The Loved One Page #2

but the public lapped it up.

Those were the days.

I only had to ask for something...

...and they went straight out and bought it.

If I said real gold, real gold it had to be.

Such a lovely morning, Dennis.

I think we ought to have breakfast

down by the pool.

Let me carry something for you.

You should have seen

this place in the old days.

Like a great aquarium,

flashing with the limbs of beauties.

All, alas, long since departed.

Golden lads and girls all must,

as chimney sweepers, come to dust.

Have any definite plans for the future?

You ought to get out of it

and see the country.

First off, I thought I might look around

for a job of some sort.

- Job? Oh, you're short of cash, then?

- I am, rather.

There is one thing that every Englishman

who comes out here must understand.

Whether he likes it or not,

he is an ambassador.

We are all of us judged

by his performance.

I hope you're not going to be the one

who lets the side down.

- I'll try not to, sir.

- I'm sure you'll find...

...that Dennis is with us all along the line.

- I hope so.

What is your field exactly?

Well, actually,

I haven't quite settled on anything, as yet.

- Really? Allan.

- Thought I'd...

...shop around a bit. See what's going.

There is one thing

I would say to you, sir.

There are certain jobs out here which

an Englishman simply does not take.

Hey, kid. Over here. Bring it here.

- That's right. Thank you.

- Hey, get those towels up here!

Hurry up, now!

Hey, pal.

Where's the switch for this thing?

Towels. Get the towels here,

you slowpoke.

- Hey, step up the towels over here.

- Thanks.

Turn up the heat, old chap.

Where are the towels?

So I told Her Majesty, I said, "Ma'am,

you've done us a very great honor."

"Not at all," she said. "Not at all.

I enjoyed the picture."

Of course, Edinburgh was with her,

you know.

She takes him along everywhere these days.

I don't know why.

- He is her husband, you know.

- Yes, I suppose that would account for it.

So I said, "Ma'am, I..."

You know, I believe

this damn thing's on fire.

- Oh, and what did she say?

- No. No. You listen!

Help! Help!

- Boy! Boy!

- Turn it off, Barlow.

- Help, Barlow! You'll sweat for this, Barlow.

- Shut it off!

How's Dusty here coming along

with the English bit, Frank?

I think it's coming along.

Don't you, Dusty?

Well, I sure hope I am.

Damn, if I don't.

Won't you take my seat?

Frank, I've got an idea.

Now, you're an artist, right?

Right. Supposing you get Dusty here...

...all dolled up English-style,

then you paint his picture in it.

I see the idea, Harry. It's a sort of...

...a character portrait

of an English gentleman.

- Uncle Frank! Uncle Frank!

- Oh, Dennis! Do come and look at this.

Though I say it myself,

I'm delighted with it.

I haven't been so excited

about anything for years.

I believe it's the beginning

of a new period for me. My best!

Do try and sit

on that horse properly, Dusty.

Sorry, Frank.

Don't be ashamed of displaying

of a certain arrogance.

It's perfectly hopeless, you know.

He simply hasn't got it in his blood.

Wait until the studio sees this, Dennis.

You going off somewhere, my boy?

Just for three or four days.

That's what I came to tell you about.

A kind of holiday, is it?

Oh, it's just another job.

Wait for me!

Come back!

- I don't like the look of this.

- Yes, it may get a bit dikey.

- Dicey.

- Dicey, if he decides to use the giant squid.

- What do you think we ought to do?

- Remember that girl?

- Do you think she'll do it?

- Maybe not.

But I've always said it's better

to bag a bird than go for a Burton.

Yeah. I think we're top of it now.

And you, Dust,

you are looking good in there.

Good day, everybody.

Hello? It's your father.

Yes, D.J. Oh, no, no, D.J. No sweat.

Yeah, that's right, D.J.

Yeah. What's that, D. J?

Yeah, but what about..?

No, D.J. You see, I thought that...

Yeah, D.J. I read you, D.J.

Yeah, yeah. Well, yeah, D.J.

I'll talk to you later, D.J.

I hate to break this up, but I've got

a meeting in 10 minutes, so see you later.

- You're beautiful there, baby. Beautiful.

- Just fine, Dusty.

See you later.

Harry.

D.J. Didn't buy it, huh?

Frank let you down, Harry.

He didn't bring him along fast enough.

You gotta get something

on the boards by Monday, right?

- That's right, Harry.

- Now, hold it. Hold it.

I think I've got a live one, here.

Doctors! Doctors are hot, right?

Okay, so how about a panel quiz show

called What's My Disease?

The contestant is wheeled in a kind

of shrouded cage. And then, there's a...

Hold it, Harry. Hold it.

You just don't get the message, baby.

You just don't get the message.

I mean, it's cutback time, Harry.

You know what I mean?

What..? What do you mean?

Hello? Let me talk to the Blessed Reverend.

This is his brother.

What? Yes, yes, I know that.

But this is urgent.

I don't care where he is,

I've got to talk with him.

Will you please put him on?

Yes, I'll wait.

You'll just have to be patient.

Hello? Yes? It's your brother, sir.

Will! Will! I'm all washed-up

here at the studio.

You've got to help me.

Please. Please, just give me

one more chance.

I won't let you down this time.

I promise you.

Perhaps there is something after all,

suitable to your particular talents.

- One last chance, Harry.

- Oh, that's great, Will.

I'll take anything, anything you say.

Wait a minute, Will.

I couldn't do that. Not that!

Take it, Harry, or leave it.

- I'll take it. I'll take it.

- And remember this, Harry...

...one word about my connection with that

place and you'll wish you were dead.

Oh, I'm so sorry. How stupid of me.

Never done such a thing before.

- Miss Benson.

- Hi.

- Oh, D.J. Jr.

- Oh, Frank.

How nice of you to stop by. I appreciate

that. Come on. Won't you come in?

D.J. Jr., I want you to see this. I've just

finished it. I'm rather pleased with it.

I want to see that some time.

I want very much to see that.

- Go right in.

- It's the threshold of a new period for me.

Yeah. I am very anxious

to see that, Frank.

D.J. Jr., there's something

I want to ask. It's a bit odd.

I went to my office this morning

and there was a chap there.

And a piece of paper pinned on the door

with a name something like Lorenzo Medici.

Oh, yeah, Frank, that's right. Only, look,

Frank, he said that it's Medici, like that.

And how you say it,

kind of sounds like a wop.

And Mr. Medici is D.J.'s son-in-law,

and my brother-in-law...

...and he's a very, very wonderful person

with a very fine record.

Well, I've no doubt of that, D.J. Jr.,

but the point is, where do I work now?

That's the thing I do want to talk to

you about, Frank. As you can see...

...I just don't have the time right now.

Ciao, baby.

Nicky, take care of him, will you?

Am I to understand that I've been...

That the studio no longer...

You'll get formal notification

in a couple of days, I expect.

You know how these things get hung up.

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