The Happy Clown

								

at Christmas. She laughed over it and said, "I'm being terribly
conventional, darling, but that's one convention I like."



       *       *       *       *       *
While they waited, Steven's agent secured a really unprecedented
opportunity for so young and relatively untried an actor. The current
Happy Clown was unhappily retiring, by reason of age and infirmity, and
Steven's agent arranged a tryout for the part. He said, "Give it all
you got, kid; it's the chance of the century."
Steven said, "Sure, Joey," and allowed his sensitive face to register
all the proper emotions. Actually his emotions were, in the vernacular
of a previous century, mixed. He loathed the whole concept of the Happy
Clown--but there was money in it, and Steven was not rebel enough to
despise money. With money he could retire early, go away somewhere with
Denise, to some country place where they could be relatively free of
pressure.
Over staggering competition he got the part. He called Denise up at
once from a booth at the studio to tell her. Polly answered the phone,
looking pale and frightened over the viewer, and said rapidly, "Oh,
Stevie, I've been trying to get you for an hour. Denny's sick. They
took her to the hospital!"
Steven sat back against the hard wall of the booth, feeling cold, the
receiver slack in his hand. He said, "What's the matter with her? Which
hospital?"
"Ap-pendicitis. Happy Hour." Polly began to cry. "Oh, Stevie, I feel
so--"
"I'll go right over." He cut her off abruptly and went.
The doctors caught Denise's appendix in time to avoid the necessary but
rarely fatal complications ... but under the anesthetic she talked,
revealing enough about her opinion of television, and the Happy Clown
cult, and the state of society in general, to cause her doctors to
raise their eyebrows pityingly and perform the Steyner at once. While
Steven sat unknowing in the waiting room, smoking a full pack of
Marquis cigarettes, the thing was done.
At last the doctor came out to him and said what was always said in
such cases. "It was necessary to do something--you understand, no
mention--" and for a moment Steven felt so ill that he was grateful
for the little ampoule the doctor broke and held under his nose. They
always carried those when they had to give news of a Steyner to
relatives or sweethearts or friends.
The doctor said, "All right now? Good .... You'll be careful, of
course. She may be conscious for a minute; there's no harm in it yet,
she won't move or touch the--"
Steven said, "I'll be careful."
He was still feeling ill when they let him in to see Denise. He sat
down beside her bed and spoke to her urgently. "Denise, talk to me.
Please, Denise!"
She opened her eyes, looked at him drowsily and smiled. "Oh, Stevie,
I'm so glad you came. I've been wanting you, darling."
Steven said, "Denise--"
She frowned. "Why do you call me that? Call me Denny. Did you get the