“別動!……叫你別動就別動!”

　　“動一個“褲腳管’有什么?’

　　“什么‘褲腳管’?!”

　　我不知道是哪根神經(jīng)的傳導(dǎo)，使這位雙目失明的演員知道我在偷偷撩動翼幕。我習(xí)慣叫翼幕為“褲腳管”，這使他很生氣，粘著的胡子簌簌發(fā)抖，要不是化了妝，肯定是張鐵青的臉。

　　以他的藝齡，完全可以做做劇院藝術(shù)顧問的事了，多省心!但他說一個演員不能離開舞臺，也許到死!于是每逢他演出，院長派我負(fù)貴他的安全：上場、下場……

　　舞臺上的翼幕，什么時候開始被叫做“褲腳管”，無人能回答亡但的確有這樣的事，有些演員常在吃食后，便把它當(dāng)做抹布擦手;下場時，為了少走兩步，把“褲腳管”一撩，走個斜線就下妝去了。這些他現(xiàn)在已看不到了。這一次為了怕翼幕絆住他的腳，我才撩了一下，不幸落在我的身上，我心里嘟嚷著：“摔著活該!”

　　Zhijun

　　"Don't move it! Don't move it, I tell you!"

　　"I've just moved ‘the trouser legs' a little. What of it?"

　　"What ‘trouser legs’?! "

　　I didn't know which of his nerves told this blind actor that I was stealthily moving the side curtains. My habit of calling the side curtains "trouser legs" irritated him to such an extent that his artificial whiskers quivered. I was sure that under the make-up his face must be black with anger.

　　He deserved the position of art adviser in the troupe for the long years he had been working there. What a comfortably easy job it would have been for him! But ire claimed an artist should remain on the stage till death. So I was appointed by the director to see to his safety whenever he went on stage.

　　No one could say when the side curtains on the stage carne to be called the "trouser leg." In fact, some actors would use them as napkins after snacks, and others would lift them to take a short cut off the stage. All this he could no longer see. I had held u the side curtain just in time to keels him from tripping over it, and this was what I got in return from him.