U.S.A_ - John Dos Passos [515]
He stared at her hard. " Sam Margolies," he said.
"Wel , I've searched al over America and Europe for you. . . . Please be in my office for a screentest at ten o'clock tomorrow. . . . Irwin wil give you the details." He waved his hand lackadaisical y towards the fat man.
"Meet Mr. Harris . . . Miss Dowling . . . forgive me, I never take upon myself the responsibility of introducing people. . . . But I want Irwin to see you . . . this is one of the most beautiful women in America, Irwin." He drew his hand down in front of Margo a couple of inches from her face working the fingers as if he were modeling
-398-something out of clay, "Ordinarily it would be impossibli to photograph her. Only I can put that face on the
screen. . . ." Margo felt cold al up her spine. She heard Agnes's mouth come open with a gasp behind her. She let a slow kidding smile start in the corners of her mouth.,
"Look, Irwin," cried Margolies, grabbing the fat man by the shoulder. "It is the spirit of comedy. . . . But why didn't you come to see me?" He spoke with a strong for-eign accent of some kind. "What have I done that you should neglect me?" Margo looked bored. "This is Mrs. Mandevil e, my. . . companion. . . . We are taking a little look at California."
"What's there here except the studios?"
"Perhaps you'd show Mrs. Mandevil e around a mov-ingpicture studio. She's so anxious to see one, and I don't know a soul in this part of the world . . . not a soul."
"Of course I'l have someone take you to al you care to see tomorrow. Nothing to see but dul ness and vulgar. ity. . . . Irwin, that's the face I've been looking for for the little blonde girl . . . you remember. . . . You talk to me of agencies, extras, nonsense, I don't want actors. . . . But, Miss Dowling, where have you been? I halfexpected to meet you at Baden-Baden last summer. . . . You are the type for Baden-Baden. It's a ridiculous place but one has to go somewhere. . . . Where have you been?"
" Florida . . . Havana . . . that sort of thing." Margo was thinking to herself that the last time she met him he hadn't been using the broad a.
"And you've given up the stage?"
Margo gave a little shrug. "The family were so horrid about it.""Oh, I never liked her being on the stage," cried Agnes who'd been waiting for a chance to put a word in.
"You'l like working in pictures," said the fat man sooth-ingly. "My dear Margo," said Margolies, "it is not a very large part but you are perfect for it, perfect. I can bring out in you the latent mystery. . . . Didn't I tel you,
-399-Irwin, that the thing to do was to go out of the studio and see the world . . . open the book of life? . . . In this ridiculous caravanserai we find the face, the spirit of comedy, the smile of the Mona Lisa. . . . That's a famous painting in Paris said to be worth five mil ion dol ars. . . . Don't ask me how I knew she would be here. . . . But I knew. Of course we cannot tel definitely until after the screentest . . . I never commit myself. . . ."
"But, Mr. Margolies, I don't know if I can do it," Margo said, her heart pounding. "We're in a rush. . . . We have important business to attend to in Miami . . . family matters, you understand."
"That's of no importance. I'l find you an agent . . . we'l send somebody. . . . Petty details are of no impor-tance to me. Realestate, I suppose." Margo nodded vaguely.
"A couple of years ago the house where we'd been liv-ing, it was so lovely, was washed clear out to sea," said Agnes breathlessly.
"You'l get a better house . . . Malibu Beach, Beverly Hil s. . . . I hate houses. . . . But I have been rude, I have detained you. . . . But you wil forget Miami. We have everything out here. . . . You remember, Margo dearest, I told you that day that pictures had a great future . . . you and . . . you know, the great automo-bile magnate, I have forgotten his name . . . I told you you would hear of me in the pictures. . . . I rarely make predictions, but I am never wrong. They are based on belief in a sixth sense."
"Oh, yes," interrupted Agnes, "it's so true, if you believe you're