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He smiled understandingly—much more than understandingly。 It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it； that you may e across four or five times in life。 It faced—or seemed to face—the whole external world for an instant； and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor。 It understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood； believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself； and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that； at your best； you hoped to convey。 Precisely at that point it vanished—and I was looking at an elegant young roughneck； a year or two over thirty； whose elaborate formality of speech just missed being absurd。 Some time before he introduced himself I’d got a strong impression that he was picking his words with care。 他心领神会地一笑还不止心领神会。这足极为罕见的笑容，其中含有永久的善意的表情，这你一辈子也不过能遇见四二次。它面对…或者似乎面对整个永恒的世界一刹那，然后就凝注在你身上，对你表现出不可抗拒的偏爱。他了解你恰恰到你本人希望被了解的程度，相信你如同你乐于相信你自己那样，并且教你放心他对你的印象正是你最得意时希望给予别人的印象。恰好在这一刻他的笑容消失了…于是我看着的不过是一个风度翩翩的年轻汉子，三十一二岁年纪，说起话来文质彬彬，几乎有点可笑。在他作自我介绍之前不久，我有一个强烈的印象，觉得他说话字斟句酌。
Almost at the moment when Mr。 Gatsby identified himself； a butler hurried toward him with the information that Chicago was calling him on the wire。 He excused himself with a small bow that included each of us in turn。 差不多在盖茨比先生说明自己身份的那一刻，一个男管家急急忙忙跑到他跟前报告他芝加哥有长途电话找他。他微微欠身道歉，把我们大家…包括在内。
“If you want anything just ask for it； old sport；” he urged me。 “Excuse me。 I will rejoin you later。” 〃你想要什么尽管开口，老兄，〃他恳切地对我说，〃对不起，过会儿再来奉陪。〃
When he was gone I turned immediately to Jordan—constrained to assure her of my surprise。 I had expected that Mr。 Gatsby would be a florid and corpulent person in his middle years。 他走开之后，我马上转向乔丹…迫不及待地要告诉她我感到的惊异。我本来以为盖茨比先生是个红光满面、肥头大耳的中年人。
“Who is he？” I demanded。“Do you know？” 〃他是谁？〃我急切地问，〃你可知道？〃
“He’s just a man named Gatsby。” 〃他就是一个姓盖茨比的人呗。〃
“Where is he from； I mean？ And what does he do？” 〃我是问他是哪儿来的？他又是干什么的？〃
“Now YOU’RE started on the subject；” she answered with a wan smile。 “Well； he told me once he was an Oxford man。” 〃现在你也琢磨起这个题目来了，〃她厌倦地笑道，〃唔，他告诉过我他上过牛津大学。〃
A dim background started to take shape behind him； but at her next remark it faded away。 关于他的模糊的背景开始显现出来，但是随着她的下一句话又立即消大了。
“However； I don’t believe it。” 〃可是，我并不相信。〃
“Why not？” “I don’t know；” she insisted； “I just don’t think he went there。” 〃为什么不俼？〃〃我不知道，〃她固执地说，〃我就是不相信他上过牛津。〃
Something in her tone reminded me of the other girl’s “I think he killed a man；” and had the effect of stimulating my curiosity。 I would have accepted without question the information that Gatsby sprang from the swamps of Louisiana or from the lower East Side of New York。 That was prehensible。 But young men didn’t—at least in my provincial inexperience I believed they didn’t—drift coolly out of nowhere and buy a palace on Long Island Sound。 她的语气之中有点什么使我想起另外那个姑娘说的〃我想他杀过一个人〃，其结果是打动了我的好奇心。随便说盖茨比出身于路易斯安那州的沼泽地区也好，出身于纽约东城南区①也好，我都可以毫无疑问地接受。那是可以理解的。但是年纪轻的人不可能至少我这个孤陋寡闻的多余人认为他们不可能不知从什么地方悄悄地出现，在长岛海湾买下一座宫殿式的别墅。 ①贫民窟
“Anyhow； he gives large parties；” said Jordan； changing the subject with an urbane distaste for the concrete。 “And I like large parties。 They’re so intimate。 At small parties there isn’t any privacy。” 〃不管怎样，他举行大型宴会，〃乔丹像一般城里人一样不屑于谈具体细节，所以改换了话题，〃而我也喜欢大型宴会。这样亲热得很。在小的聚会上，三三两两谈心倒不可能。〃
There was the boom of a bass drum； and the voice of the orchestra leader rang out suddenly above the echolalia of the garden。 大鼓轰隆隆一阵响，接着突然传来乐队指挥的声音，盖过了花园里嘈杂的人声。
“Ladies and gentlemen；” he cried。 “At the request of Mr。 Gatsby we are going to play for you Mr。 Vladimir Tostoff’s latest work； which attracted so much attention at Carnegie Hall last May。 If you read the papers； you know there was a big sensation。” He smiled with jovial condescension； and added： “Some sensation！” Whereupon everybody laughed。 〃女士们，先生们，〃他大声说，〃应盖茨比先生的要求，我们现在为各位演奏弗拉迪米尔？托斯托夫先生的最新作品，这部作品五月里在卡内基音乐厅曾经引起许多人的注意。各位看报就知道那是轰动一时的事件。〃他带着轻松而居高临下的神气微微一笑，又说：〃可真叫轰动！〃这句话引得大家都放声大笑。
“The piece is known；” he concluded lustily； “as Vladimir Tostoff’s JAZZ HISTORY OF THE WORLD。” 〃这支乐曲，〃他最后用洪亮的声音说，〃叫做《弗拉迪米尔？托斯托夫的爵土音乐世界史》。〃
The nature of Mr。 Tostoff’s position eluded me； because just as it began my eyes fell on Gatsby； standing alone on the marble steps and looking from one group to another with approving eyes。 His tanned skin was drawn attractively tight on his face and his short hair looked as though it were trimmed every day。 I could see nothing sinister about him。 I wondered if the fact that he was not drinking helped to set him off from his guests； for it seemed to me that he grew more correct as the fraternal hilarity increased。 When the JAZZ HISTORY OF THE WORLD was over； girls were putting their heads on men’s shoulders in a puppyish； convivial way； girls were swooning backward playfully into men’s arms； even into groups； knowing that some one would arrest their falls—but no one swooned backward on Gatsby； and no French bob touched Gatsby’s shoulder； and no singing quartets were formed with Gatsby’s head for one link。 托斯托夫先生这个乐曲是怎么回事，我没有注意到，因为演奏一开始，我就一眼看到了盖茨比单独一个人站在大理石台阶上面，用满意的目光从这一群人看到那一群人。他那晒得黑黑的皮肤很漂亮地紧绷在脸上，他那短短的头发看上去好像是每天都修剪似的。我看不出他身上有什么诡秘的迹象。我纳闷是否他不喝酒这个事实有助于把他跟他的客人们截然分开，因为我觉得随着沆瀣一气的欢闹的高涨，他却变得越发端庄了。等到《爵士音乐世界史》演奏完毕，有的姑娘像小哈巴狗一样乐滋滋地靠在男人肩膀上，有的姑娘开玩笑地向后晕倒在男人怀抱里，甚至倒进人群里，明知反正有人会把她们托住…可是没有人晕倒在盖茨比身上，也没有法国式的短发碰到盖茨比的肩头，也没有人组织四人合唱团来拉盖茨比加入。
“I beg your pardon。” 〃对不起。〃
Gatsby’s butler was suddenly standing beside us。 盖茨比的男管家忽然站在我们身旁。
“Miss Baker？” he inquired。 “I beg your pardon； but Mr。 Gatsby would like to speak to you alone。” 〃贝克小姐？〃他问道，〃对不起，盖茨比先生想单独跟您谈谈。〃
“With me？” she exclaimed in surprise。 〃跟我谈？〃她惊奇地大声说。
“Yes； madame。” 〃是的，小姐。〃
She got up slowly； raising her eyebrows at me in astonishment； and followed the butler toward the house。 I noticed that she wore her eveningdress； all her dresses； like sports clothes—there was a jauntiness about her movements as if she had first learned to walk upon golf courses on clean； crisp mornings。 她慢慢地站了起来，惊愕地对我扬了扬眉毛，然后跟着男管家向房子走去。我注意到她穿晚礼服，穿所有的衣服，都像穿运动服一样她的动作有一种矫健的姿势，仿佛她当初就是在空气清新的早晨在高尔夫球场上学走路的。
I was alone and it was almost two。 For some time confused and intriguing sounds had issued from a long； manywindowed room which overhung the terrace。 Eluding Jordan’s undergraduate； who was now engaged in an obstetrical conversation with two chorus girls； and who implored me to join him； I went inside。 我独自一人，时间已快两点了。有好一会儿，从阳台上面一间长长的、有许多窗户的房间里传来了一阵阵杂乱而引人人胜的声音。乔丹的那位大学生此刻正在和两个歌舞团的舞女大谈助产术，央求我去加人，可是我溜掉了，走到室内去。
The large room was full of people。 One of the girls in yellow was playing the piano； and beside her stood a tall； redha