"Like a Finn at a fair."

(245.6-247.16)  Now that it is night and all the animals in Phoenix Park are asleep, the narrator (who it, in spite of what I said yesterday, now looks like has been the more general narrator -- rather than Glugg -- since the interruption beginning at the top of page 244) says that all the fish in "Liffeyetta's bowl" have ceased their theological debates.  The narrator asks the watchman how the watch is proceeding.  

"It goes," the watchman ultimately answers.  "It does not go.  Darkpark's acoo with sucking loves."  Love and lust are in the air, and the watchman says that soon "tempt-in-twos" (the two young women who tempted HCE) and "hunt-by-threes" (the three soldiers who reported HCE) will stroll and strut through the park, along with many other young women and men.  But some, if not all, of these meetings might not go on as foreseen.

The scene quickly shifts -- perhaps unsurprisingly with, "Bing.  Bong.  Bangbong.  Thunderation!" -- to the pub, where we find mugs, rooms, and floors covered in sawdust.  Mr Knight -- "Mr. Night," aka the dreamer, HCE -- is our tapster, his "alefru" wife is at his side, Watsy Lyke is assisting behind the bar, and our old friend Kate is keeping the place clean.  Almost as soon as we find ourselves in the pub, we learn that "[o]ur thirty minutes war's alull."  All is quiet on the field of gore until we hear a horn.  HCE seems jolted by this noise:  "Housefather calls enthreateningly."  Thunder and lightning signal that something big is imminent.  As the lady of the house stirs her soup, the bubbles tell her of the future:  "the coming man, the future woman, the food that is to build, what he with fifteen years will do, the ring in her mouth of joyous guard, stars astir and stirabout."  We now hear that what's coming is the final battle between Glugg and Chuff:  "But ein and twee were never worth three.  So they must have their final since he's on parole."  This is also a significant moment for Izod:  "Now for la belle!  Icy-la-Belle!"

Like filings drawn toward a horseshoe magnet, the fillies -- the Floras -- march "[a]rranked in their array" down Vico Road (both the road in Dublin and Vico's endless cycle of history) toward the field of battle.  Glugg (Shem, described here as "that dark deed doer," "Jerkoff," and "Yem") and Chuff (Shaun, described here as "this wellwilled wooer," "Eatsoup," and "Yan") haven't been on speaking terms since their battle of "Whatalose" (Waterloo), and their battle will determine which one will walk out with Izod, who is in danger of living a life of solitude.

Now Jeremy (a form of Jerry, another name for Shem) arrives back on the scene.  He confronts Chuff by saying, "Boo, you're through!"  Chuff counters, "Hoo, I'm true."  McHugh translates the following lines as Jeremy/Glugg asking Chuff how he's doing.  Chuff responds that he's not doing too bad.  This throws Glugg back into a state of dejection:  "Kod knows.  Anything ruind.  Meetingless."

It seems that Glugg's dejection arises from his realization that Chuff is in pretty good shape, while Glugg has been suffering.  What will come of the final battle?  It looks like we might find out tomorrow.