Telemachus saw her long before any one else did.
He was sitting moodily among the suitors thinking about his brave father,
and how he would send them flying out of the house,
if he were to come to his own again and be honoured as in days gone by.
U12: "Haines came in from the doorway and said quietly:
— That woman is coming up with the milk."
Thus brooding as he sat among them, he caught sight of Minerva and went straight to the gate,
for he was vexed that a stranger should be kept waiting for admittance.
He took her right hand in his own, and bade her give him her spear.
"Welcome," said he, "to our house, and when you have partaken of food you shall tell us what you have come for."
U14: "Would you like a cup, ma'am?"
He led the way as he spoke, and Minerva followed him.
When they were within he took her spear
and set it in the spear-stand against a strong bearing-post
along with the many other spears of his unhappy father,
and he conducted her to a richly decorated seat under which he threw a cloth of damask.
U16: "Haines laughed and, as he took his soft grey hat from the holdfast of the hammock"
U17: "Stephen, taking his ashplant from its leaningplace, followed them out"
There was a footstool also for her feet,
and he set another seat near her for himself, away from the suitors,
that she might not be annoyed while eating by their noise and insolence,
and that he might ask her more freely about his father.
U12: "Stephen haled his upended valise to the table and sat down to wait."
U12: "Buck Mulligan sat down in a sudden pet.
— What sort of a kip is this? he said."
A maid servant then brought them water in a beautiful golden ewer
and poured it into a silver basin for them to wash their hands,
and she drew a clean table beside them.
U11: "So I carried the boat of incense then at Clongowes. I am another now and yet the same. A servant too. A server of a servant."
An upper servant brought them bread,
and offered them many good things of what there was in the house,
the carver fetched them plates of all manner of meats
and set cups of gold by their side,
and a man-servant brought them wine and poured it out for them.
U12: "Buck Mulligan tossed the fry on to the dish beside him. Then he carried the dish and a large teapot over to the table, set them down heavily and sighed with relief."
Then the suitors came in and took their places on the benches and seats.
Forthwith men servants poured water over their hands,
maids went round with the bread-baskets,
pages filled the mixing-bowls with wine and water,
and they laid their hands upon the good things that were before them.
U12: "— When I makes tea I makes tea, as old mother Grogan said. And when I makes water I makes water.
— By Jove, it is tea, Haines said.
Buck Mulligan went on hewing and wheedling:
— So I do, Mrs Cahill, says she. Begob, ma'am, says Mrs Cahill, God send you don't make them in the one pot."
As soon as they had had enough to eat and drink they wanted music and dancing,
which are the crowning embellishments of a banquet,
so a servant brought a lyre to Phemius,
whom they compelled perforce to sing to them.
As soon as he touched his lyre and began to sing
Telemachus spoke low to Minerva, with his head close to hers that no man might hear.
U15: "Today the bards must drink and junket."
U9: "Fergus' song: I sang it alone in the house, holding down the long dark chords. Her door was open: she wanted to hear my music. Silent with awe and pity I went to her bedside. She was crying in her wretched bed. For those words, Stephen: love's bitter mystery."
