—­The noblest, the truest, says he.  And he’s gone, poor little Willy, poor little Paddy Dignam.

And mournful and with a heavy heart he bewept the extinction of that beam of heaven.

Old Garryowen started growling again at Bloom that was skeezing round the door.

—­Come in, come on, he won’t eat you, says the citizen.

So Bloom slopes in with his cod’s eye on the dog and he asks Terry was Martin Cunningham there.

—­O, Christ M’Keown, says Joe, reading one of the letters.  Listen to this, will you?

And he starts reading out one.

                7 Hunter street, Liverpool. 
        To the high sheriff of Dublin, Dublin.

Honoured sir I beg to offer my services in the abovementioned painful case I hanged Joe Gann in Bootle jail on the 12 of FEBUARY 1900 and I hanged ...

—­Show us, Joe, says I.

—­ ...  Private Arthur Chace for fowl murder of Jessie Tilsit in Pentonville prison and I was assistant when ...

—­Jesus, says I.

—­ ...  Billington executed the awful murderer toad Smith ...

The citizen made a grab at the letter.

—­Hold hard, says Joe, I have A special Nack of putting the noose once in he can’t get out hoping to be favoured I remain, honoured sir, my terms is five GINNEES.

            H. Rumbold,
                master barber.

—­And a barbarous bloody barbarian he is too, says the citizen.

—­And the dirty scrawl of the wretch, says Joe.  Here, says he, take them to hell out of my sight, Alf.  Hello, Bloom, says he, what will you have?

So they started arguing about the point, Bloom saying he wouldn’t and he couldn’t and excuse him no offence and all to that and then he said well he’d just take a cigar.  Gob, he’s a prudent member and no mistake.

—­Give us one of your prime stinkers, Terry, says Joe.

And Alf was telling us there was one chap sent in a mourning card with a black border round it.

—­They’re all barbers, says he, from the black country that would hang their own fathers for five quid down and travelling expenses.

And he was telling us there’s two fellows waiting below to pull his heels down when he gets the drop and choke him properly and then they chop up the rope after and sell the bits for a few bob a skull.