—­It was the speech, mark you, the professor said, of a finished orator, full of courteous haughtiness and pouring in chastened diction I will not say the vials of his wrath but pouring the proud man’s contumely upon the new movement.  It was then a new movement.  We were weak, therefore worthless.

He closed his long thin lips an instant but, eager to be on, raised an outspanned hand to his spectacles and, with trembling thumb and ringfinger touching lightly the black rims, steadied them to a new focus.

    Impromptu

In ferial tone he addressed J. J. O’Molloy: 

—­Taylor had come there, you must know, from a sickbed.  That he had prepared his speech I do not believe for there was not even one shorthandwriter in the hall.  His dark lean face had a growth of shaggy beard round it.  He wore a loose white silk neckcloth and altogether he looked (though he was not) a dying man.

His gaze turned at once but slowly from J. J. O’Molloy’s towards Stephen’s face and then bent at once to the ground, seeking.  His unglazed linen collar appeared behind his bent head, soiled by his withering hair.  Still seeking, he said: 

—­When Fitzgibbon’s speech had ended John F Taylor rose to reply.  Briefly, as well as I can bring them to mind, his words were these.

He raised his head firmly.  His eyes bethought themselves once more.  Witless shellfish swam in the gross lenses to and fro, seeking outlet.

He began: 

—­Mr chairman, ladies and gentlemen:  Great was my admiration in listening
to the remarks addressed to the youth of Ireland A moment since by my
learned friend.  It seemed to me that I had been transported into A country
far away from this country, into an age remote from this age, that I stood
in ancient Egypt and that I was listening to the speech of some highpriest
of that land addressed to the youthful Moses.

His listeners held their cigarettes poised to hear, their smokes ascending in frail stalks that flowered with his speech.  And let our crooked smokes.  Noble words coming.  Look out.  Could you try your hand at it yourself?

—­And it seemed to me that I heard the voice of that Egyptian highpriest raised in A tone of like haughtiness and like pride.  I heard his words and their meaning was revealed to me.