Buthehadasayingaboutourclericalfriends，thathewouldneverletoneofthemputhistwofeetunderhismahogany。
Dantebrokeinangrily:——
Ifweareapriest-riddenraceweoughttobeproudofit!TheyaretheappleofGod\'seye。Touchthemnot，saysChrist，fortheyaretheappleofMyeye——
Andcanwenotloveourcountrythen？askedMrCasey。Arewenottofollowthemanthatwasborntoleadus？——
Atraitortohiscountry!repliedDante。Atraitor，anadulterer!
Thepriestswererighttoabandonhim。ThepriestswerealwaysthetruefriendsofIreland——
Werethey，faith？saidMrCasey。
Hethrewhisfistonthetableand，frowningangrily，protrudedonefingerafteranother——
Didn\'tthebishopsofIrelandbetrayusinthetimeoftheunionwhenBishopLaniganpresentedanaddressofloyaltytotheMarquessCornwallis？
Didn\'tthebishopsandpriestsselltheaspirationsoftheircountryin1829inreturnforcatholicemancipation？Didn\'ttheydenouncethefenianmovementfromthepulpitandintheconfessionbox？Anddidn\'ttheydishonourtheashesofTerenceBellewMacManus？
HisfacewasglowingwithangerandStephenfelttheglowrisetohisowncheekasthespokenwordsthrilledhim。MrDedalusutteredaguffawofcoarsescorn——
O，byGod，hecried，IforgotlittleoldPaulCullen!AnotherappleofGod\'seye!
DantebentacrossthetableandcriedtoMrCasey:——
Right!Right!Theywerealwaysright!Godandmoralityandreligioncomefirst。
MrsDedalus，seeingherexcitement，saidtoher:——
MrsRiordan，don\'texciteyourselfansweringthem——
Godandreligionbeforeeverything!Dantecried。Godandreligionbeforetheworld。
MrCaseyraisedhisclenchedfistandbroughtitdownonthetablewithacrash——
Verywellthen，heshoutedhoarsely，ifitcomestothat，noGodforIreland!——
John!John!criedMrDedalus，seizinghisguestbythecoatsleeve。
Dantestaredacrossthetable，hercheeksshaking。MrCaseystruggledupfromhischairandbentacrossthetabletowardsher，scrapingtheairfrombeforehiseyeswithonehandasthoughheweretearingasideacobweb——
NoGodforIreland!hecried。WehavehadtoomuchGodInIreland。
AwaywithGod!——
Blasphemer!Devil!screamedDante，startingtoherfeetandalmostspittinginhisface。
UncleCharlesandMrDedaluspulledMrCaseybackintohischairagain，talkingtohimfrombothsidesreasonably。Hestaredbeforehimoutofhisdarkflamingeyes，repeating:——
AwaywithGod，Isay!
Danteshovedherchairviolentlyasideandleftthetable，upsettinghernapkin-ringwhichrolledslowlyalongthecarpetandcametorestagainstthefootofaneasy-chair。MrsDedalusrosequicklyandfollowedhertowardsthedoor。AtthedoorDanteturnedroundviolentlyandshouteddowntheroom，hercheeksflushedandquiveringwithrage:——
Deviloutofhell!Wewon!Wecrushedhimtodeath!Fiend!
Thedoorslammedbehindher。
MrCasey，freeinghisarmsfromhisholders，suddenlybowedhisheadonhishandswithasobofpain——
PoorParnell!hecriedloudly。Mydeadking!
Hesobbedloudlyandbitterly。
Stephen，raisinghisterror-strickenface，sawthathisfather\'seyeswerefulloftears。
Thefellowstalkedtogetherinlittlegroups。
Onefellowsaid:——
TheywerecaughtneartheHillofLyons——
Whocaughtthem？——
MrGleesonandtheminister。Theywereonacar。Thesamefellowadded:——
Afellowinthehigherlinetoldme。
Flemingasked:——
Butwhydidtheyrunaway，tellus？——
Iknowwhy，CecilThundersaid。Becausetheyhadfeckedcashoutoftherector\'sroom——
Whofeckedit？——
Kickham\'sbrother。Andtheyallwentsharesinit——
Butthatwasstealing。Howcouldtheyhavedonethat？——
Afatlotyouknowaboutit，Thunder!Wellssaid。Iknowwhytheyscut——
Telluswhy——
Iwastoldnotto，Wellssaid——
O，goon，Wells，allsaid。Youmighttellus。Wewon\'tletitout。
Stephenbentforwardhisheadtohear。Wellslookedroundtoseeifanyonewascoming。Thenhesaidsecretly:——
Youknowthealtarwinetheykeepinthepressinthesacristy？——
Yes——
Well，theydrankthatanditwasfoundoutwhodiditbythesmell。
Andthat\'swhytheyranaway，ifyouwanttoknow。
Andthefellowwhohadspokenfirstsaid:——
Yes，that\'swhatIheardtoofromthefellowinthehigherline。
Thefellowsallweresilent。Stephenstoodamongthem，afraidtospeak，listening。Afaintsicknessofawemadehimfeelweak。Howcouldtheyhavedonethat？Hethoughtofthedarksilentsacristy。Thereweredarkwoodenpressestherewherethecrimpedsurpliceslayquietlyfolded。Itwasnotthechapelbutstillyouhadtospeakunderyourbreath。Itwasaholyplace。Herememberedthesummereveninghehadbeentheretobedressedasboatbearer，theeveningoftheProcessiontothelittlealtarinthewood。Astrangeandholyplace。Theboythatheldthecenserhadswungitliftedbythemiddlechaintokeepthecoalslighting。Thatwascalledcharcoal:andithadburnedquietlyasthefellowhadswungitgentlyandhadgivenoffaweaksoursmell。Andthenwhenallwerevestedhehadstoodholdingouttheboattotherectorandtherectorhadputaspoonfulofincenseinitandithadhissedontheredcoals。
Thefellowsweretalkingtogetherinlittlegroupshereandthereontheplayground。Thefellowsseemedtohimtohavegrownsmaller:thatwasbecauseasprinterhadknockedhimdownthedaybefore，afellowoutofsecondofgrammar。Hehadbeenthrownbythefellow\'smachinelightlyonthecinderpathandhisspectacleshadbeenbrokeninthreepiecesandsomeofthegritofthecindershadgoneIntohismouth。
Thatwaswhythefellowsseemedtohimsmallerandfartherawayandthegoalpostssothinandfarandthesoftgreyskysohighup。Buttherewasnoplayonthefootballgroundsforcricketwascoming:andsomesaidthatBarneswouldbeprofandsomesaiditwouldbeFlowers。Andallovertheplaygroundstheywereplayingroundersandbowlingtwistersandlobs。
Andfromhereandfromtherecamethesoundsofthecricketbatsthroughthesoftgreyair。Theysaid:pick，pack，pock，puck:littledropsofwaterinafountainslowlyfallinginthebrimmingbowl。
Athy，whohadbeensilent，saidquietly:——
Youareallwrong。
Allturnedtowardshimeagerly——
Why？——
Doyouknow？——
Whotoldyou？——
Tellus，Athy。
AthypointedacrosstheplaygroundtowhereSimonMoonanwaswalkingbyhimselfkickingastonebeforehim——
Askhim，hesaid。
Thefellowslookedthereandthensaid:——
Whyhim？——
Isheinit？
Athyloweredhisvoiceandsaid:——
Doyouknowwhythosefellowsscut？Iwilltellyoubutyoumustnotletonyouknow——
Tellus，Athy。Goon。Youmightifyouknow。
Hepausedforamomentandthensaidmysteriously:——
TheywerecaughtwithSimonMoonanandTuskerBoyleinthesquareonenight。
Thefellowslookedathimandasked:——
Caught？——
Whatdoing？
Athysaid:——
Smugging。
Allthefellowsweresilent:andAthysaid:——
Andthat\'swhy。
Stephenlookedatthefacesofthefellowsbuttheywerealllookingacrosstheplayground。Hewantedtoasksomebodyaboutit。Whatdidthatmeanaboutthesmugginginthesquare？Whydidthefivefellowsoutofthehigherlinerunawayforthat？Itwasajoke，hethought。SimonMoonanhadniceclothesandonenighthehadshownhimaballofcreamysweetsthatthefellowsofthefootballfifteenhadrolleddowntohimalongthecarpetinthemiddleoftherefectorywhenhewasatthedoor。ItwasthenightofthematchagainsttheBectiveRangers；andtheballwasmadejustlikearedandgreenappleonlyitopenedanditwasfullofthecreamysweets。AndonedayBoylehadsaidthatartelephanthadtwotuskersinsteadoftwotusksandthatwaswhyhewascalledTuskerBoylebutsomefellowscalledhimLadyBoylebecausehewasalwaysathisnails，paringthem。
Eileenhadlongthincoolwhitehandstoobecauseshewasagirl。Theywerelikeivory；onlysoft。
ThatwasthemeaningofTowerofIvorybutprotestantscouldnotunderstanditandmadefunofit。Onedayhehadstoodbesideherlookingintothehotelgrounds。Awaiterwasrunningupatrailofbuntingontheflagstaffandafoxterrierwasscamperingtoandfroonthesunnylawn。Shehadputherhandintohispocketwherehishandwasandhehadfelthowcoolandthinandsoftherhandwas。Shehadsaidthatpocketswerefunnythingstohave:andthenallofasuddenshehadbrokenawayandhadrunlaughingdowntheslopingcurveofthepath。Herfairhairhadstreamedoutbehindherlikegoldinthesun。TowerofIvory。HouseofGold。Bythinkingofthingsyoucouldunderstandthem。
Butwhyinthesquare？Youwenttherewhenyouwantedtodosomething。
Itwasallthickslabsofslateandwatertrickledalldayoutoftinypinholesandtherewasaqueersmellofstalewaterthere。AndbehindthedoorofoneoftheclosetstherewasadrawinginredpencilofabeardedmaninaRomandresswithabrickineachhandandunderneathwasthenameofthedrawing:Balbuswasbuildingawall。Somefellowhaddrawnitthereforacod。Ithadafunnyfacebutitwasverylikeamanwithabeard。Andonthewallofanotherclosettherewaswritteninbackhandinbeautifulwriting:JuliusCaesarwroteTheCalicoBelly。Perhapsthatwaswhytheyweretherebecauseitwasaplacewheresomefellowswrotethingsforcod。ButallthesameitwasqueerwhatAthysaidandthewayhesaidit。Itwasnotacodbecausetheyhadrunaway。Helookedwiththeothersacrosstheplaygroundandbegantofeelafraid。
AtlastFlemingsaid:——
Andwearealltobepunishedforwhatotherfellowsdid？——
Iwon\'tcomeback，seeifIdo，CecilThundersaid。Threedays\'silenceintherefectoryandsendingusupforsixandeighteveryminute——
Yes，saidWells。AndoldBarretthasanewwayoftwistingthenotesothatyoucan\'topenitandfolditagaintoseehowmanyferulaeyouaretoget。Iwon\'tcomebacktoo。
Yes，saidCecilThunder，andtheprefectofstudieswasinsecondofgrammarthismorning——
Letusgetuparebellion，Flemingsaid。Willwe？
Allthefellowsweresilent。Theairwasverysilentandyoucouldhearthecricketbatsbutmoreslowlythanbefore:pick，pock。
Wellsasked:——
Whatisgoingtobedonetothem？——
SimonMoonanandTuskeraregoingtobeflogged，Athysaid，andthefellowsinthehigherlinegottheirchoiceoffloggingorbeingexpelled——
Andwhicharetheytaking？askedthefellowwhohadspokenfirst——
AllaretakingexpulsionexceptCorrigan，Athyanswered。He\'sgoingtobefloggedbyMrGleeson——
Iknowwhy，CecilThundersaid。Heisrightandtheotherfellowsarewrongbecauseafloggingwearsoffafterabitbutafellowthathasbeenexpelledfromcollegeisknownallhislifeonaccountofit。BesidesGleesonwon\'tfloghimhard——
It\'sbestofhisplaynotto，Flemingsaid——
Iwouldn\'tliketobeSimonMoonanandTuskerCecilThundersaid。
ButIdon\'tbelievetheywillbeflogged。Perhapstheywillbesentupfortwicenine——
No，no，saidAthy。They\'llbothgetitonthevitalspot。Wellsrubbedhimselfandsaidinacryingvoice:——
Please，sir，letmeoff!
Athygrinnedandturnedupthesleevesofhisjacket，saying:Itcan\'tbehelped；
Itmustbedone。
SodownwithyourbreechesAndoutwithyourbum。Thefellowslaughed；buthefeltthattheywerealittleafraid。Inthesilenceofthesoftgreyairheheardthecricketbatsfromhereandfromthere:pock。Thatwasasoundtohearbutifyouwerehitthenyouwouldfeelapain。Thepandybatmadeasoundtoobutnotlikethat。Thefellowssaiditwasmadeofwhaleboneandleatherwithleadinside:andhewonderedwhatwasthepainlike。Thereweredifferentkindsofsounds。Alongthincanewouldhaveahighwhistlingsoundandhewonderedwhatwasthatpainlike。Itmadehimshiverytothinkofitandcold:andwhatAthysaidtoo。
Butwhatwastheretolaughatinit？Itmadehimshivery:butthatwasbecauseyoualwaysfeltlikeashiverwhenyouletdownyourtrousers。
Itwasthesameinthebathwhenyouundressedyourself。Hewonderedwhohadtoletthemdown，themasterortheboyhimself。Ohowcouldtheylaughaboutitthatway？
HelookedatAthy\'srolled-upsleevesandknucklyinkyhands。HehadrolleduphissleevestoshowhowMrGleesonwouldrolluphissleeves。
ButMrGleesonhadroundshinycuffsandcleanwhitewristsandfattishwhitehandsandthenailsofthemwerelongandpointed。PerhapsheparedthemtoolikeLadyBoyle。Buttheywereterriblylongandpointednails。
Solongandcrueltheywere，thoughthewhitefattishhandswerenotcruelbutgentle。Andthoughhetrembledwithcoldandfrighttothinkofthecruellongnailsandofthehighwhistlingsoundofthecaneandofthechillyoufeltattheendofyourshirtwhenyouundressedyourselfyethefeltafeelingofqueerquietpleasureinsidehimtothinkofthewhitefattishhands，cleanandstrongandgentle。AndhethoughtofwhatCecilThunderhadsaid:thatMrGleesonwouldnotflogCorriganhard。AndFleminghadsaidhewouldnotbecauseitwasbestofhisplaynotto。ButthatwasnotwhyAvoicefromfaroutontheplaygroundcried:——
Allin!
Andothervoicescried:——
Allin!Allin!
Duringthewritinglessonhesatwithhisarmsfolded，listeningtotheslowscrapingofthepens。MrHarfordwenttoandfromakinglittlesignsinredpencilandsometimessittingbesidetheboytoshowhimhowtoholdhispen。Hehadtriedtospellouttheheadlineforhimselfthoughheknewalreadywhatitwasforitwasthelastofthebook。Zealwithoutprudenceislikeashipadrift。Butthelinesoftheletterswerelikefineinvisiblethreadsanditwasonlybyclosinghisrighteyetightandstaringoutofthelefteyethathecouldmakeoutthefullcurvesofthecapital。
ButMrHarfordwasverydecentandnevergotintoawax。Alltheothermastersgotintodreadfulwaxes。Butwhyweretheytosufferforwhatfellowsinthehigherlinedid？Wellshadsaidthattheyhaddrunksomeofthealtarwineoutofthepressinthesacristyandthatithadbeenfoundoutwhohaddoneitbythesmell。Perhapstheyhadstolenamonstrancetorunawaywithandsellitsomewhere。Thatmusthavebeenaterriblesin，togointherequietlyatnight，toopenthedarkpressandstealtheflashinggoldthingintowhichGodwasputonthealtarinthemiddleofflowersandcandlesatbenedictionwhiletheincensewentupincloudsatbothsidesasthefellowswungthecenserandDominicKellysangthefirstpartbyhimselfinthechoir。ButGodwasnotinitofcoursewhentheystoleit。Butstillitwasastrangeandagreatsineventotouchit。Hethoughtofitwithdeepawe；aterribleandstrangesin:itthrilledhimtothinkofitinthesilencewhenthepensscrapedlightly。Buttodrinkthealtarwineoutofthepressandbefoundoutbythesmellwasasintoo:butitwasnotterribleandstrange。Itonlymadeyoufeelalittlesickishonaccountofthesmellofthewine。Becauseonthedaywhenhehadmadehisfirstholycommunioninthechapelhehadshuthiseyesandopenedhismouthandputouthistonguealittle:andwhentherectorhadstoopeddowntogivehimtheholycommunionhehadsmeltafaintwinysmellofftherector\'sbreathafterthewineofthemass。Thewordwasbeautiful:wine。ItmadeyouthinkofdarkpurplebecausethegrapesweredarkpurplethatgrewinGreeceoutsidehouseslikewhitetemples。
Butthefaintsmelloftherector\'sbreathhadmadehimfeelasickfeelingonthemorningofhisfirstcommunion。Thedayofyourfirstcommunionwasthehappiestdayofyourlife。AndoncealotofgeneralshadaskedNapoleonwhatwasthehappiestdayofhislife。Theythoughthewouldsaythedayhewonsomegreatbattleorthedayhewasmadeanemperor。Buthesaid:——
Gentlemen，thehappiestdayofmylifewasthedayonwhichImademyfirstholycommunion。
FatherArnallcameinandtheLatinlessonbeganandheremainedstill，leaningonthedeskwithhisarmsfolded。FatherArnallgaveoutthetheme-booksandhesaidthattheywerescandalousandthattheywerealltobewrittenoutagainwiththecorrectionsatonce。ButtheworstofallwasFleming\'sthemebecausethepageswerestucktogetherbyablot:andFatherArnallhelditupbyacornerandsaiditwasaninsulttoanymastertosendhimupsuchatheme。ThenheaskedJackLawtontodeclinethenounmareandJackLawtonstoppedattheablativesingularandcouldnotgoonwiththeplural——
Youshouldbeashamedofyourself，saidFatherArnallsternly。You，theleaderoftheclass!
Thenheaskedthenextboyandthenextandthenext。Nobodyknew。FatherArnallbecameveryquiet，moreandmorequietaseachboytriedtoansweritandcouldnot。Buthisfacewasblack-lookingandhiseyeswerestaringthoughhisvoicewassoquiet。ThenheaskedFlemingandFlemingsaidthatthewordhadnoplural。FatherArnallsuddenlyshutthebookandshoutedathim:——
Kneeloutthereinthemiddleoftheclass。YouareoneoftheidlestboysIevermet。Copyoutyourthemesagaintherestofyou。
Flemingmovedheavilyoutofhisplaceandkneltbetweenthetwolastbenches。Theotherboysbentovertheirtheme-booksandbegantowrite。
AsilencefilledtheclassroomandStephen，glancingtimidlyatFatherArnall\'sdarkface，sawthatitwasalittleredfromthewaxhewasIn。
WasthatasinforFatherArnalltobeinawaxorwasheallowedtogetintoawaxwhentheboyswereidlebecausethatmadethemstudybetterorwasheonlylettingontobeinawax？Itwasbecausehewasallowed，becauseapriestwouldknowwhatasinwasandwouldnotdoit。Butifhediditonetimebymistakewhatwouldhedotogotoconfession？Perhapshewouldgotoconfessiontotheminister。Andiftheministerdidithewouldgototherector:andtherectortotheprovincial:andtheprovincialtothegeneralofthejesuits。Thatwascalledtheorder:andhehadheardhisfathersaythattheywereallclevermen。Theycouldallhavebecomehigh-uppeopleintheworldiftheyhadnotbecomejesuits。AndhewonderedwhatFatherArnallandPaddyBarrettwouldhavebecomeandwhatMrMcGladeandMrGleesonwouldhavebecomeiftheyhadnotbecomejesuits。Itwashardtothinkwhatbecauseyouwouldhavetothinkoftheminadifferentwaywithdifferentcolouredcoatsandtrousersandwithbeardsandmoustachesanddifferentkindsofhats。
Thedooropenedquietlyandclosed。Aquickwhisperranthroughtheclass:theprefectofstudies。Therewasaninstantofdeadsilenceandthentheloudcrackofapandybatonthelastdesk。Stephen\'sheartleaptupinfear——
Anyboyswantflogginghere，FatherArnall？criedtheprefectofstudies。Anylazyidleloafersthatwantflogginginthisclass？
HecametothemiddleoftheclassandsawFlemingonhisknees——
Hoho!hecried。Whoisthisboy？Whyisheonhisknees？Whatisyourname，boy？——
Fleming，sir——
Hoho，Fleming!Anidlerofcourse。Icanseeitinyoureye。Whyisheonhisknees，FatherArnall？——
HewroteabadLatintheme，FatherArnallsaid，andhemissedallthequestionsingrammar——
Ofcoursehedid!criedtheprefectofstudies，ofcoursehedid!
Abornidler!Icanseeitinthecornerofhiseye。
Hebangedhispandybatdownonthedeskandcried:——
Up，Fleming!Up，myboy!
Flemingstoodupslowly——
Holdout!criedtheprefectofstudies。
Flemingheldouthishand。Thepandybatcamedownonitwithaloudsmackingsound:one，two，three，four，five，six——
Otherhand!
Thepandybatcamedownagaininsixloudquicksmacks——
Kneeldown!criedtheprefectofstudies。
Flemingkneltdown，squeezinghishandsunderhisarmpits，hisfacecontortedwithpain；butStephenknewhowhardhishandswerebecauseFlemingwasalwaysrubbingrosinintothem。Butperhapshewasingreatpainforthenoiseofthepandybatwasterrible。Stephen\'sheartwasbeatingandfluttering——
Atyourwork，allofyou!shoutedtheprefectofstudies。Wewantnolazyidleloafershere，lazyidlelittleschemers。Atyourwork，Itellyou。FatherDolanwillbeintoseeyoueveryday。FatherDolanwillbeintomorrow。
Hepokedoneoftheboysinthesidewithhispandybat，saying:——
You，boy!WhenwillFatherDolanbeinagain？——
Tomorrow，sir，saidTomFurlong\'svoice——
Tomorrowandtomorrowandtomorrow，saidtheprefectofstudies。
Makeupyourmindsforthat。EverydayFatherDolan。Writeaway。You，boy，whoareyou？
Stephen\'sheartjumpedsuddenly——
Dedalus，sir——
Whyareyounotwritingliketheothers？——
ImyHecouldnotspeakwithfright——
Whyishenotwriting，FatherArnall？——
Hebrokehisglasses，saidFatherArnall，andIexemptedhimfromwork——
Broke？WhatisthisIhear？Whatisthisyournameis!saidtheprefectofstudies——
Dedalus，sir——
Outhere，Dedalus。Lazylittleschemer。Iseeschemerinyourface。
Wheredidyoubreakyourglasses？
Stephenstumbledintothemiddleoftheclass，blindedbyfearandhaste——
Wheredidyoubreakyourglasses？repeatedtheprefectofstudies——
Thecinder-path，sir——
Hoho!Thecinder-path!criedtheprefectofstudies。Iknowthattrick。
StephenliftedhiseyesinwonderandsawforamomentFatherDolan\'swhite-greynotyoungface，hisbaldywhite-greyheadwithfluffatthesidesofit，thesteelrimsofhisspectaclesandhisno-colouredeyeslookingthroughtheglasses。Whydidhesayheknewthattrick？——
Lazyidlelittleloafer!criedtheprefectofstudies。Brokemyglasses!
Anoldschoolboytrick!Outwithyourhandthismoment!
Stephenclosedhiseyesandheldoutintheairhistremblinghandwiththepalmupwards。Hefelttheprefectofstudiestouchitforamomentatthefingerstostraightenitandthentheswishofthesleeveofthesoutaneasthepandybatwasliftedtostrike。Ahotburningstingingtinglingblowliketheloudcrackofabrokenstickmadehistremblinghandcrumpletogetherlikealeafinthefire:andatthesoundandthepainscaldingtearsweredrivenintohiseyes。Hiswholebodywasshakingwithfright，hisarmwasshakingandhiscrumpledburninglividhandshooklikealooseleafintheair。Acrysprangtohislips，aprayertobeletoff。Butthoughthetearsscaldedhiseyesandhislimbsquiveredwithpainandfrightheheldbackthehottearsandthecrythatscaldedhisthroat——
Otherhand!shoutedtheprefectofstudies。
Stephendrewbackhismaimedandquiveringrightarmandheldouthislefthand。Thesoutanesleeveswishedagainasthepandybatwasliftedandaloudcrashingsoundandafiercemaddeningtinglingburningpainmadehishandshrinktogetherwiththepalmsandfingersinalividquiveringmass。Thescaldingwaterburstforthfromhiseyesand，burningwithshameandagonyandfear，hedrewbackhisshakingarminterrorandburstoutintoawhineofpain。Hisbodyshookwithapalsyoffrightandinshameandragehefeltthescaldingcrycomefromhisthroatandthescaldingtearsfallingoutofhiseyesanddownhisflamingcheeks——
Kneeldown，criedtheprefectofstudies。
Stephenkneltdownquicklypressinghisbeatenhandstohissides。Tothinkofthembeatenandswollenwithpainallinamomentmadehimfeelsosorryforthemasiftheywerenothisownbutsomeoneelse\'sthathefeltsorryfor。Andasheknelt，calmingthelastsobsinhisthroatandfeelingtheburningtinglingpainpressedintohissides，hethoughtofthehandswhichhehadheldoutintheairwiththepalmsupandofthefirmtouchoftheprefectofstudieswhenhehadsteadiedtheshakingfingersandofthebeatenswollenreddenedmassofpalmandfingersthatshookhelplesslyintheair——
Getatyourwork，allofyou，criedtheprefectofstudiesfromthedoor。FatherDolanwillbeineverydaytoseeifanyboy，anylazyidlelittleloaferwantsflogging。Everyday。Everyday。
Thedoorclosedbehindhim。
Thehushedclasscontinuedtocopyoutthethemes。FatherArnallrosefromhisseatandwentamongthem，helpingtheboyswithgentlewordsandtellingthemthemistakestheyhadmade。Hisvoicewasverygentleandsoft。ThenhereturnedtohisseatandsaidtoFlemingandStephen:——
Youmayreturntoyourplaces，youtwo。
FlemingandStephenroseand，walkingtotheirseats，satdown。Stephen，scarletwithshame，openedabookquicklywithoneweakhandandbentdownuponit，hisfaceclosetothepage。
Itwasunfairandcruelbecausethedoctorhadtoldhimnottoreadwithoutglassesandhehadwrittenhometohisfatherthatmorningtosendhimanewpair。AndFatherArnallhadsaidthatheneednotstudytillthenewglassescame。ThentobecalledaschemerbeforetheclassandtobepandiedwhenhealwaysgotthecardforfirstorsecondandwastheleaderoftheYorkists!Howcouldtheprefectofstudiesknowthatitwasatrick？Hefeltthetouchoftheprefect\'sfingersastheyhadsteadiedhishandandatfirsthehadthoughthewasgoingtoshakehandswithhimbecausethefingersweresoftandfirm:buttheninaninstanthehadheardtheswishofthesoutanesleeveandthecrash。Itwascruelandunfairtomakehimkneelinthemiddleoftheclassthen:andFatherArnallhadtoldthemboththattheymightreturntotheirplaceswithoutmakinganydifferencebetweenthem。HelistenedtoFatherArnall\'slowandgentlevoiceashecorrectedthethemes。Perhapshewassorrynowandwantedtobedecent。Butitwasunfairandcruel。Theprefectofstudieswasapriestbutthatwascruelandunfair。Andhiswhite-greyfaceandtheno-colouredeyesbehindthesteel-rimmedspectacleswerecruellookingbecausehehadsteadiedthehandfirstwithhisfirmsoftfingersandthatwastohititbetterandlouder——
It\'sastinkingmeanthing，that\'swhatitis，saidFleminginthecorridorastheclasseswerepassingoutinfiletotherefectory，topandyafellowforwhatisnothisfault——
Youreallybrokeyourglassesbyaccident，didn\'tyou？NastyRocheasked。
StephenfelthisheartfilledbyFleming\'swordsanddidnotanswer——
Ofcoursehedid!saidFleming。Iwouldn\'tstandit。I\'dgoupandtelltherectoronhim——
Yes，saidCecilThundereagerly，andIsawhimliftthepandy-batoverhisshoulderandhe\'snotallowedtodothat——
Didtheyhurtyoumuch？NastyRocheasked——
Verymuch，Stephensaid——
Iwouldn\'tstandit，Flemingrepeated，fromBaldyheadoranyotherBaldyhead。It\'sastinkingmeanlowtrick，that\'swhatitis。I\'dgostraightuptotherectorandtellhimaboutitafterdinner——
Yes，do。Yes，do，saidCecilThunder——
Yes，do。Yes，goupandtelltherectoronhim，Dedalus，saidNastyRoche，becausehesaidthathe\'dcomeintomorrowagainandpandyyou——
Yes，yes。Telltherector，allsaid。
Andthereweresomefellowsoutofsecondofgrammarlisteningandoneofthemsaid:——
ThesenateandtheRomanpeopledeclaredthatDedalushadbeenwronglypunished。
Itwaswrong；itwasunfairandcruel；and，ashesatintherefectory，hesufferedtimeaftertimeinmemorythesamehumiliationuntilhebegantowonderwhetheritmightnotreallybethattherewassomethinginhisfacewhichmadehimlooklikeaschemerandhewishedhehadalittlemirrortosee。Buttherecouldnotbe；anditwasunjustandcruelandunfair。
HecouldnoteattheblackishfishfritterstheygotonWednesdaysinlentandoneofhispotatoeshadthemarkofthespadeinit。Yes，hewoulddowhatthefellowshadtoldhim。Hewouldgoupandtelltherectorthathehadbeenwronglypunished。Athinglikethathadbeendonebeforebysomebodyinhistory，bysomegreatpersonwhoseheadwasinthebooksofhistory。AndtherectorwoulddeclarethathehadbeenwronglypunishedbecausethesenateandtheRomanpeoplealwaysdeclaredthatthemenwhodidthathadbeenwronglypunished。ThosewerethegreatmenwhosenameswereinRichmalMagnall\'sQuestions。HistorywasallaboutthosemenandwhattheydidandthatwaswhatPeterParley\'sTalesaboutGreeceandRomewereallabout。PeterParleyhimselfwasonthefirstpageinapicture。
Therewasaroadoveraheathwithgrassatthesideandlittlebushes:
andPeterParleyhadabroadhatlikeaprotestantministerandabigstickandhewaswalkingfastalongtheroadtoGreeceandRome。
Itwaseasywhathehadtodo。Allhehadtodowaswhenthedinnerwasoverandhecameoutinhisturntogoonwalkingbutnotouttothecorridorbutupthestaircaseontherightthatledtothecastle。Hehadnothingtodobutthat:toturntotherightandwalkfastupthestaircaseandinhalfaminutehewouldbeinthelowdarknarrowcorridorthatledthroughthecastletotherector\'sroom。Andeveryfellowhadsaidthatitwasunfair，eventhefellowoutofsecondofgrammarwhohadsaidthataboutthesenateandtheRomanpeople。
Whatwouldhappen？
Heheardthefellowsofthehigherlinestandupatthetopoftherefectoryandheardtheirstepsastheycamedownthematting:PaddyRathandJimmyMageeandtheSpaniardandthePortugueseandthefifthwasbigCorriganwhowasgoingtobefloggedbyMrGleeson。Thatwaswhytheprefectofstudieshadcalledhimaschemerandpandiedhimfornothing:and，straininghisweakeyes，tiredwiththetears，hewatchedbigCorrigan\'sbroadshouldersandbighangingblackheadpassinginthefile。ButhehaddonesomethingandbesidesMrGleesonwouldnotfloghimhard:andherememberedhowbigCorriganlookedinthebath。Hehadskinthesamecolourastheturf-colouredbogwaterintheshallowendofthebathandwhenhewalkedalongthesidehisfeetslappedloudlyonthewettilesandateverystephisthighsshookalittlebecausehewasfat。
Therefectorywashalfemptyandthefellowswerestillpassingoutinfile。Hecouldgoupthestaircasebecausetherewasneverapriestoraprefectoutsidetherefectorydoor。Buthecouldnotgo。Therectorwouldsidewiththeprefectofstudiesandthinkitwasaschoolboytrickandthentheprefectofstudieswouldcomeineverydaythesame，onlyitwouldbeworsebecausehewouldbedreadfullywaxyatanyfellowgoinguptotherectorabouthim。Thefellowshadtoldhimtogobuttheywouldnotgothemselves。Theyhadforgottenallaboutit。No，itwasbesttoforgetallaboutitandperhapstheprefectofstudieshadOnlysaidhewouldcomein。No，itwasbesttohideoutofthewaybecausewhenyouweresmallandyoungyoucouldoftenescapethatway。