按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
“How did he happen to do that？” I asked after a minute。 〃他怎么会干那个的？〃我过了一分钟才问道。
“He just saw the opportunity。” 〃他只不过是看中了机会，〃
“Why isn’t he in jail？” 〃他怎么没坐牢呢？〃
“They can’t get him； old sport。 He’s a smart man。” 〃他们逮不住他，老兄。他是个非常精明的人。〃
I insisted on paying the check。 As the waiter brought my change I caught sight of Tom Buchanan across the crowded room。 我抢着付了账。服务员把找的钱送来时，我看到了汤姆？布坎农在拥挤的餐厅的那一边。
“e along with me for a minute；” I said； “I’ve got to say hello to some one。” 〃跟我来一下，〃我说，〃我得同一个人打个招呼。〃
When he saw us Tom jumped up and took half a dozen steps in our direction。 汤姆一看见我们就跳了起来，朝我们的方向迈了五六步。
“Where’ve you been？” he demamded eagerly。 “Daisy’s furious because you haven’t called up。” 〃你这一阵去哪儿了？〃他急切地问道，〃黛西气死了，因为你不打电话来。〃
“This is Mr。 Gatsby； Mr。 Buchanan。” 〃这位是盖茨比先生，布坎农先生。〃
They shook hands briefly； and a strained； unfamiliar look of embarrassment came over Gatsby’s face。 他们随便握了握手，盖茨比脸上忽然流露出一种不自然的、不常见的窘迫表情。
“How’ve you been； anyhow？” demanded Tom of me。 “How’d you happen to e up this far to eat？” 〃你近来到底怎么样？〃汤姆问我，〃你怎么会跑这么远到这儿来吃饭？〃
“I’ve been having lunch with Mr。 Gatsby。” 〃我是和盖茨比先生一道来吃午饭的。〃
I turned toward Mr。 Gatsby； but he was no longer there。 我转身去看盖茨比先生，但他已经不在那儿了。
One October day in nieenseventeen—— 一九一七年十月里有一天…
（said Jordan Baker that afternoon； sitting up very straight on a straight chair in the teagarden at the Plaza Hotel） （那天下午乔丹？贝克说，当时她挺直地坐在广场饭店茶室里一张挺直的椅子上。）
—I was walking along from one place to another； half on the sidewalks and half on the lawns。 I was happier on the lawns because I had on shoes from England with rubber nobs on the soles that bit into the soft ground。 I had on a new plaid skirt also that blew a little in the wind； and whenever this happened the red； white； and blue banners in front of all the houses stretched out stiff and said TUTTUTTUTTUT； in a disapproving way。 我正在从一个地方向另一个地方走去，一半走在人行道上，一半走在草坪上。我更喜欢走草坪，因为我穿了一双英国鞋，鞋底有会在软绵绵的地面留下印痕的橡皮疙瘩。我还穿了一条新的能随风微微扬起的方格呢裙子，每当裙子随风扬起来，所有人家门前的红、白、蓝三色旗就都挺得笔直，并且发出〃啧…啧…啧…啧〃的声音，好像很不以为然似的。
The largest of the banners and the largest of the lawns belonged to Daisy Fay’s house。 She was just eighteen； two years older than me； and by far the most popular of all the young girls in Louisville。 She dressed in white； and had a little white roadster； and all day long the telephone rang in her house and excited young officers from Camp Taylor demanded the privilege of monopolizing her that night。 “Anyways； for an hour！” 几面最大的旗子和几片最人的草坪都是属于黛西？费伊家的。她刚刚十八岁，比我大两岁，是路易斯维尔所有小姐中最出风头的一个。她穿的是白衣服，开的是一辆白色小跑车，她家电话一天到晚响个不停，泰勒营那些兴奋的青年军官一个个都要求那天晚上独占她的全部时间。〃至少，给一个钟头吧！〃
When I came opposite her house that morning her white roadster was beside the curb； and she was sitting in it with a lieutenant I had never seen before。 They were so engrossed in each other that she didn’t see me until I was five feet away。 那天早上我从她家门口对面路过时，她的白色跑车停在路边，她跟一位我以前从未见过的中尉同坐在车上。他们俩彼此全神贯注，一直到我走到五步之内她才看见我。
“Hello； Jordan；” she called unexpectedly。 “Please e here。” 〃哈罗，乔丹，〃她出其不意地喊道，〃请你过来。〃
I was flattered that she wanted to speak to me； because of all the older girls I admired her most。 She asked me if I was going to the Red Cross and make bandages。 I was。 Well； then； would I tell them that she couldn’t e that day？ The officer looked at Daisy while she was speaking； in a way that every young girl wants to be looked at sometime； and because it seemed romantic to me I have remembered the incident ever since。 His name was Jay Gatsby； and I didn’t lay eyes on him again for over four years—even after I’d met him on Long Island I didn’t realize it was the same man。 她要跟我说话，我觉得很光彩，因为在所有年纪比我大的女孩当中，我最崇拜的就是她。她问我是否到红十字会去做绷带。我说是的。那么，可否请我告诉他们说这天她不能来了？黛西说话的时候，那位军官盯住她看，每一个姑娘都巴望人家有时会用这种神态来看自己。因为我觉得那非常浪漫，所以我后来一直记得这个情节。他的名字叫杰伊？盖茨比，从那以后一隔四年多，我一直没再见过他就连我在长岛遇到他以后，我也不知道原来就是同一个人。
That was nieenseventeen。 By the next year I had a few beaux myself； and I began to play in tournaments； so I didn’t see Daisy very often。 She went with a slightly older crowd—when she went with anyone at all。 Wild rumors were circulating about her—how her mother had found her packing her bag one winter night to go to New York and say goodby to a soldier who was going overseas。 She was effectually prevented； but she wasn’t on speaking terms with her family for several weeks。 After that she didn’t play around with the soldiers any more； but only with a few flatfooted； shortsighted young men in town； who couldn’t get into the army at all。 那是一九一七年。到了第二年，我自己也有了几个男朋友，同时我开始参加比赛，因此我就不常见到黛西。她来往的是一帮比我年纪稍大一点的朋友…如果她还跟任何人来往的话。关于她的荒唐谣言到处传播…说什么有一个冬天夜晚她母亲发现她在收抬行装，准备到纽约去跟一个正要到海外去的军人告别。家里人有效地阻止了她，可是事后她有好几个星期不跟家里人讲话。从那以后她就不再跟军人一起玩了，只跟城里几个根本不能参军的平脚近视的青年人来往。
By the next autumn she was gay again； gay as ever。 She had a debut after the Armistice； and in February she was presumably engaged to a man from New Orleans。 In June she married Tom Buchanan of Chicago； with more pomp and circumstance than Louisville ever knew before。 He came down with a hundred people in four private cars； and hired a whole floor of the Seelbach Hotel； and the day before the wedding he gave her a string of pearls valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars。 等到第二年秋天，她又活跃起来，和以前一样活跃。停战以后她参加了一次初进社交界的舞会，据说二月里她跟新奥尔良市来的一个人订了婚。六月里她就跟芝加哥的汤姆？布坎农结了婚，婚礼之隆重豪华是路易斯维尔前所未闻的。他和一百位客人乘了四节包车一同南来，在莫尔巴赫饭店租了整个一层楼，在婚礼的前一天他送了她一串估计值三十五万美元的珍珠。
I was bridesmaid。 I came into her room half an hour before the bridal dinner； and found her lying on her bed as lovely as the June night in her flowered dress—and as drunk as a monkey。 she had a bottle of Sauterne in one hand and a letter in the other。 我是伴娘之一。在举行婚礼前夕送别新娘的宴会之前半个小时，我走进她的屋子，发现她躺在床上，穿着绣花的衣裳，像那个六月的夜晚一样地美，像猴子一样喝得烂醉。她一手拿着一瓶白葡萄酒，一手捏着一封信。
“‘Gratulate me；” she muttered。 “Never had a drink before； but oh how I do enjoy it。” 〃恭。。。。。。喜我，〃她含混不清地咕哝着说，〃从来没喝过酒，啊，今天喝得可真痛快。〃
“What’s the matter； Daisy？” 〃怎么回事，黛西？〃
I was scared； I can tell you； I’d never seen a girl like that before。 我吓坏了。真的，我从来没见过一个女孩子醉成这副模样。
“Here； deares’。” She groped around in a wastebasket she had with her on the bed and pulled out the string of pearls。 “Take ’em downstairs and give ’em back to whoever they belong to。 Tell ’em all Daisy’s change’ her mine。 Say： ‘Daisy’s change’ her mine！’。” 〃喏，心肝宝贝。〃她在拿到床上的字纸篓里乱摸了一会，掏出了那串珍珠，〃把这个拿下楼去，是谁的东西就还给谁。告诉大家，黛西改变主意了。就说'黛西改变主意了！'〃
She began to cry—she cried and cried。 I rushed out and found her mother’s maid； and we locked the door and got her into a cold bath。 She wouldn’t let go of the letter。 She took it into the tub with her and squeezed it up into a wet ball； and only let me leave it in the soapdish when she saw that it was ing to pieces like snow。 她哭了起来…她哭了又哭。我跑出去，找到她母亲的贴身女佣人，然后我们锁上