Tom Rochford is demonstrating his invention to Nosey Flynn, McCoy and Lenehan who has undertaken to discuss it with Blazes Boylan at a four o clock meeting at the Ormond Hotel. McCoy and Lenehan stop to inspect the manhole into which Tom Rochford climbed to rescue a gas worker. They detour to check the starting price of Sceptre running in the Gold Cup. Banton Lyons is putting money on a complete outsider because he has been given a tip inadvertently by Bloom. They spot Bloom at the street cart looking through some books. Lenehan says that Bloom is very discerning and has made some great purchases and knows about astronomy. Master Dignam walks by carrying pork steaks. Lenehan confides in McCoy a racy night with Molly jostling against her breasts in the carriage when they were all tipsy after a grand dinner. He jokes about being lost in the milky way and laughs till he is weak. He does not however ridicule Bloom; rather, he thinks him a very cultured man.

Bloom searches through titles from Aristotle to tales about the ghetto until he finds some titillating romantic novels. The courts across the road rule on property disputes. Bloom standing in the dusty shop copes with the proprietor coughing up phlegm as he buys The Sweets of Sin for Molly.