The Incomparable Atuk by Mordecai Richler Page A

Outspoken Entertainer in Canada. He talked about his column on television and wrote about his show in his column. His column was widely read. But as Bone’s celebrity increased, even as his insults grew more shrill, he became personally unpopular. Nobody asked him to parties any more. In fact, the first party he had been asked to in nine months was the one Rory Peel gave in honour ofAtuk. When the little Eskimo freak didn’t turn up Bone was livid; he swore vengeance. All the next morning he was in a black mood, so that when Ruthy entered his study at noon, bringing him lunch, she expected another angry outburst. But Seymour was on the phone.
    ‘Operator. Get me Montreal, please. Rod Murchison at the
Sun
.’ Seymour peeled a banana while he waited. ‘Hello, Rod. Bone here. I merely wish to relate how prodigiously I enjoyed your column this week. It had a telling corporeity to it. Most rare.’
    ‘Gee thanks, Seymour.’
    ‘Not in the least. Oh, I have a little item for your next column. You might say Seymour Bone, Canada’s leading critic, will be coming to Montreal for the week-end to peruse French theatre. Oh, and you could add this time he doesn’t want anybody to know he’ll be staying at the Laurentian Hotel. He will read no manuscripts by would-be playwrights.’
    ‘Gee, Seymour, did lots of guys bother you last time you were here?’
    ‘No,’ Bone said, stiffening, ‘but you can never tell, can you? Oh, one more thing. You could add that in Seymour Bone’s opinion,’ he said, finding the sentence he had just underlined in his airmail edition of the
New Statesman
, ‘the kitchen sink is sunk.’
    ‘Ha, ha, very good, Seymour.’
    ‘Thank you. See you, anon. Bye now.’
    Ruthy set Seymour’s tray down on the desk.‘You’ll be late for the studio if you don’t hurry,’ she said.
    Seymour began to eat hastily.
    ‘Atuk, the Eskimo, is going to be on the show this week.’ Seymour grinned. ‘He’s hardly our intellectual equal, I’m afraid, but he does have a following.’
    Ruthy, aware of the malice implicit in Seymour’s grin, pitied the Eskimo already. Seymour would pulverize him.

5
    Panofsky lifted a pail off the stove and carried the still steaming stew upstairs to Leo.
    ‘As soon as you’re finished put on the white jacket.’
    Leo looked up, his eyes glazed. ‘Uh?’
    ‘We’re going out,’ Panofsky said. ‘More work. Research.’
    Panofsky went to the window to see if Goldie was still pacing up and down outside. He was just in time to see the black Thunderbird pull up. Atuk opened the door for Goldie, and the two of them sped off.
    If Ruby only knew what I go through here, Panofsky thought. Aw, he’s probably still in bed.
    But Rory Peel was in the kitchen, on the phone to his office. ‘Miss Stainsby,’ he said, ‘you can assureTwentyman that before our campaign is done everybody, but everybody, in this country will be asking themselves what does STICK OUT YOUR NECK mean.’ What I’m worried about, he thought, is what happens when they find out. ‘Should be at the office in forty-two minutes.’
    Rory hurried round to the back of the house to see how the workmen were getting on and was horrified to see Springhorn watching from his side of the hedge. ‘Oh, hi, Springhorn,’ he said nervously.
    ’‘Morning, Peel.’ Springhorn indicated the workmen with an ambiguous smile. ‘Busy, busy, eh, Peel?’
    ‘They’re laying the foundation for a swimming pool. So help me God they are.’
    ‘Uh-huh.’
    ‘Can I give you a lift into town, perhaps?’
    ‘Naw. I’ll just stand here and watch. Foundation runs kinda deep, doesn’t it, Peel?’
    ‘Sorry. I’m in a dreadful hurry.’
    What could go wrong now, Rory thought, driving into town. Nothing. He was protected against all mishaps and the new Twentyman deal was his biggest yet. Personal embarrassments? Goldie, back at college, was out of harm’s way and his father had promised to cut out the crazy stuff. His