Hotel (an excerpt)

By Arthur Hailey

1. Read the text and do the tasks below.

In his private six-room suite on the hotel’s fifteenth floor, Warren Trent stepped down from the barber’ chair in which Aloysius Royce had shaved him. A twinge of sciatica jabbed savagely in his left thigh like hot lancets – a warning that this would be another day during which his mercurial temper might need curbing. The private barber parlor was in an annex adjoining a capacious bathroom, the latter complete with steam cabinet, sunken Japanese-style tub and built-in aquarium from which tropical fish watched, broody-eyed, through laminated glass.

Warren Trent walked stiffly into the bathroom now, pausing before a wall-width mirror to inspect the shave. He could find no fault with it as he studied the reflection facing him.

It showed a deep-seamed, craggy face, a loose mouth which could be humorous on occasion, beaked nose and deep-set eyes with a hint of secretiveness. His hair, jet-black in youth, was now a distinguished white, thick and curly still. A wing collar and neatly tied cravat complemented the picture of an eminent southern gentleman.

At other times the carefully cultivated appearance would have given him pleasure. But today it failed to, the mood of depression which had grown upon him over the past few weeks eclipsing all else. So now it was Tuesday of the final week, he reminded himself. He calculated, as he had on so many other mornings. Including today, there were only four more days remaining: four days in which to prevent his lifetime’s work from dissolving into nothingness.

Scowling at his own dismal thoughts, the proprietor limped into the dining-room where Aloysius Royce had laid a breakfast table. The oak refectory table, its starched napery and silverware gleaming, had a heated trolley beside it which had come from the kitchen at top speed a few moments earlier. Warren Trent eased awkwardly into the chair which Royce held out, then gestured to the opposite side of the table. At once the young Negro laid a second place, slipping into the vacant seat himself. There was a second breakfast on the trolley, available for such occasions when the old man’s whim changed his usual custom of breakfasting alone. …

Royce said, “The trust people haven’t changed their mind about renewing?”

“They haven’t and they won’t. Not now.” Without warning the old man slammed his fist upon the table top. “By God! – there was a time when I’d have called the tune, not danced a jig to theirs. Once they were lined up – banks, trust companies, all the rest – trying to lend their money, urging me to take it.”

“Times change for all of us.” Aloysius Royce poured coffee. “Some things get better, others worse.”

Warren Trent said sourly, “It’s easy for you. You’re young. You haven’t lived to see everything you’ve worked for fall apart.”

And it had come to that, he reflected despondently. In four days from now – on Friday before the close of business – a twenty-year-old mortgage on the property was due for redemption and the investment syndicate holding the mortgage had declined to renew. At first, on learning of the decision, his reaction had been surprise, though not concern. Plenty of other lenders, he assumed, would willingly take over – at a higher interest rate, no doubt – but, on whatever terms, producing the two million dollars needed. It was only when he had been decisively turned down by everyone approached – banks, trusts, insurance companies, and private lenders – that his original confidence waned. One banker whom he knew well advised him frankly, “Hotels like yours are out of favor, Warren. A lot of people think the day of the big independents is over, and nowadays the chain hotels are the only ones which can show reasonable profit.

Besides, look at your balance sheet. You’ve been losing money steadily. How can you expect lending houses to go along with that kind of situation?”

His protestations that present losses were temporary and would reverse themselves when business improved, achieved nothing. He was simply not believed.

It was at this impasse that Curtis O’Keefe had telephoned suggesting their meeting in New Orleans this week. “Absolutely all I have in mind is a friendly chat, Warren,” the magnate had declared, his easy Texan drawl coming smoothly down the long distance phone. “After all, we’re a couple of aging innkeepers, you and me. We should see each other sometimes.” But Warren Trent was not deceived by the smoothness; there had been overtures from the O’Keefe chain before. The vultures are hovering, he thought. Curtis O’Keefe would arrive today and there was not the slightest doubt that he was fully briefed on the St. Gregory’s financial woes.

With an inward sigh, Warren Trent switched his thoughts to more immediate affairs. “You’re on the night report,” he told Aloysius Royce.

“I know,” Royce said. “I read it.” He had skimmed the report when it came in early as usual, observing the notation, Complaint of excessive noise in room 1126, and then, in Peter McDermott’s handwriting, Dealt with by A. Royce and P. McD. Separate memo later.

“Next thing,” Warren Trent growled, “I suppose you’ll be reading my private mail.”

Royce grinned. “I haven’t yet. Would you like me to?” The exchange was part of a private game they played without admitting it. Royce was well aware that if he had failed to read the report the old man would have accused him of lack of interest in the hotel’s affairs.

Now Warren Trent inquired sarcastically, “Since everyone else is aware of what went on, would it be taken amiss if I asked for a few details?”

“I shouldn’t think so.” Royce helped his employer to more coffee. “Miss Marsha Preyscott – daughter of the Mr. Preyscott – was almost raped. Do you want me to tell you about it?” For a moment, as Trent’s expression hardened, he wondered if he had gone too far. Their undefined, casual relationship was based for the most part upon precedents set by Aloysius Royce’s father many years earlier. The elder Royce, who served Warren Trent first as body servant and later as companion and privileged friend, had always spoken out with a sprightly disregard of consequences which, in their early years together, drove Trent to white-hot fury and later, as they traded insult for insult, had made the two inseparable. Aloysius was little more than a boy when his father had died over a decade ago, but he had never forgotten Warren Trent’s face, grieving and tear-stained, at the old Negro’s funeral. They had walked away from Mount Olivet cemetery together, behind the Negro jazz band which was playing festively Oh, Didn’t He Ramble, Aloysius with his hand in Warren Trent’s, who told him gruffly, “You’ll stay on with me at the hotel. Later we’ll work something out.” The boy agreed trustingly – his father’s death had left him entirely alone, his mother having died at his birth – and the “something” had turned out to be college followed by law school, from which he would graduate in a few weeks’ time. In the meanwhile, as the boy became a man, he had taken over the running of the owner’s suite and, though most of the physical work was done by other employees, Aloysius performed personal services which Warren Trent accepted, either without comment or quarrelsomely as the mood took him. At other times they argued heatedly, mostly when Aloysius rose – as he knew he was expected to – to conversational hooks which Warren Trent baited.

And yet, despite their intimacy and the knowledge that he could take liberties which Warren Trent would never tolerate in others, Aloysius Royce was conscious of a hairline border never to be crossed.

Working With the Words

Task 1. Match the words and word combinations with their Russian equivalents.

1. suite	A. довести кого-л. до белого каления
2. a twinge of sciatica	B. зайти слишком далеко
3. mercurial temper	C. финансовые проблемы
4. deep-seamed face	D. задавать тон
5. to complement the picture	E. тупик / безвыходное положение
6. an eminent gentleman	F. страховые компании
7. to dissolve into nothingness	G. пролистать отчёт
8. to call the tune	H. номер-люкс
9. to reflect despondently	I. неправильно истолковать
10. mortgage	J. приступ ишиаса
11. insurance companies	K. позволять себе вольности
12. impasse	L. обмениваться оскорблениями
13. financial woes	M. живой нрав
14. to skim the report	N. дополнять картину
15. to take amiss	O. лицо в глубоких морщинах
16. to go too far	P. горячо спорить
17. to drive smb. to white-hot fury	Q. превратиться в ничто
18. to trade insult for insult	R. выдающийся джентльмен
19. to argue heatedly	S. уныло размышлять
20. to take liberties	T. закладная

Task 2. Fill in the missing words (from Task 1).

1. Raymond’s staying in a _________ on the ninth floor.

2. Everybody liked him because of his _________.

3. Their mistrust makes the prospects of overcoming the _________ all the more difficult.

4. Children must not be allowed to _________.

5. _________ prevented Peter from buying an expensive car.

6. His rude remarks used to ________ Helen ________.

7. I _________ but didn’t see anything that could interest me.

8. I was just teasing. Don’t _________.

9. ________ investigated 45,000 cases of fraud last year.

10. She had enough experience and power and she could _________.

Task 3. Make up some sentences using the words from Task 1.

Task 4. Translate into Russian.

Scowling at his own dismal thoughts; his original confidence waned; “The vultures are hovering”; would have accused him of lack of interest in the hotel’s affairs; he was expected to conversational hooks which Warren Trent baited; a hairline border never to be crossed.

Checking Comprehension

Answer the following questions.

1. What did Warren Trent look like?

2. What can you say about Warren Trent’s mood?

3. Why was he depressed?

4. What was Warren Trent’s position?

5. What was to happen in four days time?

6. What was the financial state of Warren Trent’s hotel?

7. What was Aloysius Royce’s position?

8. Why were Aloysius and Warrant Trent’s relations so close?

9. How did Aloysius Royce behave with his chief?

Questions to think about.

1. What would you do if your lifetime work is dissolving into nothingness?

2. Can there be real friendship between an employer and an employee?

3. Why do people help each other? What is the motivation for their charity?