Chapter 4 04

------- 04 "You envy your father's blind belief, Steve, that unquestionable belief, how much you envy him for having it. Just now, I was thinking about this question. In fact, I was also conflicted. Should we There should be a discussion about you." He licked his parched lips. "You say you've never believed in the truth, that you've always believed in the truth, so, then maybe you've never paid attention to the truth." Randall slowed down and asked, "What is this truth about, Tom?" "About your father's blind beliefs. You know, I've been very close to your father in recent years. Yes, to be honest, I've noticed a change in your father's views. When you left here for the last time, you probably didn't Noticed, but then things started to change. Your father never lost his faith, there's no doubt about it. I mean, people and things on this planet have changed in recent years, and that's affecting to—only to a lesser extent—your father's beliefs."

That's one thing Randall has been wanting to hear.He made no secret of his confusion. "So what does he believe in? Does he no longer believe in God and Jesus? So, what does he believe in?" "It's hard to tell right away. I mean he no longer rigidly believes in God, but the truths in the New Testament. He strictly abides by the religious rules and uses these things to solve some problems in real life." "Tom, are you saying that you feel my father has lost his faith? Is that true? Or that he has lost some of his faith?" "This is a recent guess."

Randall was sad. "If it's true, it's horrific, it's just horrific. It means he knows his life is meaningless, it's all about 'fishing for the moon'." "He may not have been so clear, Steve, he may have been in it, but he didn't see it. I found out easily. Your father is using his own traditional ideas to solve new problems of the twentieth century. Not only is no one doing it this way, but more and more people are starting to violate this creed. I think in the last few years, he has been confused, tasted setbacks and failures, lost his energy, and was in a negative state. I think O Dr. Benheimer, though unimaginative at times, saw this. I bumped into Oppenheimer just after his coffee at noon yesterday, after your father had been taken to the hospital after a stroke, and it was just the two of us. I Asked if your father's stroke was caused by overwork, Dr. Oppenheimer took one look at me and said, 'Pastor Nathan's illness was never caused by overwork, but by mental frustration. 'Need I say more?"

Randall shook his head. "No, enough has been told. My concern is, the loss of the mainstay of his life, that blind faith—how will my father be brought back to his feet?" "Maybe his recovery will strengthen his faith. I repeat, the edifice of his faith is still there, very strong. It's just a little crack now." Randall saw the Oak City Hotel right in front of him.He took out his pipe, filled it with cigarettes, and lit it. "How are you, Tom? Is there a crack in faith too?" "I don't shake my faith in God and Jesus, just other things." He stroked his bare chin and continued slowly. "It's—what confuses me is the creed of the clergy and the savior. They preach utilitarianism everywhere. When the messengers of heaven are after money, power, and fame one by one, how can we establish an image of statelessness on earth? Equally disheartening is the inability of God's messengers to reinterpret and modernize beliefs that arose in antiquity. They have little awareness of social change, the field of immediate and rapid communication, the fledgling hydrogen bomb field and aerospace field. In such a new field, the universe has become the real thing people watch on TV, and death has become the law of biology. It is difficult to maintain the belief in the illusory paradise. Many adults, because of the Modern education is too much to doubt its existence, for example, you yourself don't believe in savior, miracles and afterlife. And more young people, too focused on self-reliance, know more, doubt everything, how can you believe in these old religions .Among these young people, some fantasize about supernatural power all day long, and are very interested in useless astrology and witchcraft. As for those idealists, they have to use narcotic drugs to escape reality, and they refuse to accept the idea of ​​materialism , like communal life.”

"However, Tom, in the last few years there has been a dramatic change among young people who have taken an interest in religion. Thousands of followers, fanatical preachers of Christ, who have once again preached his love and brotherhood .I saw them, and all rock songs, music, records, books, signs, etc., praising Jesus. Doesn’t this mean that there is great hope?” Carey grinned sadly. "Small, small hope, not great. I never expected it to be a revival of faith. It's like a new 'journey' for these young people, I fear, just a short 'journey' because they Going back to the past just wants to find a kind of comfort from it, not to transform the things of the ancients to make them suitable for the current development. Therefore, their "travel" will not cultivate long-term beliefs. Their savior is in their In my heart, over time, it is like wearing an old hat and throwing it away. No, Steve, there is still a need for an eternal savior and a good sect. The revival of anything needs a long-term test, and it is meaningful. But , the only way is to unite powerful sects.”

"Yeah, why not?" Randall asked. "Because these people have no relationship with these powerful sects, and some people don't get involved with them at all. Even I feel that the church has disappointed me, and it can't solve any problems. Serving in the church, I I feel that my sins are too deep, and I don’t know the meaning of my life.” "Tom, do you feel hopeless?" "There's a glimmer of hope. But it's too late. I feel that the only way for Christ to survive and thrive is to modify himself, and that's what's happening in some dark church movements right now, like the Protestant Reformation. The leader of the Protestant Reformation The man is the Reverend Meltin di Frumi."

"Yes, I've heard of him." "This Frumi is not a conventional priest. He believes that the Bible must be re-read, re-written, re-invigorated and re-communicated. He thinks we should stop emphasizing that Christ was not only once a real man , and the Son of God and Savior. He felt that this Christ, and all the superstitions about his miracles and ascension, and after his resurrection, simply undermined the validity of the New Testament and restricted the activities of the Church. Frumi firmly believed , in the Gospel only one thing is important, and that is the basic wisdom of Christ, it does not matter whether he is the Son of God or the Son of Man or all myths, the point is that the words that are supposed to be God, must come from Pull it out of the first century, and then imbue it with new life in terms of the twentieth century, making it suitable for the twentieth century."

"How do you do that?" Randall asked. "I'm not sure," Carey admitted. "But Frumi thinks it can be done. I think he agrees with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, even though he is a conservative, trying to push the sect into the real world, trying to imbue it with human vitality and Social development. Frumi said that the "Bible" must use modern words, modern language and behaviors to penetrate into all walks of life in real life and integrate with the masses. If this can be done, the "Bible" can In its efficacy, religion and faith survive, and humanity secures civilization. Without the Reformation of the Church, Reverend Frumi foresees the destruction of religion and faith, and the destruction of humanity. He may be right. However, he represents only a minority, and those standing organizations—the World Council of Churches in Geneva and the Catholic Vatican—oppose drastic change and try to keep him and other apostates at bay. Church officials feel that in the century It's safe and his people are not, that's the problem. Your father has heard about it, and he's heard it now, many churches are losing membership year by year. Maybe in 10 years we will be like that too , I'm going to preach to an empty church."

"Tom, is there nothing you can do?" "With the current system, there may be no way. Outside of this system, there may be a way. However, I am too constrained by the old ways, too cowardly, to be a radical. For For me, for those of us who feel that religion is too stale, there is only one way to go, and I have been thinking about that way. I have always wanted to leave the church. Sometimes I feel that it might be better for me to teach or do some social reform work. It makes sense. I feel that if I really hold on to human needs, maybe I'll come up with some solutions to human problems. I don't know, I really don't know where I'm going to go."

Randall said as he walked, "I hope you don't give up, at least not now. Selfishly, I thought, I'm afraid this is going to break my father's heart." Carey shrugged: "Steve, can a person who is already heartbroken still be heartbroken? Don't worry, if I really consider resigning, I will have to wait until your father fully recovers." They stopped at an intersection, and Carey continued: "If the church does not reform, there is only one way to save it, and that is a miracle. Like the Jews, at the birth of Jesus, they waited for the Savior to save them from the Romans. to be rescued from their oppression, and therefore to disregard Jesus who could not save them or even himself. We need a true savior, and if that Jesus can come again and proclaim his gospel again, these gospels must also be delivered. It's unheard of."

"What kind of gospel are you talking about, Tom?" "It is faith and it is mercy. These are two new concepts in the first century, and these two concepts should also be renewed in the twentieth century. Even if Christ brings those gospels to the earth—then, I think Governments and people will take a good look to start doing meaningful things like eradicating slavery, poverty, misery, materialism, lawlessness, violent rule, nuclear threats, etc. The second coming of Christ, or the coming Signs that may restore hope and save humanity. But, like I said, that would be a miracle. Could it happen? But in this atomic age of computer science, television, moon landings, who would believe in miracles? This is the hotel you're staying in. Steve, I'm sorry to let you listen to me babbling all day, thank you. This is a quick way for me to talk, and I can trust you as a non-believer anyway. See you tonight." He turned and walked away, at which point Randall's boundless hopes for his father's full recovery were completely dashed.He felt helpless, and his absolute helplessness grew when he thought about having lunch with his daughter.Judy is another lost and devoid of faith, she has only nightmares but no dreams.Trying to save her may not be something that only one father can do.Judy also needs a miracle, but who can create a miracle in this era of rapid development? They had been in the coffee shop downstairs of the Oakridge Hotel for nearly half an hour, but the coffee shop was not too crowded and half empty. As soon as Randall got back to the hotel, he called Barbara's room, and it happened that Judy answered the phone and said she had been expecting him to join him for lunch.He first came to the coffee shop to wait, and she apologized to him for being late. It turned out that she asked if there was a longevity meal here.Her friend introduced her to eat in San Francisco. The food was purely for physiological needs. After she tried it, she actually liked it too.After asking, as she expected, there is no such restaurant in Oak City.But then, she thought, a few of these bad meals wouldn't break her down. By this time, Randall had finished his roast beef sandwich, watching his daughter take the last bite of her egg salad sandwich and sip her lemonade.In his eyes, she is the embodiment of beauty, with white skin like jade, eyes as bright as autumn water, small and upturned nose and beautifully curved lips, showing the beauty of a pure girl.However, her mature and graceful body in the blue coat and white trousers did not match her girlish and innocent appearance. It is unbelievable that such a young life, such a 15-year-old girl, such an innocent girl who refuses to eat food containing preservatives and other additives, actually uses anesthesia as a hypodermic injection to poison her body and mind .He decided to have a good talk with her about it. In the half hour that had passed since they met, she had only given him a hug instead of a kiss, and she had seemed strangely flustered, tense, and distant.The conversation between them is also intermittent.She talked about the benefits of macrobiotic meals and how she read Alan Watts' works, and then she mentioned the French teacher at her new school who she still admires. At one point, when there was nothing to talk about, Judy asked him about his work.He knew she wasn't interested, so he didn't talk much, just a brief overview of his public relations business. He wanted to tell her about meeting McLaughlin, so he thought it would arouse her curiosity and make her treat her father differently, but he swallowed the words again, because He knew that he would eventually reject McLaughlin and his Raker Society, and then he would have no reason to explain it to Judy. At this point, Judy pushed the plate aside and was wiping her lips with a tissue. "Now, how about some sweets?" Randall asked with feigned enthusiasm. "I wish I could have some," said Judy, "but I don't want to put on those new pants again, let me see. I'd like a glass of chocolate milk, if you'd like." He tried to recall if, when she was nine or ten, he used to drink chocolate milk with her at breakfast on Sunday mornings, he was stupid enough not to recall. "I want to have a glass too." After he finished speaking, he asked the waitress for two glasses of chocolate milk. Now, leaning back and facing her, he knew it was up to him to ask her something.He wanted to have lunch with her, not just to see her but also to feel her reaction to her mother's remarriage.At this moment, it was really difficult for him to ask this question, and it was a bit risky, but if he missed it, there would be no other chance.He had to ask, and then he had to ask her about the unbelievable anesthesia injection, which had to be asked as well. He had told Tom Carey less than an hour earlier that he was becoming more and more interested in facts. Therefore, he must find out. "Judy, we haven't talked about your new school yet, and..." At this moment, she was opening her exquisite small bag with her fingertips and carefully inspecting it. "...and I want to know what's going on," he said, "I heard they fired you because you were doing drugs." "I knew Mom would tell you. If there was a prayer wall nearby, she'd go there and say it." "So, would you like to talk?" "What's there to say? I happened to get caught. A lot of them didn't get caught. This bunch of stupid faculty, they're afraid I'm going to screw someone up, funny, I'm screwing them, nine times out of ten Veteran. That's how they kicked me out, and I was the best student in the class." He tried to pretend nothing had happened, and said calmly, "Why do you like that kind of thing, Judy? What makes it so important?" "That's no big deal. It's like—well—like a new experiment, that's all, just my business. I just wanted to test my sensibility, you know—to make my Just lighten your head. Some people get overwhelmed, but I had no problem at the time." Randall hesitated.Now he decided to address another, more dangerous subject. "How about that Dr. Burke who treated you? How far is he treating you now?" He almost saw her wary. "I don't know how to tell you," she said casually, "He's a psychiatrist, isn't that enough to know?" "It doesn't say anything about how well you've been treated." "If you're talking about the narcotics, Mom says he's getting me over time." She glanced at her father, then said gravely, "If you want to know that I'm now—I'm completely off .” "I'm glad to hear that." The waiter finally brought the chocolate milk, and Judy took a sip and praised it with great pleasure. Randall didn't want to stop there. "This Dr. Burke," he asked casually. "Do you like him as a person?" Judy's eyes brightened. "Old Ancer? Oh, that's great. I mean he has a mustache, and he's charming. Often I don't understand what he says, but he tries to explain it to me. He's a nice guy." Randall felt dizzy and heartbroken. "You know your mother wants to remarry him?" "She'd better marry him. Anyway, he often comes to her." After she took a sip of chocolate milk, she raised her head to see his expression, and immediately became timid. "I mean didn't I—I'm sorry if..." "It's okay," he said simply, "I just haven't heard you say that in the past." "Oh, sorry, I'm sorry. I—I know they want to get married." The core of the problem has not yet been discussed. "What I want to know is your opinion on the matter. What do you think of your mother's marriage to that Dr. Burke?" "At least my mother won't be talking behind me all day." "That's all you think, Judy?" She looked a little confused, "What else do you want me to say?" He thought the interrogation was futile and harmless. "Judy," he said, "what would you think if I objected to your mother marrying Burke?" She frowned. "It's—it's a nerve-wracking question. I mean, how do you answer it? I mean, why would you object? You and Mom have been separated for millions of years, and I know you never cared What is she doing?" "Even if I don't care about her, Judy, I still like you. No matter what happens in the future, you are the most worrying thing about me." "I—" She couldn't find the right words, and looked distressed and happy at the same time. "I am very happy." "From the way you speak, it seems that you don't know how important you are to me." "I think I know, it's just—as if—I mean I seldom see you, so—as if you were so far away from me, and I live with so many strangers." He nodded. "I get it, Judy," he said, "I just want you to know how I feel. What's going on with your mother and me is our problem, not yours, and we'll work it out. All I have to say is One thing I'm interested in - is seeing you live happily." "I'll be happy," she said quickly, picking up her handbag. "It's time for me to go now, thanks for the lunch and..." "Why are you in such a hurry?" She moved to the head of the seat. "Mom is packing and Grandpa is feeling better now, and she says we'd better go back to San Francisco. We're going to catch a plane from Chicago, and we'll be there in about an hour or two. She doesn't want me to leave Mrs. For a long time, I mean -- go see this neurologist." "I think she's right." Judy stood up. "Well, good-bye," she said awkwardly, "and—oh, thank you again for taking me to lunch—and, I hope Grandpa gets well soon." He looked at her wordlessly, took the bill blankly and said, "Okay, bye, Judy." Nothing more.She has already stepped towards the door of the coffee shop.He nonchalantly took out the change to pay the bill.Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her slow down, turn around, and come back in a hurry. She was leaning over the table, facing him, when he raised his head in bewilderment. "No matter what, Dad," she said excitedly, "you will always be my father." She bent her upper body even lower.The long hair brushed against his face, and she kissed his face. He raised his hand and stroked her face, his voice a little choked up. "Anyway, dear," he whispered, "you will always be my daughter, and I love you." She straightened up, tears welling in her eyes. "I love you, Daddy, and I will always love you." She backed up a few steps, then sprinted towards the door, finally disappearing from his view. He sat there by himself for 5 minutes.Finally, lighting his pipe, he left the café and went up the stairs.He didn't decide whether to go back to his room or take a walk outside.Just then, he heard someone calling his name. He hurried to the service desk. "Mr. Randall," the waiter called again, the receiver in his hand, "we were just trying to radio for you, and it was Miss Wanda Smith calling from her office in New York, and she said she had to talk to you. Call. If you like, you can go to the booth over there, and I'll get the operator to put the call through." He had entered the phone booth and was waiting when his secretary's voice came, and he asked eagerly, "What's the matter, Wanda? They said you have something to talk to me." "Yes, some urgent calls. First of all, everyone here wants to know about your father's condition and how you are doing." He really loves this loyal, plump and charming black female secretary who has served for nearly three years.When he hired Wanda, she was taking speech courses and hoping to become an actress herself, so her drawling southern accent had been replaced by a slightly spoken accent.Still, she enjoyed herself so much at Randall & Co. that she soon gave up on the idea of ​​being on stage.She has always maintained a slow and leisurely way of speaking, and sometimes she is almost anxious.For now, she must know something about his father and himself before talking about business matters.He knew her, and at the same time he knew that he could not persuade or change her, and he also knew that he wanted her to remain the same. So he told her the results of his visits to the hospital last night and this morning. Now, minutes later, in the phone booth, he finally delivered the results. "That's it, Wanda, unless something unexpected happens, Dad has passed the dangerous period. He will recover. But I'm not sure how far he can recover." "I'm so happy for you, boss, do you want me to pass on the good news to the others?" "Yeah, I really haven't had a chance to tell anyone else. You can call Darina at the apartment and tell her, and..." He thought about his assistant, Joe Hawkins, and legal counsel Thad. ? Crawford, they must want to know. "I think you can also inform Joe and Thad. Oh, yes, and tell Thad that I will finalize the matter with Tori and Cosmos Enterprises as soon as I get back. Tell him I will be back in two or three days, and I will Will tell him the exact time." "It will be done, boss. But I called you because I wanted you to be back in New York tomorrow. That's why I called you." Finally, he thought, Wanda was ready to say what she wanted to say. "Tomorrow?" he said. "Okay, baby, tell me." "Here are two urgent messages from you, boss, at least, the person who left them thought they were urgent. If your father is not out of danger, I don't want to bother you with them. Now, you say he is better, I think I can pass on is you." "I'm listening, Wanda." "One is still George L. Wheeler's - do you remember? - the publisher of the religious book I told you about yesterday when you were at the airport. When I told Wheeler I was trying to get in touch with you , he insisted that I contact you immediately. Have you had time to consider his thoughts?" "Frankly, no." "Well, if you can spare the time, it's still worth considering." Wanda said, "His reputation is very good, and I've done some research for you." Deng and Brandstreet , Who's Who in America, and Publishers Weekly. Missionary Press is second to none in the field of Bible publishing, far ahead of the world, Cambridge, Oxford, and all others. Wheeler owns Stock holdings, Bible publishing rights. He sponsored preachers to give lectures in Australia, and recently won some awards in the White House. According to "Who's Who in America", he has been married to the daughter of a celebrity in Philadelphia for 30 years, and has two Son, 57 years old. He took over Mission Press from his father about 20 years ago. Their headquarters are in New York, with offices in Nashville, Chicago, Dallas and Seattle." "Okay, Wanda, that's enough. He called you again. This time he told you exactly what he's going to do, right?" "He wanted to see you tomorrow morning, the sooner the better. He was very stubborn, and finally I had to tell him where you were and what happened. He expressed sympathy, but he still repeatedly emphasized that you must see him tomorrow morning. Very important. He asked me to call you by all means, and asked if you would come back for this appointment, and at the same time, he assured me that everything would be settled by noon, so that you could return to your father. I I did as you ordered yesterday, and only told him that I could only try to find you, but I didn't promise him success." "Wanda, this date—did Wheeler finally tell you what it was about?" "Yes, he just asked you to help him promote a new edition of the Bible." "That's all?" Randall interjected suddenly and unhappily. "Big deal, that's not the case, who cares?" There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while, and Wanda's voice came again. "I was thinking, you need it, boss," Wanda said slowly, "I just went over my records again, and Wheeler mentioned a few details on this call. He needs you to promote him for a whole year , he said he would give the highest price, more than any money you've ever received. He also said he wanted you to go to Europe for a month or two, at his expense, and you'd feel the ravishment of the journey, The only difficulty is that you have to start almost immediately." "What kind of PR does an American Bible publisher want me to do in Europe?" "I thought so too. I tried to make it clear, but he was so tight-lipped. Wouldn't even tell me where in Europe you had to go. But Joe Hawkins and I discussed it, and Joe agreed with me. Consider With all the pressure you've been under lately, you'd better go out for a change of scenery." Randall snorted. "Hopping a bible and talking about a change of scenery. Baby, I grew up with bibles and I've had it all over my ears since last night. I ain't got no interest in going back." Wanda still persisted. "All of us here have a hunch that this isn't the same as it used to be, that this might be something special. George L. Wheeler wants me to remind you of the clue that will lead to what he's planning." "What clue?" "In Matthew 28:7 in the New Testament." She paused. "I think you must be too busy and tired to remember. Do you remember what I told you yesterday? It is written in Matthew's Gospel: 'Go and tell his disciples that he died Resurrected, and, before you, went to Galilee, where you will see him...' Wheeler again asked me to tell you that you will be in charge of the 'Second Resurrection' propaganda." Randall remembered, and everything came to mind.Wheeler inexplicably asked him to promote the "Second Resurrection" propaganda. Just like yesterday, Randall was confused again. What did Wheeler want to tell him? Randall struggled to shake off the influence of the Second Resurrection.How could he need this "second resurrection"—whatever it was? Yet the image of his father had been in his mind this morning, freshly awakened, with pity-eyed eyes.How happy his father would be if he knew his son would be working on such a book.How much strength it will give him, and more importantly, how much comfort this religious project will bring to a restless heart that is still tempted by the money of Cosmos Enterprises. , and agreed to betray the "Rekel Association" matter. He was tempted, but only for a moment.He has no intention of promoting a school of nonsense.In spite of all his difficulties, he would never give publicity to a book as innocuous as the Bible, even a new one. "I'm sorry, Wanda," he said into the microphone, "but I can't think of a convincing reason to see Wheeler tomorrow morning. You'd better call him and explain." "I can give you a convincing reason, boss," Wanda interrupted him. "A really compelling reason. That's the second call I left for you. Just after Wheeler's call, I got another call. It's Ogden Torrey from Cosmos Enterprises here." "Oh?" "Mr. Torrey would like to inform you that George L. Wheeler is a close friend of his and that he, Torrey, has personally recommended our firm to Wheeler. Torrey has asked me to convey this immediately to You. He feels like he's doing him a favor with this assignment, promoting the new Bible for The Mission Press, exactly the kind of action he wants you to take on. Sounds like Mr. Torrey is serious , Boss, as if this matter is also very important to him." Wanda paused for a moment. "That's good reason for you to see Wheeler tomorrow morning?" "That's just a valid reason," Randall said slowly. "Well, I guess there's no alternative. You call George L. Wheeler and tell him to be at his Office meeting." After hanging up the phone, at this point Randall hated himself more than ever.In these two days, this is the second time that he has been at the mercy of Torrey.Perhaps it was worth it, to suffer this little humiliation, to pay this extortion fee, to redeem his future freedom. He left the phone booth, trying to figure out what to do next.Barbara and Judy were leaving, and he was going to tell his lawyer to get ready for a divorce, not let that guy named Burke take his daughter, and he was going to try to stop it.He spent the rest of the day with his mother, Clare, and Uncle Hermann.Afterwards, they would visit his father in the hospital, have Dr. Oppenheimer examine him again, and if he was satisfied with the results, he would fly back tonight on the night flight from Chicago.What did Wheeler say?Oh, "Second Resurrection". As he pondered the so-called secret plan that the Missionary Press was about to tell him, he remembered Wheeler's reminder.Yes, "Go and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead." What exactly does this mean?It doesn't matter.The leaders of Cosmos Enterprises said it was important, so it was important.Besides, his curiosity was aroused for the first time.He was interested in everything, in everything, including that "second resurrection." Sitting at the large oak table in the middle of the third-floor conference room at The Mission Press, Steve Randall found himself unable to concentrate on the business at hand. Through the large window facing the street opposite the table, he listened to the noise of traffic on Park Avenue in New York City in the distance below, and his eyes rested on an old American clock hanging on one wall.It was now 11:45 in the morning, which meant they had been talking—more precisely, he had been listening—for over half an hour.During all this time, he hadn't heard a single thing that excited him. While pretending to listen carefully, Randall quietly observed the conference hall.The layout of this conference hall is not like the center of an office building, but rather like a living room of a family.The decor on the walls is tasteful and the carpet is dark brown and elegant.A row of half-height bookshelves ran along one wall, and on them were neatly arranged expensive hardcover Bibles and some religious volumes, most of which, as far as Randall knew, were published by the press.在厅的一角，放了一只玻璃柜，内中陈列着各种各样的十字架，大奖章以及一些宗教物品。在它的不远处，有一张桌子，上面放着咖啡壶，咖啡壶正坐在加热盘上。 兰德尔是一个人来的。乔治?L?惠勒，作为主人和布道团出版社的社长，却带来了5个雇员。坐在兰德尔对面的是惠勒的一个年纪较大的女秘书，她的在场使得整个气氛就跟在教堂里或救世军来了一样，让人觉得自己有罪似的。秘书在忙着记录，很少抬起头。 在秘书的旁边坐着另外一个女人，很年轻，很有趣。兰德尔记得她的名字。她是内奥米?邓恩小姐，是惠勒的行政助理。她的棕色头发梳得一丝不苟，很柔顺地抛在脑后，浅黄色的眼睛，细小的鼻子，轮廓分明的小嘴。她的眼神锐利而带有傲气，仿佛因为你不是从事牧师或者布道者这样神圣而有用的职业而瞧不起你似的，让你觉得自己只是个平常自然的百姓而颇感自卑。她戴着一副大大的宽边眼镜，虔诚地聆听着惠勒的每一个字眼，就好像他在传达圣旨，她还从未抬头看过兰德尔。 围绕着桌子坐的另外三个布道团出版社的雇员都是年轻的小伙子：一个是编辑，一个是书本设计师，还有一个是商业书的销售经理。他们长相都差不多，难以区分，一样理着保守的发型，胡子都刮得干干净净，脸上表情都很严肃木然。还有一个共同点，就是他们都在适当的时候露出礼貌的笑容。在惠勒高谈阔论的时候，他们谁也没有说过一句话。 在兰德尔旁边坐着胖胖的乔治?L?惠勒，他还在不停地说着话。 这就是很有实力的托尔里的密友，美国《圣经》出版界的巨头，到现在兰德尔才非常仔细地打量着他。 惠勒很有特征，约有两百英磅重，头发明显脱落了，秃了一片，退到头顶的头发发梢已经发白，他的脸圆圆的，脸色红润，在这个圆脸上，有两个对称的圆是他戴着的金丝边大眼镜的镜片，他那大大的鼻子在他说话的时候不停地吸着气。另外，他还有一个不好的习惯，就是到处搔抓个不停，抓头、抓耳朵后面、鼻子旁边、腋窝下，就好像兰德尔在说话时习惯时不时地将浓密的头发推向脑后一样，不管头发是否遮住了眼睛。 惠勒身着昂贵的淡色调的西服，只有他的领带显示出他是一个推销商，一个商人。这种领带闪着金属光泽，是那些上门服务的商贩们经常戴的那种。 兰德尔这时已经听不进去他说的话了，不仅仅是因为这位出版商的话没能提起他的兴趣，而且还因为他说话的态度以及大嗓门的一言堂令人厌倦。他说话就好像不习惯与人交流，而只是对别人训话感兴趣。他的声音令人疲惫，像什么来着？——对了，他的声音就好像一只骆驼在不停地发出粗哑的叫声。