Hark!

Tolv two elf kater ten (it can't be) sax.

Hork!

Pedwar pemp foify tray (it must be) twelve!

And low stole o'er the stillness the heartbeats of sleep.

White fogbow spans. The arch embattled. Mark has capsules. The nose of the man who was nought like the nasoes. It is selftinted, wrinkling, ruddled. His kep is a gorsecone. He am Gascon Titubante of Tegmine-sub-Fagi whose fixtures are mobiling so wobiling befear my remembrandts. She, exhibit next, his Anastashie. She has prayings in lowdelph. Zeehere green eggbrooms. What named blautoothdmand is you who stares? Gugurtha! Gugurtha! He has becco of wild hindigan. Ho, he hath hornhide! And hvis now is for you. Pensée! The most beautiful of woman of the veilch veilchen veilde. She would kidds to my voult of my palace with obscidian lupas, her aal in her dhove's suckling. Apagemonite! Come not nere! Black!

Methought as I was dropping asleep somepart in nonland of where's please I heard at zero hour as 'twere the peal of vixen's laughter among midnight's chimes from out the belfry of the cute old speckled church tolling so faint a goodmantrue as nighthood's unseen violet rendered all animated greatbritish and Irish objects nonviewable to human watchers save 'twere perchance anon some glistery
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gleam darkling adown surface of affluvial flowandflow as again might seem garments of laundry reposing a leasward close at hand in full expectation. And as I was jogging along in a dream as dozing I was dawdling, arrah, methought broadtone was heard and the creepers and the gliders and the flivvers of the earthbreath and the dancetongues of the woodfires and the hummers in their ground all vociferated, echoating: Shaun! Shaun! Post the post! with a high voice and, O, the higher on high the deeper and low. I
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heard him so. And lo, meseemed somewhat came of the noise and somewho might amove among allmurk. Now 'twas as clump, now mayhap. When look was light and now 'twas as flasher, now more as the glow. Ah, in unlitness 'twas in very similitude, bless me, 'twas his belted lamp! Ay, he who so swayed a will of a wisp before me, dressed like an earl in just the correct wear, in a classy mac Frieze o'coat of far suparior ruggedness, indigo braw, tracked and tramped, freeswinging from his shoulthern, and an Irish ferrier collar, and thick welted brogues on him with mereswine lacers hammered to suit the scotsmost public and climate, iron heels and sparable soles, and his jacket of providence wellprovided woollies with a softrolling lisp of a lapel to it and great sealingwax buttons, a good helping bigger than the slots for them, of twentytwo carrot krasnapoppsky's red, and his invulnerable burlap whiskcoat and his popular choker, Tamagnum sette-and-forte, and his loudboheem toy and the damasker's overshirt he sported inside, a starspangled zephyr with a decidedly surpliced crinklydoodle front with his motto through dear life embrothered over it in peas, rice and yeggyolk, R for royal, M for Mail, R.M.D. hard cash on the nail, and the most successfully carried gigot turnups now you ever breaking over the ankle and hugging the shoeheel, everything the best, was none other from (Ah, then, may the turtle's blessings of God and Mary and Haggispatrick and Huggisbrigid be souptumbling all over him!) other than (and may his hundred thousand welcome stewed
{f39, 405}
letters ^|s12|shrelayed^sh| andº ^|shpostchased^sh|s12| multiply, ay, faith, and plultiply!) Shaun himself.

^|s12|shWhat a picture primitive!^sh|s12|

Had I the concordant wiseheads of Messrs Gregory and Lyons alongside of Dr Tarpey's and^|12, ^|shI dorsay^sh|,º^12| the reverend Mr MacDougall's, but I, poor ass, am but as their fourpart tinckler's dunkey. Yet methought Shaun (holy messenger angels be uninterruptedly nudging him among and along the winding ways of random ever!) Shaun in proper person (now may all the bluebacksliding constellations continue to shape his changeable timetable!) stood before me. And I pledge you my agricultural word, by the hundred and sixty odds rods and cones of this even's vision, that young fellow looked the stuff, the Bel of Beaus' Walk, a prime card if ever was! Pep? Now without deceit it is hardly too much to say he was looking grand, so fired smart, in much more than his usual health. No mistaking that beamish brow, those jehovial oyeglances! The heart of the roll! ^|12|shAnd hit the hencoop.^{sh|12| (12'}There was one for you that ^|shne'er would nunch with good Dukeº Humphrey^sh| but ^|shwould
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ate through the months withoutº a sign of an err in hem and then, otherwise rounding, fourale to the lees of Traroe^sh|.º^12') He was immense, topping swell, for he was after having a great time of it^|12, ^|sha twentyfour hours every moment matters maltsight^sh|,^12| in a porterhouse, scutfrank, if you want to know, Saint Lawzenge of Toole's, ^(12'|shtheº Wheel of Fortune^sh|,^12') leave your clubs in the hall and wait on yourself^|s12, ^|shno ^|acharge chucks^a| for ^|amushroom catsup walnut ketchups^a|, Lazenby's and Chutney ^|agratis, graspis^a|sh|s12| (the house the once queen of Bristol and Balrothery twice admired because her frumped door looked up Dacent Street), where in the sighed of lovely eyes, while his knives of hearts made havoc, he had recruited his strength by meals of spadefuls of mounded food constituting his threepartite eatings plus a collation, his breakfast of, first, a bless us O blood and thirsthy orange, next, the half of a pint of bacon with newled googs and a segment of a rice plummy padding, met of sunder suigar, and some cold ⁽⁺¹²forsaken ^|shforsoaken^sh|+)12| steak ^(12'|shpeatrefired^sh|12') from the batblack night o'erflown, then
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came along merendally his ^|12|shstockpot^sh|12| dinner of a half a pound of round steak very rare, Blong's best from Portarlington's Butchery with a side of riceypeasy and Corkshire alla mellonge and bacon with a pair of chops and thrown in from the silver grid by the proprietoress of the roastery who lives on a hill and gaulusch gravy and pumpernickel to wolp up and a gorger's bulby onion (Margareatar, Margareatar, Margarasticandeatar) and as well with second course and then finally, after his lunch o'clock snack of saddlebag steak and a ^|12Botherham Botherhim^12| with old phoenix porter and praties sweet and Irish too ^|s12|shand mock gurgle^{sh| |sh}for the swallying^sh| in ^|shand Boland's broth broken into the bargain^sh|s12|, to his regret his soupay avic nightcap, vitellusit, a carusal consistent with second course and eiers and bacon (the rich of) with broad beans and steak and pepper, the diamond bone, hotted up and while 'twas after that he scoffed a drakeling snuggily stuffed following cold loin of veal more cabbage and, in their green free state, a clister of peas, suppositorily petty, last. P.S. But a fingerhot of rhein genever to give the Pax cum Spiritututu. Drily thankful. Bread and dulse and typureely jam, all free of charge and. And the best of wine avec. While the loaves are aflowering and the nachtingale jugs. All St Jilian's of Berry, hurrah there for tobies! Mavrodaphne, brown pride of our custard house quay, amiable with repastful, cheer us, graciously cheer us! Ever of Thee, Anne Lynch, he's deeply draiming! Houseanna. Tea is the Highest! For auld lang Ayternitay! Thus thicker will he grow now, grew
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new. And better and better on butter and butter. At the sign of Mesthress Vanhungrig. Mind you, ^|s12knuckling nuckling down to ^|shnourritures^sh|, were they menuly ^|shsome ham and jaffas^sh|, ^|aand^a|s12| I don't mean to say for the moment that he was guilbey ^|s12or gluttonous of gulpable gluttony^s12| as regards chewable ^|s12swallowbobbles boltaballs,^s12| but^(12', ^|shbiestings be biestings^sh|, and^12') upon the whole, when not off his oats, given prelove appetite and postlove pricing, goodcoup, goodcheap, ^|s12(+|shwere it thermidor oogst or floreal may
{f39, 407}
while the whistling prairialº roysters play,^sh|+) between ^|shgormandising and gourmeteeringº^sh|s12| he grubbed his tuck all right, deah smorregos, every time he ^(12'|shwas for doing dirt to a meal^sh| or^12') felt like a bottle of ardilaun alongwith a smag of a lecker ^|12'|s+|shbiss of a welldressed^sh|s+|12'| taart or. ^|s12|shThough his net intrants wight bec weighed b nought but a flyblow to his gross and ganz exit'sº afterduepoise.^sh|s12| And he was so jarvey jaunty with a romp of a schoolgirl's completion sitting pretty over his Oyster Monday printface and he was plainly out on the ramp and mash, as you might say, for he sproke.

When lo (whish, O whish!) mesaw mestreamed through deafths of durkness I heard a voice, the voce of Shaun, vote of the Irish, voice from afar (and, cert, no purer puer palestrine e'er chanted panangelical mid the clouds of Tu es Petrus, not Michaeleen Kelly, not Mara O'Mario, and, sure, what more numerose Italicuss ever rawsucked frish uov in urinal?) from Inchigeela call the way how it suspired (morepork! morepork!) to scented nightlife as softly as the loftly marconimasts from Clifden sough open tireless secrets (mauveport! mauveport!) to Nova Scotia's listing sisterwands. Tubetube!

His handpalm lifted, his handshell cupped, his handsign pointed, his handheart mated, his handaxe risen, his handleaf fallen. Helpsome hand that halemost heals! What is het holy! It gested.

And it said:

— Alo, alass, aladdin, amobus! ^(12'Did she lack salt fat meat rests dud! Does she lag soft fall means rest down?º^12') Shaun yawned (that was antepropreviousday's pigeons-in-a-pie with rough dough for the carrier and the hash-say-ugh of overgestern pluzz the 'stuesday's shampain in his head), addressing himself ex alto and complaining with vocal discontent it was so close as of the fact of him to dye his paddycoats to morn his hesternmost,
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earning his board in the swealth of his fate as, having moistened his mandibles upon the quiet and scooping
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molars and grinders clean with his two forefingers, he sank down to reszk at once, ^(12'|shexhaust as winded hare^sh|, ^|s+|shutterly spent^sh|,^s+|12') it was all he could do (disgusted with himself that the combined weight was too much for him), upon the native heath he loved, covered kneehigh with virgin bush, for who who e'er trod sod of Erin could ever sleep off the turf. Well, I'm literally dished seeing myself in this trim! How all too unwordy am I, a mere mailman of peace, a poor hastehater of the first degree, the principot of Candia, no legs and a title, for such eminence, or unpro promenade rather, to be much more exact, as to be the bearer extraordinary of these postoomany missive on his majesty's service. ^(12'I, ^|shthe mightif beam maircanny^sh|, ^|shwhich bit his mirth too early or met his birth too late^sh|!^12') It should of been my other with his leickname for he's the head and I'm an everdevoting fiend of his. We shared the twin chamber and we winked on the one wench and what Sim sobs todie I'll reeve tomorry, for 'twill be, I have hopes of, Sam Dizzier's feedst. ^|s12|shTune in, tune on, old Tighe, high, high, high, I'm thine owelglass.^sh| Be old!^s12| He looks rather thin^(12', ^|shimitating me^sh|12'). I'm very fond of that other of mine. Fish hands, Macsorley! We're the musichall pair. I ought not to laugh with him on this stage. But he's such a game loser! I lift my disk to him. How is your napper, ^|s12Andy Handy,º^s12| and hownow does she stand? Take this John's Lane in your toastingfourch. Shaunti and shaunti and shaunti again! And twelve colander moons! I revere her! She has studied! Piscisvendolor! But, Gemini, he's looking frightfully thin! I heard the banshee singing in the pantry bay. Down among the dustbins let him lie! Ear! Ear! Not aye! Eye! Eye! For I'm at the heart of it. Yet I cannot on my solemn merits as a recitativer recollect ever having done of anything of the kind to deserve of such. ^|s12|shNot the phost of a nation^sh|. ^|~Nor by a long trollop.^{~| |a|sh}I just didn't have the time to.^{sh|a| |~|sh}And here's your very good hat.^sh|~|s12| Saint Anthony Guide!

— But have we until now ever besought you, dear Shaun, we remembered, who it was, good boy, out of symphony to begin with, who gave you the permit?
{f10, 318}

— Goodbye, Shaun replied ^|s12|shwithº a voice pure as a churchmode^sh|,^s12| in echo rightdainty, with a good catlick tug at his cocomoss candylock^(12', a foretaste in time of his ^|shcabbageous brain's curlyflower^sh|12'). ^|s12|~in cruel to me art thou my ^|shCapelpigeod^sh|.^~|s12| Athiacaro! Comb his tar odd gee sing your mower O meeow? Greet thee Good! How are them columbuses? Lard have mustard on them! ^|s12|shFatiguing, very fatiguing.^{sh| |sh}Hobos hornknees and the corveeture of my spine.^sh|s12| My heaviest crux and dairy lot it is. ^|s12|shI'm off rabbitedº kitchens and relief porringers porridgers.^{sh| |sh}No later than a very few fortnichts since I was meeting on the Thinker's Dam ^|~with^~| a pair of men^{sh| «+'}out of ^|shglasshouse^{sh|s+'| |sh|~}who whom^~| I shuffled hands with named MacBlacks — I think their names is ^|~MacBlacks MacBlakes^{~|sh| |+}from the ^|shHeadfire^sh| Clumpº^+| — ^|shand they were informingº me no five hour ^|~week^~| factory life with insufficient emollient and industrial diseasesº for them that day o'gratises.^sh|s12| I have it from whowho but Hagios ^|s12Columbkiller's ^|shColleenkiller's^sh|s12| prophecies. ^|s12|shAfter suns and moons, dews and wettings, thunders and fires, comes sabotag.^sh|s12| Solvitur palumballando!

— Then, we explained, ^|s12|shsalve a tour, ambly andy,^sh|s12| you possibly might be so by order?

— Forgive me, Shaun repeated from his liquid lipes, ^|s12|shnot what I wants to do a strike of work^sh| but^s12| it was condemned on me ^|+12'primatially ^|shpremitially^sh|+|12'| by Hireark Books and Chiefoverseer Cooks ^|12'|+in their ^|shEusebian Concordant Homilies^sh|+|12'|, and there does be a power coming
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over me that is put upon me from on high ^|12(+|shout of the book of breedings^sh|+)12| and so as it is becoming hairydittary I have ^|12|shof coerce^sh|12| nothing in view to look forward at unless it is Swann and beating the blindquarters out of my oldfellow's orologium oloss olorium. ^(12'|shA bad attack of maggot it feels like.^sh|º ^|sh'Tis trope^sh|, ^|shcustodian^sh| said.^12') Almost might I say of myself^(12', while ^|shkeeping out of crime^sh|,^12') I am now becoming about fed up be going circulating about ^|s12(+|shlike them nameless souls^{sh| +) |sh}till it's rusty October in this bleak forest^sh|s12| and that is why I was veribally complussed by thinking of ^(12'|shthe crater of some noted volcano^sh| or^12') the Dublin river ^|12(+|shor the catchalot trouth subsidity^sh|+)12| as a way out or to isolate i from my multiple Mes on the spits of Lumbage Island or bury meself^(12', ^|shclogs^sh|, ^|shcanteen^{sh| |sh}and all^sh|,^12') deep in my wineupon pontoon^|12, ^|shunless Morrissey's colt could help me or the gander maybe at 49^sh|,º^12| as it is a tithe fish so it is^|12, ^|shthis pig's stomach business^sh|,^12| and where on dearth ^|s12or ^|shin^{sh| |sa|sh}the miraculous ^|sbmiddle meddle^sb| of^{sh|sa| |sh}this ^|saexpanding expending^{sa| |+}universe umniverse^+|sh|s12| to turn since it came into my hands I am hopeless ^|12off course^12| to be doing anything concerning.

— We expect you are, Honest Shaun, we agreed, but a whisper reaches us ^(12'from ^|shfranking machines^sh|, limricked,º^12') that in the end it may well turn
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out to be you, our belated, who will bear these open letter.

— As, Shaun replied patly, ^|12with ^«+'|shtootlepick tact^sh| tooº and^s+'| a down of his ^|shdampers^sh|,^12| to that I have the gumpower and^|12, ^|shby the benison of Barbe^sh|,^12| that has a lock to say with everything, my beloved.

— Would you mind telling us, Shaun honey, we proposed to such a dear youth, where mostly are you able to work? ^|12|shAh, you might!^sh|12| Whimper and we shall.

— Here! Shaun replied while he was fondling one of his cowheel cuffs^|12,. There'sº ^|shno sabbath for nomads^sh| andº^12| I mostly was able to walk, being too soft for work proper^|s12, ^|shsixty odd eilish mires a week between three masses a morn and two chaplets at eve^sh|s12|. I am always telling those pedestriasts ^|12(+|sh, my answerers,º^sh|+)12| how ^|s12(and it is ^(+|sh|shthe veriest truth^sh| asº ^|shveriest throth^sh| as the thieves' rescension^sh|+))^s12|
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it was foretold for me by brevet ^|12'|s+|shfor my^{sh| |sh}vocation^sh|s+|12'|, while possessing stout legs, to be disbarred after huily orders from unnecessary servile work ^(12'of ^|shreckless walking^sh|12') of all sorts for the relics of my time, for otherwise I would get into a blame there where thieves fall out. Excelsior tips the best. Go thou this island, one housesleep there, then go thou other island, two housesleep there, then catch one nightmaze, then home to dearies. Never back a woman you defend, never get quit of a friend on whom you depend, never make face to a foe till he's rife, and never get stuck to another man's pfife. His hungry will be done! On the continent as in Eironesia. But, believe me, in my simplicity I am awful good, I believe, so I am, at the root of me^|12., praised be ^|shright cheek Discipline^sh|!^12| And I can now truthfully declaret before my Geity's Pantokreator with my fleshfettered palums on the epizzles of the apossels that I do my reasonabler's best to recite my grocery beans for mummy mit dummy regular, genuflections enclosed. Hek domov muy, there thou beest on the hummock, ghee up, ye dog, for your daggily broth, etc. Happy Maria and Glorious Patrick, etc., etc. In fact, always have, I believe. Greedo! Her's me hongue! Amen, ptah!

— ^|12(+|shAnd it is the fullsoot of a tarabred.^sh|+)12| Yet one minute's observation, dear dogmestic Shaun, as we point out how you have while away painted our town a wearing greenridinghued.

— O murder mere, how did you hear? Shaun replied, smoiling the ily way up his lampsleeve ^(12'|sh(it just seemed the natural thing to do)^sh|12'), so shy of light was he then. Well, so be it! The gloom hath rays, her lump is love. And I will confess to have, yes. Thrubedore I did. ^|12|shInditty ^|~I^~| did^sh|. All lay I did.^12| And I am afraid it wouldn't
{f10, 320}
be my first coat's wasting after striding on the vampire and blazing on the focoal. See! Blazing on the focoal. As see! Blazing upon the foe. Like the regular redshank I am. ^|12|shImpregnable^sh| as the ^|shmule^sh| himself.^12| Somebody may perhaps hint at an aughter impression of I was wrong. No such a thing! You never made a more freudful mistake, excuse yourself! ^|12|shWhat's pork to you means meatº to
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me while you behold how I be eld.^sh|12| But it is grandiose, by my ways of thinking, from the prophecies. New worlds for all! And they were scotographically arranged for gentlemen only by a scripchewer in Whofoundland who finds he is a relative. And it was with my extravert davy. Like glue. Be through. Moyhard's daynoight, tomthumb. Phwum!

— How mielodorous is thy bel chant, O songbird, and how exqueezit thine afterdraught! Buccinate in Emenia tuba insigni volumnitatis tuae. But do you mean, ^|s12O ^|shphausdheen phewn^sh|,^s12| we gathered substantively, whether furniture would or verdure varnish?

— It is a confoundyous injective so to say, Shaun, the fiery boy, shouted, naturally incensed, as he shook the red pepper out of his auricles. And another time please confine your glaring intinuations to some other mordant body. What on the physiog of this furnaced planet would I be doing besides your verjuice? That is more than I can fix anyway. So let I and you now kindly drop that, angryman! That's not French pastry! ^|s12|shYou can take that it from me.^sh|s12| Understand me when I tell you ^(12'(^|shand I will ask you not to ^|s+whistle whisple^s+|, cry golden or quoth mecback^sh|)º^12') that under the past purcell's office, so deeply deplored by my erstwhile elder friend, Miss Enders, poachmistress and gay receiver ever for in particular to the Scotic Poor Men's Cow Society (I was thinking of her in sthore), allbethey blessed with twentytwo thousand sorters out of a biggest poss of twentytwo thousand, mine's won, too much privet stationery and safty quipu was ate up larchly by those nettlesome goats out of pension greed. Proceding, I will say it is also one of my avowal's intentions at some time, pease Pod ^(12'pluse ^|shmurthers of gout^sh|12'), when I am not prepaid to say, to ^(12'comprose compound^12') quite the makings of a verdigrease savingsbook in the form of a pair of ^(12'|shscapesheep^sh|º^12') boxing gloves surrounding this matter for my publickers, Nolaner and Browno, Nickil Hopstout, Christcross, so long as,
{f39, 413}
thanks to force of destiny, my selary as a paykelt is propaired and there is a peg under me and there is a tum till me.

To the Very Honourable The Memory of Disgrace, the Most Noble, Sometime Sweepyard at the Service of the Writer. The just defunct Mrs Sanders who (the Loyd insure her!) I was shift and shuft too. She was the niceliest person of a wellteached nonparty woman that I ever acquired her letters, ^|12only too fat,^12| used to babies and tottydean verbish, this is her entertermentdags for she shuk the bottle and tuk the medascene all times a day. She was well under ninety, poor late Mrs, and had tastes of the poetics, me having stood the pilgarlick a fresh at sea when the moon also was standing in a corner of sweet Standerson my ski. P.L.M. Mevrouw von ^|12Andersan Andersen^12| was her who gave me a mutton brooch, stakkers, for her begfirst party. Honour thy farmer and my litters. This, my tears, is my last will intesticle wrote off in the strutforit about their absent female assauciations which I, or perhaps any other person ^|12'|+|shwhat squat onº a toffette^sh|+|12'|, have the honour to have had with them upon their polite sophykussens in the real presence of devouted Mrs Grumby when her skin was exposed to the air. O, what must the grief of my mund be for two little ptpt coolies worth twenty thousand quad here witnessed with both's Maddlemass wishes to Pepette for next match from their dearly beloved ^|s12Rugger Roggers^s12|, M.D.D.O.D. May doubling drop of drooght! Writing.

— ^(12'|shHapsolooselyº kidding^sh| you are totetherº with your cadenus and goat along nose how ^|shwe shall complete that white paper^sh|. Two venusstas! Biggerstiff!^12') Otherwise, frank Shaun, we pursued, what would be the autobiography of your softbodied fumiform?

— Hooraymost! None whomsoever, Shaun replied (he had intended and was peering now rather close to the paste of his rubiny winklering), though it ought to be more or less rawcawcaw romantical. ^(12'|shHeavenly blank!^sh|º^12') By the wag, how is Mr Fry? All of it, I might say, pay and perks and wooden halfpence
{f39, 414}
(some rhino, rhine, O joyoust rhine!), was handled over spondaneously by me (and bundle end to ^|12'|s+|shmy illwishers'^sh|s+|12'| Miss Anders! she woor her wraith of ruins the night she lost I left) in the ligname of Mr van Howten of Tredcastles, Clowntalkin, timbreman, among my prodigits nabobs and navious of every subscription, entitled the Bois in the Bosco or our evicted tenemants. What I say is (and I am noen roehorn or culkilt, permit me to tell you, if uninformed), I never spont it. Nor have I the ghuest of a nation on me the way to. ^|12It is ^|shmy rule^sh| so.^12| It went anyway like hot pottagebake. And this brings me to my fresh point. Quoniam I am as plain as portable enveloped, inhowmuch you will now parably receive, care of one of Mooseyears Guinness's registered andouterthus barrels. Quick take um whiffat andrainit.