Chapter 10 Chapter nine
The Western Actors' House is divided into two parts: the film and television group (recruiting more experienced actors) and the practice group.The actors of the film and television crew rehearse the repertoires found by the people in charge of talent scouting in the film studio.Toby was assigned to the practice group.Alice Tanner told him that he would be in the practicum for six months to a year before he could transfer to film and television.
Toby found the classes very interesting.But, for him, those magical ingredients were gone.His audience, applause, applause, laughing and admiring people are all gone.
In the weeks after Toby attended the training class, he rarely saw the leaders of the school.Alice Tanner dropped by the practice classes occasionally to look at their improvisations and to say a few words of encouragement.Or, Toby sometimes bumped into her when he went to class.But he wants more than intimacy.He found himself missing Alice Tanner terribly.In Toby's eyes, she is a lady, which is very attractive to him.He felt he deserved this guy.At first, when he thought of her crippled leg, he was distressed; but the thought of the disease gradually developed into a sexual temptation.
Toby talked to her again about letting him go to the film crew.Only there, critics and talent scouts can see him.
"Your conditions are not yet met," Alice Tanner said to him.
She is standing in his way, making it difficult for him to succeed.I've got to do something about it, Toby decided.
The film and television crew was rehearsing a play. On the opening night, Toby sat in a seat in the middle row, and next to him was a student named Karen.Karen was a small, fat actress in their class.Toby had shared a few scenes with Karen, and he knew two things about Karen: that she never wore underwear, and that her breath smelled.
She'd done everything in Toby's presence except to send an emergency signal.Toby pretended not to understand.Jesus, he thought, sleeping with her is like drinking a bucket of hot lard.
As they sat waiting for the curtain to go up, Karen told him excitedly which one was the reviewer for the Los Angeles Times and the Herald-Express and which one was for Twentieth Century Fox, MGM Talent scouts for studios and Warner Bros. Pictures.This annoyed Toby very much.These people came here to find an actor on the stage, and he sat like a dumb in the audience.He could barely contain himself, he was about to get up and do a routine, show them him too, dazzle them, tell them who the real genius was.
The audience appreciated the play.Toby was fascinated by the talent scouts, who sat not far from him.In their hands is his future.Well, if Actor's House was a bait, Toby had to take advantage of this and get them to his side.But he didn't want to wait six months, not even six weeks.
Toby came to Alice Tanner's office the next morning.
"What did you think of yesterday's play?" she asked him.
"Brilliant," Toby said. "Those actors are really great." He smiled self-deprecatingly. "I see what you mean when you say I don't have the qualifications."
"They have more experience than you, and that's the problem. But, you have a different personality. You'll work it out, be patient."
He sighed. "I don't know. Maybe I'd better forget about it and go back to my insurance job or something."
She gave him an instant startled look. "It can't be like that," she said.
Toby shook his head. "After watching those performances last night, I—I don't think I'm going to do it."
"Of course you can, Toby, I won't allow you to say that."
In her voice Toby recognized the tone he had longed to hear.It was no longer a teacher talking to a student, but a woman talking to a man.She is encouraging him and caring for him.Toby felt a burst of satisfaction.
Toby shrugged helplessly and said, "I don't know, not at all. I'm all alone in this city, and I don't even have anyone to talk to."
"You can come and talk to me often, Toby. I'd like to be your friend."
He could hear the sexiness in her voice.When Toby watched her, the blue eyes contained all the wonders of the world.As she watched him, he walked over and locked the office door.He turned back, knelt down in front of her, and threw his head into her arms.As her fingers ran through his hair, he slowly lifted her skirt, revealing her poor thighs in cruel iron hoops.He slowly untied the iron button, gently kissed the red mark formed by the iron hoop, and slowly untied her belt.At the same time, he kept telling her about his love and need for her.
Toby lived with Alice Tanner that night, and he gave Tanner a great deal of satisfaction.
Toby also found Alice Tanner a lonely woman worthy of sympathy that night.She urgently needs someone to talk to, someone to courtship.She was born in Boston to a wealthy manufacturer father.But after he gave her a lot of money, he stopped caring about her.Alice was fond of the theater and had once studied to be an actress.But in college, she contracted polio.Her dream was shattered.She told Toby how much the disease had affected her life.The young man to whom she was engaged deserted her on hearing the news.Alice left her hometown to marry a psychiatrist, but the doctor committed suicide six months later.It seems that all her feelings are buried deep in her heart.Now there was a sudden outpouring of these feelings, which gave her a sense of relief, ease, and strange satisfaction.
But when he got to school, Toby found that Alice hadn't changed him.He talked to her about allowing him to participate in the next rehearsal of the film crew, introducing him to the director who cast the role, and recommending his situation to the major film studios.Still she said firmly, "Honey, if you rush it, you'll do yourself a disservice. Here's a rule: First impressions are very important. If they don't like you the first time, they I will never watch your play again. You must prepare your own conditions."
As soon as these words were uttered, she became his enemy.She is against him.Toby swallowed his anger hard.He forced a smile and said to her, "Of course, I'm just getting impatient. Of course, I'm doing this for my own sake, and it's also for yours."
"Really? Oh, Toby, how I love you!"
"I love you too, Alice." He smiled at her adoring gaze.He knew that he had to trick this whore, she had become a stumbling block in his way forward.And he hates her.He must punish her.
When they went to bed, he made her do things she'd never done before, things he'd never even asked a whore to do before.Every time he made her do something lower, he complimented her like a dog learning a new trick.And she will also feel happy because of his favor.But the more he fucked her dirty, the more dirty he felt himself.So rather he was punishing himself.But he had no idea why he did it.
Toby had an idea in mind.As a result, the opportunity to implement this idea came earlier than he expected.Alice Tanner announced that the practicum class would be giving an in-house performance next Friday for the senior class and its guests.Each student can choose his own performance.Toby prepared a monologue, which he practiced over and over again.
On the morning of the performance, Toby waited for the class to finish and walked to Karen.Karen is the fat actor who sat next to Toby in the last show. "Can you do me a favor?" he asked casually.
"Of course, Toby." Her voice was a little surprised but enthusiastic.
Toby stepped back to avoid her breathing.
"I'm going to have a joke with an old friend of mine, and I want you to call Clifton Lawrence's secretary and tell her you're Sam Goldwyn's secretary and tell her, Mr. Goldwyn hopes that Mr. Lawrence will be at the show tonight for a good new comedy show. Tickets are ready at the box office."
Karen glanced at him and said, "Jesus, old Mrs. Tanner wouldn't like it. You know, she never allows outsiders to attend the practice class performances."
"Trust me, there won't be any problem." He took her arm and squeezed it. "Are you busy this afternoon?"
She took the bait, breathing a little nervously.
"No—not busy, if you want to do something."
"I want to do something."
Three hours later, Karen, ecstatically delighted, called the number.
The auditorium was filled with actors of all classes and their guests.But Toby's only attention was on the man in the third row of aisle seats.Toby panicked, fearing that his strategy would fail.Surely a man as clever as Clifton Lawrence would have seen through such a ruse.However, he didn't see through.He is sitting there.he came.
Right now, a boy is on stage with a girl, performing a scene from The Seagull.Toby hoped they didn't throw Clifton Lawrence out of the theater.At last the play was over, and the two actors bowed to the audience and left the stage.
It's time for Toby.Alice suddenly appeared in the side compartment and stood beside him.She whispered to him, "Good luck, dear." She didn't know that the person who made him lucky was sitting in the audience.
"Thank you, Alice." Toby prayed to himself, straightened his shoulders, jumped up from his seat, and walked to the stage, smiling childishly at the audience.
"Hi, my name is Toby Temple. Don't you all stop and think about your own names? Why did our parents give us such a name? It's actually what everyone wants to be satisfied with A desire, it's an exciting thing. I asked my mother why I was called Toby. She said: I gave birth to you, looked at you, 'Toby!' That's it! "
His expression is very funny, he looks so innocent on stage, but there is a look of eagerness for success in his eyes.The audience welcomed him very much.The jokes he tells are simply "incurable", and he says everything.Anyway, it's okay, the audience is still welcome.But it can be seen that he is sensitive to people's expressions, so that the audience wants to protect him, protecting him with applause and laughter.It was like a gift of love, and it came to Toby so excited that he couldn't contain it.Soon he was Edward G. Robinson and Jimmy Cagney.Cagney said, "You scumbag, big rascal! Who do you think you're giving orders to?"
Then Robinson said, "To you, to you little rascal who isn't even a rascal. You see what I left, I'm a class. You're a fart. Do you know what it's called? ?”
"Of course I do. That's a nasty libertine. Pooh, what kind of gentleman are you?"
There was a burst of laughter.The audience adored Toby.
After a while Bogart was yelling again: "If my lips hadn't stuck to my teeth, I'd spit in your face, little rascal."
The audience is simply enthralled.
After a while, Toby imitated Peter Lauer again, and continued to tell everyone:
"Once I saw a little girl playing with that thing in the house. I suddenly became excited. I don't know what happened to me. I couldn't help it anyway. So I sneaked into her room. I tried to get close to her. , the two became more and more friendly. In the end, I broke the 'thing' of this silly girl."
There was a burst of laughter.He swayed from side to side.
He went on to perform Laurel and Hardy.Then he saw a commotion in the audience.He looked up and saw Clifton Lawrence walking out of the theatre.
The rest of the night was a blur to Toby.
After the show, Alice Tanner approached Toby.
"You're amazing, dear! I—"
He could not bear to look at Alice; nor could anyone else look at him.He wanted to bear his grief alone, to ease the pain that tore his heart.His dream was shattered.He got his chance and lost it.Clifton Lawrence is gone, and he's gone before he's even finished.Clifton Lawrence was a man of talent, a professional for the best actors.If even Lawrence thought Toby had no talent... he felt sick to his stomach.
"I'm going for a walk," he said to Alice.
He went down Vine Street, walked up Galwall Street, past Columbia Pictures, past RKO Pictures, past Paramount Pictures.All doors are locked.He walked down Hollywood Boulevard again, and when he looked up, he saw the ironic sign on the hill: "Hollywood."In fact, there is no such thing as Hollywood.It is a territory that exists in people's hearts, a dream that exists.It lured thousands of normal people to this mind-boggling place -- all bent on becoming a star. "Yollywood" has become a great magnet for all kinds of miracles, a trap to lure people into with the songs of siren witches, and then destroy them.
Toby wandered the streets all night, thinking about what to do with his life.He lost confidence in himself.He felt rootless, adrift.Because he never thought about what else he could do besides entertainment.If there was no way for him to do this, then all that was left was to find other tedious jobs.And those jobs will imprison his talents and keep him silent for the rest of his life.Mr. Anonymous, no one knows who he is.He recalled the long, dreary years, the lonely life in countless nameless towns, the audiences who had cheered him, and the people who had laughed for him and loved him.Thinking of all this, Toby cried.He cried for his past, and even more for his future.
He wept bitterly, for he had nowhere to go.
It was daylight when Toby returned to the gray brick bungalow with a balcony where he and Alice shared.He walked into the bedroom and looked down at the sleeping figure of Alice.He used to think that she was his door opener to heaven.It seemed she was unwilling to do this for him.He should have gone.But he didn't know where to go.He was nearly twenty-seven years old and had no future at all.
Toby lay on the couch, exhausted.He closed his eyes.The morning noise is waking up the city.This quiet and disturbing morning sound seems to be the same everywhere in the city.It reminded him of Detroit, of his mother.She was standing in the kitchen, baking him apple pie.He smelled the wonderful, musky smell of his mother again, and the smell of apples fried in butter.She was there saying to him, "God wants you to be famous."
He stood alone on a huge stage, dazzled by the spotlights.He frantically thought about his lines.He wanted to speak, but couldn't.He was terrified.Suddenly there was an uproar in the audience, and through the blinding lights, Toby saw the audience leaving their seats one by one and rushing to the stage.They attacked him, they wanted to kill him.The audience's love turned to hate.They surrounded him and scrambled to grab him.He heard them shouting, "Toby! Toby! Toby!"
Toby woke up with a jerk.He was still terrified in his heart, and his mouth was parched.Alice Tanner was crouching over him, shaking him.
"Toby! Calling. Clifton Lawrence."
Clifton Lawrence had an office in an elegant little building on Beverly Avenue, just south of Wilshire.On the carved wall panels, all the paintings of French Impressionists are hung.In front of the dark green marble fireplace, there is a sofa.Several antique chairs surround an exquisite tea table.These decorations were all Toby had never seen before.
A good-looking red-haired secretary came to serve the tea. "Do you like this tea, Mr. Temple?"
Mr. Temple! "Please put a piece of sugar."
"Okay." She smiled and walked out.
Toby didn't know that the tea was a special blend imported from Fortnum and Mason to America, or that it was brewed from the Irish spring water of Berwick, he just knew that it tasted wonderful.In fact, everything in this office is first-class, especially that short and thin man.The man was sitting in an armchair looking at him.Clifton Lawrence was smaller than Toby had imagined, but he had the demeanor of a commanding boss.
"I can't tell you how glad I am that you came to my show," said Toby, "but I'm so sorry that I had to..."
Clifton Lawrence threw his head back and laughed, "Trying to trick me? I had lunch with Goldwyn yesterday. I went to your show last night because I wanted to see See if your talents are consistent with your nerves. They are consistent."
"But, you left halfway—" Toby said loudly.
"My dear boy, you don't have to eat the whole bottle of caviar to know if it tastes good, do you? It only takes me sixty seconds to know how much you've got in your belly."
Toby felt a new kind of happiness and hope radiate through him.Last night, he was so frustrated, bleak and hopeless.And now his sense of well-being seemed to return, and his life was his own again.
"I have a presentiment about you, Temple," continued Clifton Lawrence, "and I think I have found a young man whom it would be interesting for me to train. I have therefore decided that you as one of my clients."
The feeling of joy could no longer be contained in Toby's heart.He wanted to get up and cry out, shout out, "Clifton Lawrence is going to be my attorney!"
". . . but on one condition," said Clifton Lawrence, "that you will do exactly what I tell you to do. You can't have your own way. You have only to go overboard. Our cooperation is over. Do you understand?"
Toby nodded quickly: "Yes, sir, I understand everything."
"The first thing you have to do is face the facts," he said, smiling at Toby. "Your acting was wonderful, but it's obviously too low-class."
Toby felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach.Clifton Lawrence had brought him in, presumably to reprimand him for making that stupid phone call, and it seemed he hadn't taken him seriously.he……
But the little man's agent went on: "Last night was just an amateur show, and that's what you are—amateur." Clifton Lawrence got up from his chair and began Walking up and down the room: "I'm going to tell you what you have; and I'm going to tell you what else you need if you want to be a star."
Toby sat there, motionless.
"Let's start with your material," Clifton said. "You can spice it up and sell it in the theater foyer."
"You're right, sir, there's a bit of vulgarity in it. But—"
"Secondly, you have no manners."
Toby's fists clenched. "The audience seemed to—"
"Secondly, you don't know how to act on stage. You look like a rodent."
Toby could not utter a word.
The little agent approached Toby, looked down at him, read Toby's mind, and said softly, "Of course, if you're useless, what are you doing here? Why are you here?" , because you have something that money can’t buy. When you’re on stage and the audience wants to eat you up, they love you. Do you know how much that’s worth?”
Toby took a deep breath and leaned back: "Teach me well."
"It's worth more than you can dream of. With the right material, with the right arrangements, you can be made into a star."
Toby sat there, basking in the warmth and light of Clifton Lawrence's words.Everything he has done in his life seems to be leading to this moment.And it seems like he's a big star now.It seems that everything has come true, just as his mother expected.
"The key to a performer's success is his character," continued Clifton Lawrence. "That trait can't be bought or invented, it's something you're born with. Lucky you , dear boy." He glanced at the gold watch on his wrist: "I have made an appointment for you to meet O'Harron and Linegle at two o'clock in the afternoon. They are the best comedians in the world creators. They work for all the top comedians."
Toby got a little nervous and said, "I'm afraid I don't have enough money—"
Clifton Lawrence reassured him at once, and with a wave of his hand he said, "Don't worry, my dear boy. You'll pay me back later."
Long after Toby had gone, Clifton Lawrence sat thinking of him, of his big eyes and that innocent face, blue eyes full of trust and innocence.Clifton Lawrence smiled slightly.Clifton hadn't represented an unknown figure in years.His clients were all first-rate stars, and the fact that every studio was scrambling to get them on a film was too commonplace to excite him any more.But it might be more interesting and stimulating if you raise a young man from scratch.It's going to be a challenge to pick this inexperienced young lad and develop him into a cash cow.Besides, Clifton had a hunch that he would enjoy the experience.He liked the lad, he really liked him.
The meeting took place at the offices of Twentieth Century Fox's O'Harron and Linegle on Pico Avenue in West Los Angeles.Toby had hoped that it would be rich here too, like the Clifton Lawrence flat.Unexpectedly, the place where these two writers worked was a small bungalow made of wood with a balcony on the filming site, which was so simple and dilapidated.
A scruffy, middle-aged secretary in a cardigan received Toby into the inner office.The office walls are apple green and dirty.The only decorations in the room were a well-worn dart board and a sign that read "Predetermined Plans" all over it.The words are written crookedly.A very dilapidated Venetian-style venetian shutter blocked most of the sunlight in the room, and a small amount of sunlight came in, just hitting the worn-out and stained bronze-colored carpet.Two old desks were placed there back to back.Papers, pencils, and half-empty cold coffee cartons litter every desk.
"Hey, Toby, I'm sorry, it's a mess. The maids are off today," O'Harlan greeted him, "My name is O'Harlan," he pointed to his accomplice, "this is... …Ok……?"
"Leinger."
"Ah, yes, yes. This is Lineger."
O'Harlan was a big, chubby man with horn-rimmed glasses.Leinger was thin and puny.Both were in their early thirties, and they were a successful writing group that had worked together for ten years.Toby continued to work with these two men, and after Toby's success, he always referred to them as "the boys".
Toby said, "I know, you're going to write some jokes for me."
O'Harlan exchanged glances with Lineger."Clifton Lawrence thinks you might be America's new sex symbol," Linegle said. "We wanted to see what you could do. Have you ever acted?"
"Of course." Toby replied.He remembered Clifton's words, and suddenly, he felt less confident.
The two writers sat down on the sofa and folded their arms.
"You put on a show and amuse us," O'Harron said.
Toby looked at them: "Just act like this?"
"So what else do you want to do?" Reinger asked, "Do you still want an orchestra of sixty to play you the overture?" He turned to O'Harlan and said, "Okay, call The sound department called them."
You two smug fools, Toby thought, you both want to see me having fun, you two bastards.He knows what they want to do.They just wanted him to screw it up so they could go back to Clifton Lawrence and say, "We can't help him, he's an idiot." Well, he wasn't going to let them.Unknowingly, a smile appeared on his face, and he began to perform his routine. "Hey, Lo, aren't you shy yourself? Became such a loafing drunk. Why don't you get a job?"
"I've found a job."
"What job?"
"A job looking for a job all day long."
"Is that what you call work?"
"Of course. I'm so busy that I can't be free all day. I go to work at the normal time every day and come home at the same time for dinner at night."
Now, the two began to study Toby.They looked at him and pondered.And, during his performance, the two talked about him like he wasn't in the room at all.
"He doesn't know how to stand at all."
"Look at him shaking his hands like chopping wood. Maybe we should write him a scene of chopping wood, which would be appropriate."
"His pretentious exaggeration is too strong."
"Jesus, tell the joke--do you like it?"
Toby got annoyed the more he listened.He felt that there was no need for him to stay here and be insulted by these two lunatics.Their material, presumably, sucks.
In the end, he couldn't take it anymore.He paused, his voice trembling with exasperation. "I don't need you bastards to program me like this! Thank you for the treat." He started toward the door.
Lineger stood up, genuinely taken aback: "Hey! What's the matter with you?"
Toby said to him angrily, "What the hell are you talking about? You—you—" He was so frustrated that he was on the verge of tears.
Lineger turned his face away and looked at O'Harlan in bewilderment: "We must have hurt his pride."
"Oh my god!"
Toby took a deep breath. "Look, you two! I don't care if you like me or not, but—"
"We like you very much!" O'Harlan exclaimed.
"We think you're cute!" Linegle echoed.
Toby watched them both, one after the other, completely bewildered. "What? You guys are so—"
"You know what your problem is, Toby? You're immature. Take it easy. It's safe to say you have a lot to learn. Of course, on the other hand, if you were Bob Ho P, you don't have to come here."
O'Harlan continued, "You know why? Because Bob went to Carmel today."
"Go play golf. Can you play golf?" Linegle asked.
"Won't."
The two writers looked at each other in dismay. "There's a lot of jokes about golf these days. What the hell!"
O'Harlan picked up the phone and said, "Get some coffee, Sasa." He put the phone down, turned to Toby and said, "You know how many people in this wonderful little business we work in want to be Comedian?"
Toby shook his head.
"Let me tell you an exact number. As of six o'clock last night, there were 3.728 billion. The brothers are not included. When the moon is full, they will all come out of the wooden shelf Come out. Only half a dozen are really first-class. The rest are not. Comedy is the most serious art in the world. It is very difficult to make people funny, whether it is comedians or comedians."
"Is there any difference between the two?"
"There's a big difference. The comedian opens the door for being funny. The comedian opens the door for being funny."
Reinger asked, "What makes a comedian very successful? What makes a comedian fail miserably? Have you never thought about that?"
"Stuff," Toby replied, trying to curry favor with them both.
"Bullshit. Last new joke, by Aristophanes, the master of Greek comedy. The jokes are basically the same. George Burns can tell six jokes in a row, even though his colleagues who came before him have already told them But Burns got more laughs. You know what it is? Features." That's exactly what Clifton Lawrence told him. "A performer who lacks his own identity is nothing. You start with a personal identity and gradually make it into something unique. Take Hope. If he comes out of the backstage If he reads Jack Bennet's monologue, then he will not be popular with the audience. Why? Because he has formed his own characteristics in the audience's mind, and what the audience expects from him is to see To his own stuff. When Hope walks out, the audience wants to hear his cannonball jokes. He's a likable smart douchebag and a big city guy who deserves a scolding. Jack Ben Ney was the opposite of Bob. He was not at all interested in reading monologues, but he could stand on stage for two minutes and make the audience scream. The Marx brothers had their own tricks, too. Lead Allen has his tricks too. Now about you. Do you know what your problem is, Toby? You learn a little bit about each. You imitate all of them. Well, if you It's all well and good to spend the rest of your life trying to emulate Elks' image. But if you're going to succeed in an industry where you can get a good salary from it, you've got to create your own. Go upstage, and before you even open your mouth, the audience knows: Toby Temple's performance must be dead. Do you understand what I mean?"
"understand."
O'Harron continued: "Do you know what your strengths are, Toby? A lovely face. If I hadn't already signed a contract with Clark Gable, I would definitely come to you. You are very innocent and lovely , people like it. If you can handle it a little better, you can really make a lot of money."
"Not to mention the extra method of using some sleep to seduce people." Reinger echoed.
"Some things you can't get away with if someone else does it, but you can get away with it if you do it. It's like a boy in a choir who swears and people think it's funny because they don't Believe he understands the meaning of that word, knows what he said himself. When you first arrive in here, ask us if we are the ones who write your jokes. Our answer is: No. This is not a joke shop. We will It's about telling you what you have and how you should use it. We're going to cut you into a character. Well—what do you think?"
Toby looked at this, then at that, smiled happily, and said, "Then let's do it with our heads down!"
Since then, Toby has been with O'Harron and Linegle every day, eating at the film studio.The internal cafeteria of Twentieth Century Fox is a large hall full of stars.On any given day, Toby can see Tyrone Power and Loretta Young, as well as Betty Garbo, Don Ameche, Alice Fay, Richard Widmark, Christopher Mathur, the Leeds Brothers and dozens of other stars.Some of them ate at the tables in the hall, while others ate in the small stove restaurant near the big dining hall.Toby enjoyed watching these people.Before long, he too will be one of them, and people will be asking for his autographs.Now he's struggling, but his reputation will outshine any of them.
Alice Tanner was thrilled with what happened to Toby: "I know you're going to make it, honey, I'm so proud of you."
Toby just smiled at her and said nothing.
Toby had a long discussion with O'Harron and Linegle about his new role.
“他自认为，他是当今世界上的一位老于世故的诡辩家，”奥哈伦说道，“但是，每一次他去喝闹酒，都闹不过人家。”
“他干什么的？”莱因格尔问道，“要加进点隐喻吗？”
“这个人物应该和他母亲住在一起。他正和一个姑娘谈恋爱。但他不敢离开家去和她结婚。他和她订婚已经五年了。”
“'十'这个数字是最妙的了。”
“对！就说十年吧。他的母亲还无意成为无用的人。每当他想结婚时，他的母亲就会生一种新的病。《时代》杂志每周采访她一次，力求了解医药方面有什么新发明。”
托比坐在那里听着，被他们那滔滔不绝的对话所吸引了。他以前从来没有和真正的专业人员在一起工作过。这次一起工作，他很欣赏。尤其因为他成了注意力的中心。奥哈伦和莱因格尔用了三个礼拜的时间，给托比写成了这出戏。他们最后把戏给托比看，托比十分激动。戏写得很好。他又提出了一点建议，他们增补了一些，又删减了一些。托比·坦波尔已准备成熟。克里夫敦·劳伦斯把他找了去。
“我们准备礼拜六晚上，让你在橄榄球场大厅里首次演出。”
托比看了他一眼。他原先盼望能在西罗饭店或者在特罗卡特罗演出。“橄榄球场大厅？那里什么样呀？”
“那是在西林荫大道南面的一家小俱乐部。”
托比把脸一沉：“我从来没有听说过这个地方。”
“他们也从来没有听说过你呀。关键就在这里，亲爱的孩子。如果你在那里遭到惨败，还不至于尽人皆知。只有克里夫敦·劳伦斯一人知道。”
橄榄球场大厅是个烂摊子。再没有别的词儿可以形容它了。它和分散在这个国家的那一万家下等酒吧间没有两样，都是些赌输了的赌棍消遣解闷的拥挤杂乱的场所。托比过去在成千个城镇里，成千次在这种地方演出过。橄榄球场大厅的观众大都是些中年男子。实际上这是蓝领工人和同伴们聚集的地方。他们一边和那些穿着紧身裙、袒胸衣的女招待员挤眉弄眼，一边喝着低劣的威士忌酒或啤酒，一边满嘴逗着一些下流的脏话。这场让人意想不到的演出是在大厅一头扫干净的一小块地面上进行的。三个令人讨厌的乐师在那里伴奏。一个搞同性恋的歌手开始表演了，随后是一个穿紧身衣的杂技舞蹈，再后是一个脱衣舞女郎玩一条思睡的眼镜蛇。
托比与克里夫敦·劳伦斯、奥哈伦和莱因格尔一道，坐在屋子的后面，观看其他剧目的表演，听着观众的反应。
“都是喝啤酒的人。”托比轻蔑地说。
克里夫敦正要反驳，看了看托比的脸色，又改变了主意。托比有点害怕了。克里夫敦知道，托比以前在类似这样的地方表演过。但这一次却不一样。这一次是考验。
克里夫敦和颜悦色地说：“如果你能把喝啤酒的人都征服了，那么，那些喝香槟洒的观众就不在话下了。托比，这些人劳累了一整天。当他们晚上出来的时候，是想解解闷的。知果你能把他们给逗乐了，那什么人你就都可以逗乐了。”
正在这时，托比听到那个讨厌的报幕人宣布了他的名字。
“好好干，小虎崽子！”奥哈伦说。
托比上场了。
托比站在台上，敏感而又紧张，心里估摸着观众，就像一只谨慎的野兽正在树林里，用鼻子嗅着有无危险那样。
观众什么样的都有，简直像一群千奇百怪的野兽。但他还必须把这批野兽逗乐。他深深地倒吸了一口气。欢迎我吧，他暗暗祈祷。
他进入了角色。
没有一个人听他说。没有一个人乐。托比可以感觉到，他额头上的汗珠直往下淌。这场戏根本不起作用。但他仍然面带微笑，在乱哄哄的谈话声中，继续不断地说着。他没有办法把观众的注意力吸引过来。他们巴望的是把那帮赤裸裸的妓女叫过来。他们经历的周末聚会太多了，他们见过的毫无才能，毫不滑稽的喜剧演员也太多了。尽管托比滔滔不绝地说，他们完全无动于衷。托比仍不停地说，因为，除此之外他无可奈何。他向外看去，看见克里夫敦·劳伦斯正和那两个作家以焦急的眼神关注着他。
托比继续讲。屋里已没有观众了。大家都在那里聊天，谈着他们自身感兴趣的各种问题，以及他们的生活。总之他们只关心他们自己的事。托比·坦波尔就像远在百万英里之外，或者可以说，他这个人已经死了，不存在了。他由于害怕，喉咙开始发干，声音都有点发不出来了。托比用眼角的余光，看见那位经理开始向乐台边上走去。他想让乐队开奏，使托比停下来。It's over.托比的手心出满了汗水，他的五脏六腑似乎都是水泡的了。他可以感到，他的尿正顺着大腿往下淌。他太紧张了，简直都语无伦次了。他不敢抬头看克里夫敦·劳伦斯和那两位作家，他满面羞愧。那位经理在乐台那边与那几个演奏者谈话。他们向托比瞥过来一眼，并且点了点头。但托比仍拼命地继续说。但他想快点结束，想赶快逃到一个什么地方去，赶快躲藏起来。
这时，一个中年妇女坐在离托比很近的一张桌子旁，她听了托比的一个笑话，哧哧地笑了。她的同伴不说话了，也在听。托比还在疯狂地说。那张桌子坐的其他人也都开始听起来，笑起来了。然后，另外一张桌子也这样。
接着是另外一张桌子。渐渐地，谈话声消失了。他们都在听托比说了。笑声开始出现，笑声不时地出现，而且笑的时间也长了。后来，笑声越来越大。气氛也越来越炽烈。情绪越来越激昂！屋里的人都成了观众。而且都是他的观众。他的观众！他是在一个廉价的酒馆里，酒馆里满是喝啤酒的懒汉，但这已经没有什么关系了。重要的是他们的笑声，是他们对他的喜爱。它像浪潮一样冲向托比。首先是他把他们逗乐了，然后，他使得他们喊叫起来。他们从来没有听过这样的笑话，不但没有在这肮脏下等的地方听过，在任何地方也没有听过。他们鼓掌叫好，狂呼乱叫，发疯似的几乎要把这个地方撕成碎块。他们正亲眼看着一种新的现象出现了。虽然，他们不可能知道是怎么一回事。但是，克里夫敦·劳伦斯、奥哈伦和莱因格尔清楚地知道这一点。而且，托比·坦波尔也知道。
上帝终于实现了他的诺言。
达莫安牧师把燃烧着熊熊火焰的火炬向约瑟芬脸前一推，喊道：“万能的上帝啊！把这个罪恶孩子身上的魔鬼烧死吧！”会众也都喊叫“阿门！”约瑟芬可以感觉到火焰正烤着她的脸，烤得发烧，这位达莫安牧师大喊：“帮助一下这个罪人吧，驱走魔鬼吧，噢，上帝，我们要祈求您让他走开。我们要烧掉他。我们要淹死他。”约瑟芬被人用手抓着，她的脸突然被按进一个盛满冷水的木桶里。在她被按在水里的时候，夜空中响着喊叫声，在哀告万能的上帝的普救。约瑟芬拼命挣扎，想让人放开她，让她喘口气。当他们把她拉出来时，她已呈半昏迷状态了。达莫安牧师宣称：“亲爱的耶稣，我们感谢您的慈爱。她得救啦！她得救啦！”这时只听见一阵狂欢声，每个人都精神振奋。只有约瑟芬一点也没振奋，她的头更疼了。
Notes:
Notes: