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698 J A M E S [ 1936-1939 ]poisoned against him for ten years and against his daughter for two. Thecharge was as unanswerable as it was unjust. They were not to meetagain. For a time Joyce had made new acquaintances on his own byexertions on behalf of John Sullivan; but by 1936 these were over eventhough Joyce never said so. Sullivan himself knew what Joyce refused toadmit, that they had met too late, at a time when Sullivan's voice waslosing its timbre.* 28Although Joyce was too restless not to seek out newacquaintances from time to time, he relied heavily on a small group offriends, most of whom he had known since the 'twenties.Among them Paul Leon remained the principal helper. He abjuredthe title of secretary, and refused to be paid for his endless letter-writing.Sometimes he wrote for Joyce directly, at other times he wrote at Joyce'sindirect suggestion to see how the wind blew, and sometimes he originatedplans of his own with which he hoped Joyce might eventually bepersuaded to agree. Leon adopted towards Joyce a tone of bantering affection,which Joyce reciprocated. So, when one day Joyce had, withoutbeing asked, joined Leon and a handsome woman guest at a restaurant,he presented Leon shortly afterwards with Byron's Don Juan, inscribed,by way of Mozart's Don Giovanni, toDon Leone, a pranzar teconon m'invitasti, ma son venutotII CommendatoreApril 21st Chez ChaulandA basket of fruit was delivered to Leon during a spell of asthma with themessage, 'Hope this fruit is acceptable to your invalidship. J.J.' Joycepresented him with a copy of Finnegans Wake when it appeared with theinscription,To that Eurasian Knight, Paul Leon,with the Thousand and one thanksof that most distressful writer,James Joyce.Paris, May 4th, 1939 30And in a serious mood, he dictated for Gorman's biography a few sentencesof tribute: 'For the last dozen years, in sickness or health, nightand day, he [Leon] has been an absolutely disinterested and devoted friendand I could never have done what I did without his help.' 31In addition to Leon and Sullivan, Joyce was in touch quite steadilywith the Gilberts, the Jolases, and Samuel Beckett, and more sporadicallywith Rene Bailly and his Irish wife, with Soupault, and Nino Frank,!* The voice teacher Georges Cunelli had another view, that the high fifth of Sullivan'svoice was suffocated by sub-glottic pressure of air. 29t 'Don Leone, thou'st not invited me to dine with thee, but here I am.'t The course of these friendships, even the closest, was never smooth; there were occasionalperiods of estrangement, usually over something trivial, and sometimes broughtabout by Nora.