Today a rare sun of spring. And horse carts clanging to the quays down Tara Street and the shoeless white faced kids screaming.
O'Keefe comes in and climbs up on a stool. Wags his knapsack around on his back and looks at Sebastian Dangerfield.
"Those tubs are huge over there. First bath for two months. I'm getting more like the Irish every day. Like going on the subway in the States, you go through a turnstile."
"Did you go first or third class, Kenneth?"
"First. I broke my ass washing my underwear and in those damn rooms in Trinity nothing will dry. In the end I sent my towel to the laundry. Back at Harvard I could nip into a tiled shower and dive into nice clean underwear."
"What will you have to drink, Kenneth?"
"Who's paying?"
"Just been to visit my broker with an electric fire."
"Then buy me a cider. Does Marion know you've hocked the fire?"
"She's away. Took Felicity with her to visit her parents. On the moors in Scotland. I think the Balscaddoon was getting her down. Scrabbling on the ceiling and groans from under the floor."
"What's it like out there? Does it freeze your balls?"
"Come out. Stay for the weekend. Not much in the way of food but you're welcome to whatever I've got."
"Which is nothing."
"I wouldn't put it that way."
"I would. Since I've arrived here everything has been down and these guys at Trinity think I'm loaded with dough. They think the G.I. Bill means I crap dollars or a diarrhea of dimes. You get your check?"
"Going to see about it Monday."
"If mine doesn't come, I'll croak. And you're saddled with a wife and child. Wow. But at least you get it steady. And I've never got it at all. Any loose women out there on Howth?"
"I'll keep a watch."
"Look I've got to go and see my tutor and see if I can find out where they hold my Greek lectures. Nobody knows, everything is secret. No more drink for me. I'll come out over the weekend."
"Kenneth, I might have your first woman waiting for you."
"Yeah."