of　a　doldrums　or　other　or　mesmerised；　which　was　entirely　due　to　a　misconception　of　the　shallowest　character；　was　not　the　case　at　all。　The　individual　whose　visual　organs；　while　the　above　was　going　on；　were　at　this　juncture　mencing　to　exhibit　symptoms　of　animation；　was　as　astute　if　not　astuter　than　any　man　living　and　anybody　that　conjectured　the　contrary　would　have　found　themselves　pretty　speedily　in　the　wrong　shop。　During　the　past　four　minutes　or　thereabouts　he　had　been　staring　hard　at　a　certain　amount　of　number　one　Bass　bottled　by　Messrs　Bass　and　Co　at　Burton…on…Trent　which　happened　to　be　situated　amongst　a　lot　of　others　right　opposite　to　where　he　was　and　which　was　certainly　calculated　to　attract　anyone's　remark　on　account　of　its　scarlet　appearance。　He　was　simply　and　solely；　as　it　subsequently　transpired　for　reasons　best　known　to　himself　which　put　quite　an　altogether　different　plexion　on　the　proceedings；　after　the　moment　before's　observations　about　boyhood　days　and　the　turf；　recollecting　two　or　three　private　transactions　of　his　own　which　the　other　two　were　as　mutually　innocent　of　as　the　babe　unborn。　Eventually；　however；　both　their　eyes　met　and；　as　soon　as　it　began　to　dawn　on　him　that　the　other　was　endeavouring　to　help　himself　to　the　thing；　he　involuntarily　determined　to　help　him　himself　and　so　he　accordingly　took　hold　of　the　mediumsized　glass　recipient　which　contained　the　fluid　sought　after　and　made　a　capacious　hole　in　it　by　pouring　a　lot　of　it　out　with；　also　at　the　same　time　however；　a　considerable　degree　of　attentiveness　in　order　not　to　upset　any　of　the　beer　that　was　in　it　about　the　place。　
The　debate　which　ensued　was　in　its　scope　and　progress　an　epitome　of　the　course　of　life。　Neither　place　nor　council　was　lacking　in　dignity。　The　debaters　were　the　keenest　in　the　land；　the　theme　they　were　engaged　on　the　loftiest　and　most　vital。　The　high　hall　of　Horne's　house　had　never　beheld　an　assembly　so　representative　and　so　varied　nor　had　the　old　rafters　of　that　establishment　ever　listened　to　a　language　so　encyclopaedic。　A　gallant　scene　in　truth　it　made。　Crothers　was　there　at　the　foot　of　the　table　in　his　striking　Highland　garb；　his　face　glowing　from　the　briny　airs　of　the　Mull　of　Galloway。　There　too；　opposite　to　him　was　Lynch；　whose　countenance　bore　already　the　stigmata　of　early　depravity　and　premature　wisdom。　Next　the　Scotchman　was　the　place　assigned　to　Costello；　the　eccentric；　while　at　his　side　was　seated　in　stolid　repose　the　squat　form　of　Madden。　The　chair　of　the　resident　indeed　stood　vacant　before　the　hearth　but　on　either　flank　of　it　the　figure　of　Bannon　in　explorer's　kit　of　tweed　shorts　and　salted　cowhide　brogues　contrasted　sharply　with　the　primrose　elegance　and　townbred　manners　of　Malachi　Roland　St　John　Mulligan。　ly　at　the　head　of　the　board　was　the　young　poet　who　found　a　refuge　from　his　labours　of　pedagogy　and　metaphysical　inquisition　in　the　convivial　atmosphere　of　Socratic　discussion；　while　to　right　and　left　of　him　were　acmodated　the　flippant　prognosticator；　fresh　from　the　hippodrome；　and　that　vigilant　wanderer；　soiled　by　the　dust　of　travel　and　bat　and　stained　by　the　mire　of　an　indelible　dishonour；　but　from　whose　steadfast　and　constant　heart　no　lure　or　peril　or　threat　or　degradation　could　ever　efface　the　image　of　that　voluptuous　loveliness　which　the　inspired　pencil　of　Lafayette　has　limned　for　ages　yet　to　e。　
It　had　better　be　stated　here　and　now　at　the　outset　that　the　perverted　transcendentalism　to　which　Mr　S。　Dedalus'　（Div。　Scep。）　contentions　would　appear　to　prove　him　pretty　badly　addicted　runs　directly　counter　to　accepted　scientific　methods。　Science；　it　cannot　be　too　often　repeated；　deals　with　tangible　phenomena。　The　man　of　science　like　the　man　in　the　street　has　to　face　hardheaded　facts　that　cannot　be　blinked　and　explain　them　as　best　he　can。　There　may　be；　it　is　true；　some　questions　which　science　cannot　answer　…　at　present　…　such　as　the　first　problem　submitted　by　Mr　L。　Bloom　（Pubb。　Canv。）　regarding　the　future　determination　of　sex。　Must　we　accept　the　view　of　Empedocles　of　Trinacria　that　the　right　ovary　（the　postmenstrual　period；　assert　others）　is　responsible　for　the　birth　of　males　or　are　the　too　long　neglected　spermatozoa　or　nemasperms　the　differentiating　factors　or　is　it；　as　most　embryologists　incline　to　opine；　such　as　Culpepper；　Spallanzani；　Blumenbach；　Lusk；　Hertwig；　Leopold　and　Valenti；　a　mixture　of　both？　This　would　be　tantamount　to　a　cooperation　（one　of　nature's　favourite　devices）　between　the　nisus　formativus　of　the　nemasperm　on　the　one　hand　and　on　the　other　a　happily　chosen　position；　succubitus　felix；　of　the　passive　element。　The　other　problem　raised　by　the　same　inquirer　is　scarcely　less　vital：　infant　mortality。　It　is　interesting　because；　as　he　pertinently　remarks；　we　are　all　born　in　the　same　way　but　we　all　die　in　different　ways。　Mr　M。　Mulligan　（Hyg。　et　Eug。　Doc。）　blames　the　sanitary　conditions　in　which　our　greylunged　citizens　contract　adenoids；　pulmonary　plaints　etc。　by　inhaling　the　bacteria　which　lurk　in　dust。　These　facts；　he　alleges；　and　the　revolting　spectacles　offered　by　our　streets；　hideous　publicity　posters；　religious　ministers　of　all　denominations；　mutilated　soldiers　and　sailors；　exposed　scorbutic　cardrivers；　the　suspended　carcases　of　dead　animals；　paranoic　bachelors　and　unfructified　duennas　…　these；　he　said；　were　accountable　for　any　and　every　fallingoff　in　the　calibre　of　the　race。　Kalipedia；　he　prophesied；　would　soon　be　generally　adopted　and　all　the　graces　of　life；　genuinely　good　music；　agreeable　literature；　light　philosophy；　instructive　pictures；　plastercast　reproductions　of　the　classical　statues　such　as　Venus　and　Apollo；　artistic　coloured　photographs　of　prize　babies；　all　these　little　attentions　would　enable　ladies　who　were　in　a　particular　condition　to　pass　the　intervening　months　in　a　most　enjoyable　manner。　Mr　J。　Crotthers　（Disc。　Bacc。）　attributes　some　of　these　demises　to　abnormal　trauma　in　the　case　of　women　workers　subjected　to　heavy　labours　in　the　workshop　and　to　marital　discipline　in　the　home　but　by　far　the　vast　majority　to　neglect；　private　or　official；　culminating　in　the　exposure　of　newborn　infants；　the　practice　of　criminal　abortion　or　in　the　atrocious　crime　of　infanticide。　Although　the　former　（we　are　thinking　of　neglect）　is　undoubtedly　only　too　true　the　case　he　cites　of　nurses　forgetting　to　count　the　sponges　In　the　peritoneal　cavity　is　too　rare　to　be　normative。　In　fact　when　one　es　to　look　into　it　the　wonder　is　that　so　many　pregnancies　and　deliveries　go　off　so　well　as　they　do；　all　things　considered　and　in　spite　of　our　human　shortings　which　often　balk　nature　in　her　intentions。　An　ingenious　suggestion　is　that　thrown　out　by　Mr　V。　Lynch　（Bacc。　Arith。）　that　both　natality　and　mortality；　as　well　as　all　other　phenomena　of　evolution；　tidal　movements；　lunar　phases；　blood　temperatures；　diseases　in　general；　everything；　in　fine；　in　nature's　vast　workshop　from　the　extinction　of　some　remote　sun　to　the　blossoming　of　one　of　the　countless　flowers　which　beautify　our　public　parks；　is　subject　to　a　law　of　numeration　as　yet　unascertained。　Still　the　plain　straightforward　question　why　a　child　of　normally　healthy　parent