Good Shaun, as I was shortly before that made aware, next halted to take breath and loosen his ^|1bruised^1| boots at the weir by Lazar's Walk about nine score or so ^|1barrelminutes' barrelmoments'^1| distance as truly he merited to do. He was there, I could see, perspiring but happy, propped up against a slumbering warden of the peace, one comestabulish Sigurdsen, who had fallen asleep ^|1at the curing station^1| in the ^|1embrace embraces^1| of a confiscated bottle. ^|1Now,^1| There were as many as 29 daughters out of the national hedge school
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(for I seem to remember how it was a look before you leap year) learning the lesson of life there, seated as they were upon the brink attracted by the sight of the first human landmark, paddling with their eight and fifty pedals in charming concert to the snores of the log who seemed stuck to the sod as ever & anon he murmoaned^|1, visibly unmoved,^1| over his treasure trove of the crown: Dotter ^|1deadbesty deadbedstead^1| mean ^|1lily smuggy^1| sort flasky. Shaun, after he had bowed to all the others in that chorus of praise of ^|1goodwill^1| girls, ^|1asking kindly after their health, out of pure human respect for he was the most purely human creature that was ever called man^1| easily made out his dear sister Izzy ^|1nor would he ever forget her as he was, besides that, her godfather as well after all.^1|

— Sister dearest, Shaun ^|1said delivered himself^1|, as he began to take leave of her immediately with fondest affection, I honestly believe you will sorely miss me yet I feel, as a martyr to the discharge of duty, that I ^|1ought to it is about time I would^1| go. This is the result of your teachings ^|1in which I was raised^1|, Sis, you^|1, our angel in the house,^1| that used to write to me the nice letters ^|1and tell me ^|ayour^a| oldworld tales of derringdo^1|. During my brief absence be true to the ten commandments. Never ^|1lose miss^1| your last mass. Never eat bad meat of a good Friday. Never let a hog of the hill trample on your lily of the valley. Never play ladies'
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games on the Lord's day. ^|1Especially ^|abeware of ^|bdon't be beware^|c, please,^c| of being^b| a party to any^a| demoralising home life. It saps a chap. No lowcut shirtwaists. ^|aDon't acquire ^|ba penchant for^b| the fag habit.^a| Look out for furnished lodgers paying for meals on tally with company & piano music ^|athe too friendly friend^a|. ^|aRead Dip into^a| the lives of the saints in weekly parts to better your mind.^1| Keep cool above all your preserved chastity. Rather than part with that vestalite emerald ^|1of the first importance^1| which you have where your two nether extremities meet, nay, let the entire ekumene universe perish to pot first a thousand times over in a pitfall. O be careful during this lenten pastoral season when the spring is in the making. ^|1|aTell me Divulge^a| the name & address of any ^|afellow lapwhelp^a| that speaks to you on the street ^|awithout a proper letter of introduction^a| and as sure as I come back ^|awith the gravel spinning from ^|bunder beneath^b| my feet^{a| |a}rest assured^a| I'll break his face for him. ^|aNo, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll burst his mouth^a|1| Times and oft shall I think of you ^|1far away on your pillow^1| when amid the music of the ^|1double^1| doorknockers. ^|1Little girl from Liffeyside you fill a big corner in my heart.^1| O, heaven, how I shall^|1, if I live, put my arm in yours and^1| kiss you immediately upon my ^|1safe^1| return ^|1to ignorance & bliss^{1| |1}when cherries come back^1| when we shall ^|1show our kindness by^{1| |1}adopt adopting^1| all the poorest children possible. ^|1We will render social service and clean up things. Look at the mud of Harrington street! Think of the banana peels all along ^|aHenry, Moore,^a| Earl & Talbot streets. Stand on, say, Aston's Quay & take a ^|agood^a| gaze for ten minutes or so into any shopwindow you like and in about 20 minutes' turn round & you will see you were covered with slush occasioned by the traffic in transit. ^|aAsk any disgusted lady bicyclist cyclist who happened to be proceeding to or returning from her devotions during ^|bthat hurricane the bank holiday gale & downpour^b| when ^|bpedestrianism was even difficult^b| slates came freely off the best part of our ^|b|cfine grand^c| old^b| tenement houses what her laundry bill came to on last Monday & don't wait for the answer for if you were to do so, what ^|banswer would you get would be the answer that wd meet your ears?^b| Both. When will the ^|blongsuffering^b| face of our beloved city get that longpromised wash? Or, better still, account to me for the fact that if you purchase any fish and vegetables you like from the same perambulator and ^|bthen having^b| d placed the mackerel, let us say, as well as the cauliflower ^|bat the edge of the sidewalk on ^|ceither of^c| the edges of the ^|ctwo^c| sidewalks^b|, stand in some adjacent doorway to note the result the ^|bspot spots^b| selected ^|bis are^b| visited ^|bin rotation^b| by so many members of the canine tribe.^a|1| Sis dearest, it is my grief to go away on this benedictine errand but it is grand to be going to meet a king, not a king only by surname, but the great king of Greater Dublin, the first Humphrey. I wish everyone was as sure of anything in the present world as I am of everything in the other ^|1one to come^1|. Tell mother that. ^|1And create no scenes.^1| Now cheer up all round ^|1till the grim reaper comes as a blessing in disguise^1|. ^|1|aNo lonesome stuff.^a| Drink it off, ladies, please. Parting's fun.^1| Soon shall we all be dead & happy ^|1together, as you all know^1|. One or two tears are all there is to it and then in a click of the clock off we pop en route for His Blessed Majesty, our longlived Lord.
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— ^|1Brother Listen, brother^1| dear, Izzy said, accept this in place of a handkerchief duster and bear it with you ever & always^|1, listen,^1| & when you use it think of one absent one. ^|1You can send it back ^|aby return^a| if anything happens to you so as I'll know^1| I will follow you with all my eyes. Teach me how to tumble, dear, and^|1, listen,^1| warn me whom to love.º