The place was an empty warehouse3, fitted with long tables, and benches made of planks4 that were old and full of splinters. Here in rows of twenty or thirty were seated men and women and children, mixed together; before each one a bowl of not very thick soup, and a hunk of bread, and a tin cup full of hot brown liquid, politely taken for coffee. It was a meal which would have been spurned6 by any of the “studio bums” of T-S's mob-scenes; but now T-S was going to be a good sport, and sit on a splintery plank5 and eat it!
Nor was that all. As we pushed our way into the place, Carpenter turned to the magnate, and without a trace of embarrassment7, said: “You understand, Mr. T-S, I have no money. But we must pay—”
“Oh, sure!” said T-S, quickly. “I'll pay!”
“Thank you,” said the other; and he turned to an official of the union with whom he had got acquainted in the course of the morning. He introduced us all, not forgetting the secretary, and then said: “Mr. T-S is the moving picture producer, and wants to have lunch with you, if you will consent.”
“Oh, sure!” said the official, cordially.
“He will pay for it,” added Carpenter. “He has brought along a thousand dollars for that purpose.”
T-S started as if some one had struck him; and the official started too. “WHAT?”
“He will pay a thousand dollars,” declared Carpenter. “It is a fact, and you may tell the people, if you wish.”
“My Gawd, no!” cried T-S wildly.
But the official did not heed8 him. He faced the crowd and stretched out his arms. “Boys! Boys! This is Mr. T-S, the picture producer, and he's come to lunch with us, and he's going to pay a thousand dollars for it!”
There was a moment of amazed silence, then a roar from the company. Men leaped to their feet and yelled. And there stood poor T-S-not enjoying the ovation9!
“Give it to them,” whispered Carpenter; and the magnate, thus held up, took out the roll of bills, and turned it over to the trembling official, who leaped onto a chair and waved the miracle before the crowd. “A thousand dollars! A thousand dollars!” He counted it over before their eyes and called, louder than ever, “A thousand dollars!”
Carpenter, followed by T-S and the secretary and myself, went down the line of tables, shaking hands with many on the way, and being patted on the back by others. Also T-S shook hands, and was patted. Seats were found for us, and food was brought—double portions of it, as if to make the plight10 of the poor magnate even more absurd! I watched him out of the corner of my eye; he enjoyed that costly11 meal just about as much as Carpenter had enjoyed the one at Prince's last night!
However, he was game, and spilled no tears into his soup; and Carpenter ate with honest appetite, having had no breakfast. The strikers about us ate as if they had missed both breakfast and supper; they laughed and chatted and made jokes with us—you would have thought they were celebrating the winning of the strike and the end of all their troubles. In the midst of the meal I noted12 two well-dressed young men by the door, asking questions; I chuckled13 to myself, seeing more head-lines—double ones, and extra size:
PROPHET OF GOD VAMPS MOVIE KING MAGNATE OF SCREEN PAYS THOUSAND FOR LUNCH
But I knew that T-S had never yet paid a thousand dollars without getting something for it, and I was not surprised when, after he had gulped14 down his meal, he turned to his host and, disregarding the company and the excitement, demanded, “Now, Mr. Carpenter, tell me, do I git de contract?”
Carpenter had had his jest, and was through with it. He answered, gravely: “You must understand me, Mr. T-S. You don't want a contract with me.”
“I don't?”
“If I were to sign it, it would not be a week before you would be sorry, and would be asking me to release you.”
“Vy is dat, Mr. Carpenter?”
“Because I am going to do things which will make me quite useless to you in a business way.”
“Dat can't be true, Mr. Carpenter!”
“It is true, and you will realize it soon. I assure you, it won't be a day before you will be ashamed of having known me.”
T-S was gazing at the speaker, not certain whether this was something very terrible, or only a polite evasion15. “Mr. Carpenter,” he answered, “if all de vorld vas to give you up, I vouldn't!”
Said Carpenter: “I tell you, before the cock crows again, you will deny three times that you know me.” And then, without awaiting response from the amazed T-S, he turned to speak to the man on the other side of him.
The magnate of the pictures sat silent, evidently frightened. At last he turned to me and asked, “Vot you tink he meant by dat, Billy?”
I answered: “I think he meant that you are to play the part of Peter.”
“Peter? Peter Pan?”
“No; St. Peter, who denied his master.”
“Vell,” said T-S, patiently, “you know, I ain't vun o' dese litry fellers.”
“I'll tell it to you some time,” I continued. “It's kind of funny. If he's right, you are going to be the first pope, and sit at the golden gate, holding the keys of heaven.”
“My Gawd!” said T-S.
“And you've made a record in the movies.” I added. “You've played Satan and St. Peter, both on the same day! That is 'doubling' with a vengeance16!”
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收听单词发音
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1
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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2
audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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3
warehouse
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| n.仓库；vt.存入仓库 | |
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4
planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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5
plank
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| n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目 | |
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6
spurned
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| v.一脚踢开，拒绝接受( spurn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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8
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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9
ovation
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| n.欢呼，热烈欢迎，热烈鼓掌 | |
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10
plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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11
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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12
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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13
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
gulped
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| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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15
evasion
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| n.逃避，偷漏(税) | |
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16
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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