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“At lunch？” 〃吃午饭的时候？〃
“No； this afternoon。 I happened to find out that you’re taking Miss Baker to tea。” 〃不，今天下午。我碰巧打听到你约了贝克小姐喝茶。〃
“Do you mean you’re in love with Miss Baker？” 〃你是说你爱上了贝克小姐吗？〃
“No； old sport； I’m not。 But Miss Baker has kindly consented to speak to you about this matter。” 〃不是，老兄，我没有。可是承蒙贝克小姐同意，让我跟你谈这件事。〃
I hadn’t the faintest idea what “this matter。” was； but I was more annoyed than interested。 I hadn’t asked Jordan to tea in order to discuss Mr。 Jay Gatsby。 I was sure the request would be something utterly fantastic； and for a moment I was sorry I’d ever set foot upon his overpopulated lawn。 我一点儿也不知道〃这件事〃是指什么，但是我兴趣不大，倒觉得厌烦。我请贝克小姐喝茶，并不是为了谈论杰伊？盖茨比先生。我敢胄定他要求的一定是什么异想天开的事，有一会儿工夫我真后悔当初不该踏上他那客人过多的草坪。
He wouldn’t say another word。 His correctness grew on him as we neared the city。 We passed Port Roosevelt； where there was a glimpse of redbelted oceangoing ships； and sped along a cobbled slum lined with the dark； undeserted saloons of the fadedgilt nieenhundreds。 Then the valley of ashes opened out on both sides of us； and I had a glimpse of Mrs。 Wilson straining at the garage pump with panting vitality as we went by。 他一句话也不说了。我们离城越近他也越发（矛今）持。我们经过罗斯福港，瞥见船身有一圈红漆的远洋轮船，又沿着一条贫民区的石子路疾驰而过，路两旁排列着二十世纪初褪色的镀金时代的那些还有人光顾的阴暗酒吧。接着，灰烬之谷在我们两边伸展出去，我从车上瞥见威尔逊太太浑身是劲地在加油机旁喘着气替人加油。
With fenders spread like wings we scattered light through half Long Island City—only half； for as we twisted among the pillars of the elevated I heard the familiar “jug—jug—SPAT！” of a motorcycle； and a frantic policeman rode alongside。 汽车的挡泥板像翅膀一样张开。我们一路给半个阿斯托里亚①带来了光明只是半个，因为正当我们在高架铁路的支柱中问绕来绕去的时候，我听到了一辆机器脚踏车熟悉的〃嘟…嘟…劈啪〃的响声，随即看到一名气急败坏的警察在我们车旁行驶。 ①皇后区的一个地段。
“All right； old sport；” called Gatsby。 We slowed down。 Taking a white card from his wallet； he waved it before the man’s eyes。 〃好了，老兄。〃盖茨比喊道。我们放慢了速度。盖茨比从他的皮夹里掏出一张白色卡片，在警察的眼前晃了一下。
“Right you are；” agreed the policeman； tipping his cap。 “Know you next time； Mr。 Gatsby。 Excuse ME！” 〃行了，您哪，〃警察满口应承，并且轻轻碰一碰帽檐，〃下次就认识您啦，盖茨比先生。请原谅我！〃
“What was that？” I inquired。“The picture of Oxford？” 〃那是什么？〃我问道，〃那张牛津的相片吗？〃
“I was able to do the missioner a favor once； and he sends me a Christmas card every year。” 〃我给警察局长帮过一次忙，因此他每年部给我寄一张圣诞贺卡。〃
Over the great bridge； with the sunlight through the girders making a constant flicker upon the moving cars； with the city rising up across the river in white heaps and sugar lumps all built with a wish out of nonolfactory money。 The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time； in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world。 在人桥上，阳光从钢架中间透过来在川流不息的车辆上闪闪发光，河对岸城里的楼高耸在眼前，像一堆一堆白糖块一样，尽是出于好心花了没有铜臭的钱盖起来的。从皇后区大桥看去，这座城市永远好像是初次看见一样，那样引人入胜，充满了世界上所有的神秘和瑰丽。
A dead man passed us in a hearse heaped with blooms； followed by two carriages with drawn blinds； and by more cheerful carriages for friends。 The friends looked out at us with the tragic eyes and short upper lips of southeastern Europe； and I was glad that the sight of Gatsby’s splendid car was included in their sombre holiday。 As we crossed Blackwell’s Island a limousine passed us； driven by a white chauffeur； in which sat three modish negroes； two bucks and a girl。 I laughed aloud as the yolks of their eyeballs rolled toward us in haughty rivalry。 一辆装着死人的灵车从我们身旁经过，车上堆满了鲜花，后面跟着两辆马车，遮帘拉上了的，还有儿辆比较轻松的马车载着亲友，这些亲友从车子里向我们张望，从他们忧伤的眼睛和短短的上唇可以看出他们是尔南欧那一带的人。我很高兴在他们凄惨的出丧车队中还能看到盖茨比豪华的汽车。我们的车子从桥上过布莱克威尔岛的时候。一辆大型轿车超越了我们的车子，司机是个白人，车子里坐着三个时髦的黑人，两男一女。他们冲着我们翻翻白眼，一副傲慢争先的神气，我看了忍不住放声大笑。
“Anything can happen now that we’ve slid over this bridge；” I thought； “anything at all。 。 。 。” 〃我们现在一过这座桥，什么事都可能发生了，〃我心里想，〃无论什么事都会有。。。。。。〃
Even Gatsby could happen； without any particular wonder。 因此，连盖茨比这种人物也是会出现的，这用不着大惊小怪。
Roaring noon。 In a well—fanned Fortysecond Street cellar I met Gatsby for lunch。 Blinking away the brightness of the street outside； my eyes picked him out obscurely in the anteroom； talking to another man。 炎热的中午。在四十二号街一家电扇大开的地下餐厅里，我跟盖茨比碰头一起吃午饭。我先眨眨眼驱散外面马路上的亮光，然后才在休息室里模模糊糊认出了他，他正在跟一个人说话。
“Mr。 Carraway； this is my friend Mr。 Wolfshiem。” 〃卡罗威先生，这是我的朋友沃尔夫山姆先生。〃
A small； flatnosed Jew raised his large head and regarded me with two fine growths of hair which luxuriated in either nostril。 After a moment I discovered his tiny eyes in the halfdarkness。 一个矮小的塌鼻子的犹太人抬起了他的大脑袋来打量我，他的鼻孔里面长着两撮很浓的毛。过了一会儿我才在半明半暗的光线中发现了他的两只小眼睛。
“—So I took one look at him；” said Mr。 Wolfshiem； shaking my hand earnestly； “and what do you think I did？” 〃。。。。。。于是我瞥了他一眼，〃沃尔夫山姆先生一面说下去一面很热切地和我握手，〃然后，你猜猜我干了什么事？〃
“What？” I inquired politely。 〃什么事？〃我有礼貌地问道。
But evidently he was not addressing me； for he dropped my hand and covered Gatsby with his expressive nose。 显然他并不是在跟我讲话，因为他放下了我的手，把他那只富于表现力的鼻子对准了盖茨比。
“I handed the money to Katspaugh and I sid： ‘all right； Katspaugh； don’t pay him a penny till he shuts his mouth。’ He shut it then and there。” 〃我把那笔钱交给凯兹保，同时我对他说：'就这样吧，凯兹保，你要是不住嘴，一分钱也不给你。'他立刻就住了嘴。〃
Gatsby took an arm of each of us and moved forward into the restaurant； whereupon Mr。 Wolfshiem swallowed a new sentence he was starting and lapsed into a somnambulatory abstraction。 盖茨比拉住我们每人一只胳臂，向前走进餐厅，于是沃尔夫山姆先生把他刚开始说的一句话咽了下去，露出了如梦似痴的神态。
“Highballs？” asked the head waiter。 〃要姜汁威士忌吗？〃服务员领班问道。
“This is a nice restaurant here；” said Mr。 Wolfshiem； looking at the Presbyterian nymphs on the ceiling。 “But I like across the street better！” 〃这儿的这家馆子不错，〃沃尔夫山姆先生抬头望着天花板上的长老会美女说，〃但是我更喜欢马路对面那家。〃
“Yes； highballs；” agreed Gatsby； and then to Mr。 Wolfshiem： “It’s too hot over there。” 〃好的，来几杯姜汁威士忌，〃盖茨比同意，然后对沃尔夫山姆先生说，〃那边太热了。〃
“Hot and small—yes；” said Mr。 Wolfshiem； “but full of memories。” 〃又热又小不错，〃沃尔夫山姆先生说，〃可是充满了回忆。〃
“What place is that？” I asked。 〃那是哪一家馆子？〃我问。
“The old Metropole。” 〃老大都会。〃
“The old Metropole；” brooded Mr。 Wolfshiem gloomily。 “Filled with faces dead and gone。 Filled with friends gone now forever。 I can’t forget so long as I live the night they shot Rosy Rosenthal there。 It was six of us at the table； and Rosy had eat and drunk a lot all evening。 When it was almost morning the waiter came up to him with a funny look and says somebody wants to speak to him outside。 ‘all right；’ says Rosy； and begins to get up； and I pulled him down in his chair。 〃老大都会，〃沃尔夫山姆先生闷闷不乐地回忆道，〃那里聚集过多少早已消逝的面容，聚集过多少如今已经不在人间的朋友。我只要活着就不会忘记他们开枪打死罗西？罗森塔尔的那个晚上。我们一桌六个人，罗西一夜大吃大喝。快到天亮的时候，服务员带着一种尴尬的表情来到他跟前说有个人请他到外面去讲话。'好吧。'罗西说，马上就要站起来，我把他一把拉回到椅子上。
“‘Let the bastards e in here if they want you； Rosy； but don’t you； so help me； move outside this room。’ 〃那些杂种要