They were well on their way to getting drunk when Homer came out to the garage. He gave a little start when he saw the dead chicken sprawled1 on the carpet. He shook hands with Claude after Tod introduced him, and with Abe Kusich, then made a little set speech about everybody coming in for a drink. They trooped after him. Faye greeted them at the door. She was wearing a pair of green silk lounging pajamas2 and green mules3 with large pompons and very high heels. The top three buttons of her jacket were open and a good deal of her chest was exposed but nothing of her breasts; not because they were small, but because they were placed wide apart and their thrust was upward and outward.
She gave Tod her hand and patted the dwarf4 on the top of the head. They were old friends. In acknowledging Homer’s awkward introduction of Claude, she was very much the lady. It was her favorite role and she assumed it whenever she met a new man, especially if he were someone whose affluence5 was obvious.
“Charmed to have you,” she trilled.
The dwarf laughed at her.
In a voice stiff with hauteur6, she then ordered Homer into the kitchen for soda7, ice and glasses.
“A swell8 layout,” announced the dwarf, putting on the hat he had taken off in the doorway9.
He climbed into one of the big Spanish chairs, using his knees and hands to do it, and sat on the edge with his feet dangling10. He looked like a ventriloquist’s dummy11.
Earle and Miguel had remained behind to wash up. When they came in, Faye welcomed them with stilted12 condescension13.
“How do you do, boys? The refreshments14 will be along in a jiffy. But perhaps you prefer a liqueur, Miguel?”
“No, mum,” he said, a little startled. “I’ll have what the others have.”
He followed Earle across the room to the couch. Both of them took long, wooden steps, as though they weren’t used to being in a house. They sat down gingerly with their backs straight, their big hats on their knees and their hands under their hats. They had combed their hair before leaving the garage and their small round heads glistened15 prettily16.
Homer took the drinks around on a small tray.
They all made a show of manners, all but the dwarf, that is, who remained as arrogant17 as ever. He even commented on the quality of the whiskey. As soon as everyone had been served, Homer sat down.
Faye alone remained standing18. She was completely self-possessed despite their stares. She stood with one hip19 thrown out and her hand on it. From where Claude was sitting he could follow the charming line of her spine20 as it swooped21 into her buttocks, which were like a heart upside down.
He gave a low whistle of admiration22 and everyone agreed by moving uneasily or laughing.
“My dear,” she said to Homer, “perhaps some of the men would like cigars?”
He was surprised and mumbled23 something about there being no cigars in the house but that he would go to the store for them if . . . Having to say all this made him unhappy and he took the whiskey around again. He poured very generous shots.
“That’s a becoming shade of green,” Tod said.
Faye peacocked for them all.
“I thought maybe it was a little gaudy24 . . . vulgar, you know.”
“No,” Claude said enthusiastically, “it’s stunning25.”
She repaid him for his compliment by smiling in a peculiar26, secret way and running her tongue over her lips. It was one of her most characteristic gestures and very effective. It seemed to promise all sorts of undefined intimacies27, yet it was really as simple and automatic as the word thanks. She used it to reward anyone for anything, no matter how unimportant.
Claude made the same mistake Tod had often made and jumped to his feet.
“Won’t you sit here?” he said, waving gallantly28 at his chair.
She accepted by repeating the secret smile and the tongue caress29. Claude bowed, but then, realizing that everyone was watching him, added a little mock flourish to make himself less ridiculous. Tod joined them, then Earle and Miguel came over. Claude did the courting while the others stood by and stared at her.
“Do you work in pictures, Mr. Estee?” she asked.
“Yes. You’re in pictures, of course?”
Everyone was aware of the begging note in his voice, but no one smiled. They didn’t blame him. It was almost impossible to keep that note out when talking to her. Men used it just to say good morning.
“Not exactly, but I hope to be,” she said. “I’ve worked as an extra, but I haven’t had a real chance yet. I expect to get one soon. All I ask is a chance. Acting30 is in my blood. We Greeners, you know, were all theatre people from away back.”
“Yes. I . . . ”
She didn’t let Claude finish, but he didn’t care.
“Not musicals, but real dramas. Of course, maybe light comedies at first. All I ask is a chance. I’ve been buying a lot of clothes lately to make myself one. I don’t believe in luck. Luck is just hard work, they say, and I’m willing to work as hard as anybody.”
“You have a delightful31 voice and you handle it well,” he said.
He couldn’t help it. Having once seen her secret smile and the things that accompanied it, he wanted to make her repeat it again and again.
“I’d like to do a show on Broadway,” she continued. “That’s the way to get a start nowadays. They won’t talk to you unless you’ve had stage experience.”
She went on and on, telling him how careers are made in the movies and how she intended to make hers. It was all nonsense. She mixed bits of badly understood advice from the trade papers with other bits out of the fan magazines and compared these with the legends that surround the activities of screen stars and executives. Without any noticeable transition, possibilities became probabilities and wound up as inevitabilities. At first she occasionally stopped and waited for Claude to chorus a hearty32 agreement, but when she had a good start, all her questions were rhetorical and the stream of words rippled33 on without a break.
None of them really heard her. They were all too busy watching her smile, laugh, shiver, whisper, grow indignant, cross and uncross her legs, stick out her tongue, widen and narrow her eyes, toss her head so that her platinum34 hair splashed against the red plush of the chair back. The strange thing about her gestures and expressions was that they didn’t really illustrate35 what she was saying. They were almost pure. It was as though her body recognized how foolish her words were and tried to excite her hearers into being uncritical. It worked that night; no one even thought of laughing at her. The only move they made was to narrow their circle about her.
Tod stood on the outer edge, watching her through the opening between Earle and the Mexican. When he felt a light tap on his shoulder, he knew it was Homer, but didn’t turn. When the tap was repeated, he shrugged36 the hand away. A few minutes later, he heard a shoe squeak37 behind him and turned to see Homer tiptoeing off. He reached a chair safely and sank into it with a sigh. He put his heavy hands on the knees, one on each, and stared for a while at their backs. He felt Tod’s eyes on him and looked up and smiled.
His smile annoyed Tod. It was one of those irritating smiles that seem to say: “My friend, what can you know of suffering?” There was something very patronizing and superior about it, and intolerably snobbish38.
He felt hot and a little sick. He turned his back on Hamer and went out the front door. His indignant exit wasn’t very successful. He wobbled quite badly and when he reached the sidewalk, he had to sit down on the curb39 with his back against a date palm.
From where he was sitting, he couldn’t see the city in the valley below the canyon40, but he could see the reflection of its lights, which hung in the sky above it like a batik parasol. The unlighted part of the sky at the edge of the parasol was a deep black with hardly a trace of blue.
Homer followed him out of the house and stood standing behind him, afraid to approach. He might have sneaked41 away without Tod’s knowing it, if he had not suddenly looked down and seen his shadow.
“Hello,” he said.
He motioned for Homer to join him on the curb. “You’ll catch cold,” Homer said.
Tod understood his protest. He made it because he wanted to be certain that his company was really welcome. Nevertheless, Tod refused to repeat the invitation. He didn’t even turn to look at him again. He was sure he was wearing his long-suffering smile and didn’t want to see it.
He wondered why all his sympathy had turned to malice42. Because of Faye? It was impossible for him to admit it. Because he was unable to do anything to help him? This reason was a more comfortable one, but he dismissed it with even less consideration. He had never set himself up as a healer.
Homer was looking the other way, at the house, watching the parlor43 window. He cocked his head to one side when someone laughed. The four short sounds, ha-ha and again ha-ha, distinct musical notes, were made by the dwarf.
“You could learn from him,” Tod said.
“What?” Homer asked, turning to look at him.
“Let it go.”
His impatience44 both hurt and puzzled Homer. He saw that and motioned for him to sit down, this time emphatically.
Homer obeyed. He did a poor job of squatting45 and hurt himself. He sat nursing his knee.
“What is it?” Tod finally said, making an attempt to be kind.
“Nothing, Tod, nothing.”
He was grateful and increased his smile. Tod couldn’t help seeing all its annoying attributes, resignation, kindliness46, and humility47.
They sat quietly, Homer with his heavy shoulders hunched48 and the sweet grin on his face, Tod frowning, his back pressed hard against the palm tree. In the house the radio was playing and its blare filled the street.
They sat for a long time without speaking. Several times Homer started to tell Tod something but he didn’t seem able to get the words out. Tod refused to help him with a question.
His big hands left his lap, where they had been playing “here’s the church and here the steeple,” and hid in his armpits. They remained there for a moment, then slid under his thighs49. A moment later they were back in his lap. The right hand cracked the joints51 of the left, one by one, then the left did the same service for the right. They seemed easier for a moment, but not for long. They started “here’s the church” again, going through the entire performance and ending with the joint50 manipulation as before. He started a third time, but catching52 Tod’s eyes, he stopped and trapped his hands between his knees.
It was the most complicated tic Tod had ever seen. What made it particularly horrible was its precision. It wasn’t pantomime, as he had first thought, but manual ballet.
When Tod saw the hands start to crawl out again, he exploded.
“For Christ’s sake!”
The hands struggled to get free, but Homer clamped his knees shut and held them.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Oh, all right.”
“But I can’t help it, Tod. I have to do it three times.”
“Okay with me.”
He turned his back on him.
Faye started to sing and her voice poured into the street
“Dreamed about a reefer five feet long Not too mild and not too strong, You’ll be high, but not for long, If you’re a viper53 — a vi-paah.”
Instead of her usual swing delivery, she was using a lugubrious54 one, wailing55 the tune57 as though it were a dirge58. At the end of every stanza59, she shifted to an added minor60.
“I’m the queen of everything, Gotta be high before I can swing, Light a tea and let it be, If you’re a viper — a vi-paah.”
“She sings very pretty,” Homer said.
“She’s drunk.”
“I don’t know what to do, Tod,” Homer complained. “She’s drinking an awful lot lately. It’s that Earle. We used to have a lot of fun before be came, but now we don’t have any fun any more since he started to hang around.”
“Why don’t you get rid of him?”
“I was thinking about what you said about the license61 to keep chickens.”
Tod understood what he wanted.
“I’ll report them to the Board of Health tomorrow.”
Homer thanked him, then insisted on explaining in detail why he couldn’t do it himself.391
“But that’ll only get rid of the Mexican,” Tod said. “You’ll have to throw Earle out yourself.”
“Maybe he’ll go with his friend?”
Tod knew that Homer was begging him to agree so that he could go on hoping, but he refused.
“Not a chance. You’ll have to throw him out”
Homer accepted this with his brave, sweet smile. “Maybe . . . ”
“Tell Faye to do it,” Tod said.
“Oh, I can’t”
“Why the hell not? It’s your house.”
“Don’t be mad at me, Toddle62.”
“All right, Homie, I’m not mad at you.”
Faye’s voice came through the open window.
“And when your throat gets dry, You know you’re high, If you’re a viper.”
The others harmonized on the last word, repeating it. “Vi-paah . . . ”
“Toddle,” Homer began, “if . . . ”
“Stop calling me Toddle, for Christ’s sake!”
Homer didn’t understand. He took Tod’s hand.
“I didn’t mean nothing. Back home we call . . . ”
Tod couldn’t stand his trembling signals of affection. He tore free with a jerk.
“Oh, but, Toddle, I . . . ”
“She’s a whore!”
He heard Homer grunt63, then heard his knees creak as he struggled to his feet.
Faye’s voice came pouring through the window, a reedy wail56 that broke in the middle with a husky catch.
“High, high, high, high, when you’re high, Everything is dandy, Truck on down to the candy store, Bust64 your conk on peppermint65 candy! Then you know your body’s sent, Don’t care if you don’t pay rent, Sky is high and so am I, If you’re a viper — a vi-paah.”
收听单词发音 |
1
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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pajamas
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| n.睡衣裤 | |
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mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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affluence
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| n.充裕，富足 | |
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hauteur
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| n.傲慢 | |
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soda
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| n.苏打水；汽水 | |
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swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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dummy
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| n.假的东西；(哄婴儿的)橡皮奶头 | |
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stilted
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| adj.虚饰的；夸张的 | |
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condescension
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| n.自以为高人一等，贬低(别人) | |
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refreshments
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| n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待 | |
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glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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prettily
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| adv.优美地；可爱地 | |
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arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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hip
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| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
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spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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swooped
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| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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stunning
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| adj.极好的；使人晕倒的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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intimacies
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| 亲密( intimacy的名词复数 )； 密切； 亲昵的言行； 性行为 | |
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28
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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29
caress
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| vt./n.爱抚，抚摸 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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31
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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rippled
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| 使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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platinum
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| n.白金 | |
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illustrate
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| v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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squeak
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| n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密 | |
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38
snobbish
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| adj.势利的，谄上欺下的 | |
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curb
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| n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制 | |
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canyon
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| n.峡谷，溪谷 | |
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41
sneaked
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| v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状 | |
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42
malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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44
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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45
squatting
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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kindliness
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| n.厚道，亲切，友好的行为 | |
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humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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48
hunched
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| （常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦）耸肩弓身的，伏首前倾的 | |
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49
thighs
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| n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿 | |
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50
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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51
joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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52
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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53
viper
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| n.毒蛇；危险的人 | |
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54
lugubrious
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| adj.悲哀的，忧郁的 | |
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55
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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56
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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57
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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58
dirge
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| n.哀乐，挽歌，庄重悲哀的乐曲 | |
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stanza
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| n.（诗）节，段 | |
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60
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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61
license
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| n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许 | |
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toddle
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| v.（如小孩）蹒跚学步 | |
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63
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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64
bust
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| vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部 | |
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65
peppermint
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| n.薄荷，薄荷油，薄荷糖 | |
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