The Last Tycoon / Последний магнат. Книга для чтения на английском языке

I still like to think that if he’d been a poor boy and nearer my age I could have managed it, but of course the real truth was that I had nothing to offer that he didn’t have; some of my more romantic ideas actually stemmed from pictures – 42nd Street, for example, had a great influence on me. It’s more than possible that some of the pictures which Stahr himself conceived had shaped me into what I was.

So it was rather hopeless. Emotionally, at least, people can’t live by taking in each other’s washing.

But at that time it was different: Father might help, the stewardess might help. She might go up in the cockpit and say to Stahr: “If I ever saw love, it’s in that girl’s eyes.”

The pilot might help: “Man, are you blind? Why don’t you go back there?”

Wylie White might help – instead of standing in the aisle looking at me doubtfully, wondering whether I was awake or asleep.

“Sit down,” I said. “What’s new? – where are we?”

“Up in the air.

“Oh, so that’s it. Sit down.” I tried to show a cheerful interest: “What are you writing?”

“Heaven help me, I am writing about a Boy Scout – The Boy Scout.”

“Is it Stahr’s idea?”

“I don’t know – he told me to look into it. He may have ten writers working ahead of me or behind me, a system which he so thoughtfully invented. So you’re in love with him?”

“I should say not,” I said indignantly. “I’ve known him all my life.

“Desperate, eh? Well, I’ll arrange it if you’ll use all your influence to advance me. I want a unit of my own.”

I closed my eyes again and drifted off. When I woke up, the stewardess was putting a blanket over me.

“Almost there,” she said.

Out the window I could see by the sunset that we were in a greener land.

“I just heard something funny,” she volunteered, “up in the cockpit – that Mr. Smith – or Mr. Stahr – I never remember seeing his name – ”

“It’s never on any pictures[30 - It’s never on any pictures – (зд.

“Oh. Well, he’s been asking the pilots a lot about flying – I mean he’s interested? You know?”

“I know.”

“I mean one of them told me he bet he could teach Mr. Stahr solo flying in ten minutes. He has such a fine mentality, that’s what he said.”

I was getting impatient.