{ms, 032}

(Stephen's mother ^|1|xemaciated^x|1| rises stark through the floor. She is in white., Her face worn and green with gravemould. Her hair is almost ^|1all^1| fallen ^|1|xbluecircled hollow eyesockets^x|1|)

^|1Buck Mulligan in particoloured jester's dress of puce and yellow, clown's cap with curlingbell stands gaping at her, a smoking scone in his hand.^1|

^|1Buck Mulligan

Kinch killed her (tears of molten butter fall from his eyes on the scone) The pity of it! Our great sweet mother!^1|

Stephen's Mother

^|1I am dead, Stephen.^1| We must all ^|1go through it die^1|. ^|1I was once the beautiful May Goulding^{1| |1}There are more women than men in the world. All must go through that.^1| You too, Stephen. ^|1(holds out hand)^1|

Stephen

(horrorstricken) ^|1No. Lemur! No.^1|

Stephen's Mother

You too, Stephen. Time will come.

Stephen

(choking with fright and remorse) They say I killed you^|1, mother^1|. It was cancer. Not I. Mother!

Stephen's Mother

^|1I pray for you in my world. That saved you ^|awhen the night^a| you jumped into the train at Dalkey. Prayer ^|ais & indulgences are^a| allpowerful. Prayer to the Sacred Heart ^|afor the suffering souls^a|.

^|b(a ^|cblack green^c| rill of unread corpsetreacle ^|ctrickles^c| falling from one side of her mouth)^b| Years & years I loved you when you lay in my womb. ^|bwho had pity for you when you were sad among the strangers?^b|a|1|

(with ^|1piercing smouldering^1| eyes) There is a word known to all men. Stephen! (she raises her right hand slowly with outstretched finger ^|1to Stephen's breast^1|) Beware! ^|1God's hand, Stephen.^1|

(A green crab with malignant red eyes fixes deep its grinning claws in Stephen's heart)

Stephen

(voiceless with rage) Shite on him.

Stephen's Mother

(wrings her hands ^|1slowly desperately^1|, moaning wr) O, Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on him! Save him, Sacred Heart! Have mercy on Stephen, Lord, for my sake. Inexpressible was my ^|1agony anguish^1| when expiring with love ^|1grief & agony on Mount Calvary^1|