"Did he fall?

By his body's known weight of eleven stone and four pounds in avoirdupois measure, as certified by the graduated machine for periodical selfweighing in the premises of Francis Froedman, pharmaceutical chemist of 19 Frederick street, north, on the last feast of the Ascension, to wit, the twelfth day of May of the bissextile year one thousand nine hundred and four of the christian era (jewish era five thousand six hundred and sixtyfour," (U17.90)
"mohammadan era one thousand three hundred and twentytwo), golden number 5, epact 13, solar cycle 9, dominical letters C B, Roman indiction 2, Julian period 6617, MCMIV." (U17.97)
"ignited a lucifer match by friction, set free inflammable coal gas by turning on the ventcock, lit a high flame which, by regulating, he reduced to quiescent candescence" (U17.105)
"and lit finally a portable candle." (U17.107)
"What discrete succession of images did Stephen meanwhile perceive?

Reclined against the area railings he perceived through the transparent kitchen panes a man regulating a gasflame of 14 CP," (U17.108)
"a man lighting a candle of 1 CP, a man removing in turn each of his two boots, a man leaving the kitchen holding a candle." (U17.110)
"Did the man reappear elsewhere?
After a lapse of four minutes the glimmer of his candle was discernible through the semitransparent semicircular glass fanlight over the halldoor. The halldoor turned gradually on its hinges. In the open space of the doorway the man reappeared without his hat, with his candle.

Did Stephen obey his sign?
Yes, entering softly, he helped to close and chain the door and followed softly along the hallway the man's back and listed feet and lighted candle past a lighted crevice of doorway on the left and carefully down a turning staircase of more than five steps into the kitchen of Bloom's house." (U17.113)
"What did Bloom do?

He extinguished the candle by a sharp expiration of breath upon its flame, drew two spoonseat deal chairs to the hearthstone, one for Stephen with its back to the area window, the other for himself when necessary, knelt on one knee," (U17.123)
"composed in the grate a pyre of crosslaid resintipped sticks and various coloured papers and irregular polygons of best Abram coal at twentyone shillings a ton" (U17.127)
"from the yard of Messrs Flower and M'Donald of 14 D'Olier street," (U17.129)
"kindled it at three projecting points of paper with one ignited lucifer match, thereby releasing the potential energy contained in the fuel" (U17.130)
"by allowing its carbon and hydrogen elements to enter into free union with the oxygen of the air." (U17.132)
"Of what similar apparitions did Stephen think?

Of others elsewhere in other times who, kneeling on one knee or on two, had kindled fires for him, of Brother Michael in the infirmary of the college of the Society of Jesus at Clongowes Wood, Sallins, in the county of Kildare: of his father, Simon Dedalus, in an unfurnished room of his first residence in Dublin, number thirteen Fitzgibbon street: of his godmother Miss Kate Morkan in the house of her dying sister Miss Julia Morkan at 15 Usher's Island:" (U17.134)
"of his aunt Sara, wife of Richie (Richard) Goulding, in the kitchen of their lodgings at 62 Clanbrassil street: of his mother Mary, wife of Simon Dedalus, in the kitchen of number twelve North Richmond street" (U17.141)
"on the morning of the feast of Saint Francis Xavier 1898: of the dean of studies, Father Butt, in the physics' theatre of university College, 16 Stephen's Green, north: of his sister Dilly (Delia) in his father's house in Cabra." (U17.143)

St Francis Xavier (1506 - 1552) was a Spanish nobleman. He studied philosophy and theology at the University of Paris. He met St Ignatius of Loyola and together they founded the 'Society of Jesus' (= Jesuits). Francis Xavier became the first Jesuit missionary. He traveled thousands of miles, most on foot, tolerated appalling conditions on long sea voyages, and saw the greater part of the Far East. He was a successful missionary for 10 years in India, the East Indies, and Japan, baptizing more than 40,000. He sought and helped the sick and the forgotten, preached in the streets, and taught children the catechism. It is said that he had the gift of tongues, was a healer and miracle worker, and calmed storms. He died in China of a febrile illness. Represented as a young bearded Jesuit. Feast December 3.
"What did Stephen see on raising his gaze to the height of a yard from the fire towards the opposite wall?

Under a row of five coiled spring housebells a curvilinear rope, stretched between two holdfasts athwart across the recess beside the chimney pier, from which hung four smallsized square handkerchiefs folded unattached consecutively in adjacent rectangles and one pair of ladies' grey hose with Lisle suspender tops and feet in their habitual position clamped by three erect wooden pegs, two at their outer extremities and the third at their point of junction." (U17.148)
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