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“My house looks well； doesn’t it？” he demanded。 “See how the whole front of it catches the light。” 〃我的房子很好看，是不是？〃他问道，〃你瞧它整个正面映照着阳光。〃
I agreed that it was splendid。 我同意说房子真漂亮极了。
“Yes。” His eyes went over it； every arched door and square tower。 “It took me just three years to earn the money that bought it。” 〃是的。〃他用眼睛仔细打量了一番，每一扇拱门、每一座方培都看到了，〃我只花了三年工夫就挣到了买房子的钱。〃
“I thought you inherited your money。” 〃我还以为你的钱是继承来的。〃
“I did； old sport；” he said automatically； “but I lost most of it in the big panic—the panic of the war。” 〃不错，老兄，〃他脱口而出，〃但是我在大恐慌期间损失了一大半…就是战争引起的那次大恐慌。〃
I think he hardly knew what he was saying； for when I asked him what business he was in he answered； “That’s my affair；” before he realized that it wasn’t the appropriate reply。 我猜想他自己也不大知道他在说些什么，因为等我问他做的是什么生意时，他回答：〃那是我的事儿。〃话说出口他才发觉这个回答很不得体。
“Oh； I’ve been in several things；” he corrected himself。 “I was in the drug business and then I was in the oil business。 But I’m not in either one now。” He looked at me with more attention。 “Do you mean you’ve been thinking over what I proposed the other night？” 〃哦，我干过好几行，〃他改口说，〃我做药材生意，后来又做过石油生意。可是现在我这两行都不干了。〃他比较注意地看着我。〃那么说你考虑过那天晚上我提的那件事了？〃
Before I could answer； Daisy came out of the house and two rows of brass buttons on her dress gleamed in the sunlight。 我还没来得及回答，黛西就从房子里出来了，她衣服上的两排铜纽扣在阳光中闪烁。
“That huge place THERE？” she cried pointing。 〃是那边那座老大的房子？〃她用手指着大声问。
“Do you like it？” 〃你喜欢它吗？〃
“I love it； but I don’t see how you live there all alone。” 〃我太喜欢了，但是我不明白你怎么能一个人住在那儿。〃
“I keep it always full of interesting people； night and day。 People who do interesting things。 Celebrated people。” 〃我让它不分昼夜都挤满了有意思的人，干有意思的事情的人，有名气的人。〃
Instead of taking the short cut along the Sound we went down the road and entered by the big postern。 With enchanting murmurs Daisy admired this aspect or that of the feudal silhouette against the sky； admired the gardens； the sparkling odor of jonquils and the frothy odor of hawthorn and plum blossoms and the pale gold odor of kissmeatthegate。 It was strange to reach the marble steps and find no stir of bright dresses in and out the door； and hear no sound but bird voices in the trees。 我们没有抄近路沿海边过去，而是绕到大路上，从巨大的后门进去的。黛酉望着那村在天空的中世纪城堡的黑黝黝的轮廓，用她那迷人的低语赞不绝口，一边走一边又赞赏花园，赞赏长寿花散发的香味，山楂花和梅花泡沫般的香味，还有吻别花淡金色的香味。走到大理石台阶前，我看不到穿着鲜艳的时装的人从大门出出进进，除了树上的鸟鸣听不到一点声音，真感到很异样。
And inside； as we wandered through Marie Antoite musicrooms and Restoration salons； I felt that there were guests concealed behind every couch and table； under orders to be breathlessly silent until we had passed through。 As Gatsby closed the door of “the Merton College Library。” I could have sworn I heard the owleyed man break into ghostly laughter。 到了里面，我们漫步穿过玛丽？安托万内特①式的音乐厅和王政复辟时期②式样的小客厅，我觉得每张沙发、每张桌子后面都藏着客人，奉命屏息不动直到我们走过为止。当盖茨比关上〃默顿学院图书室〃③的门时，我可以发誓我听到了那个戴猫头鹰眼镜的人突然发出了鬼似的笑声。 ①玛丽？安托万内特（Marie Antoite，17551793），法国国王路易十六的王后，在大革命中被送上断头台。 ②英国门世纪中叶第一次资产阶级革命失败后，英王查理二世于1660年复辟。 ③默顿学院（Merton College），牛津大学的一个学院，以藏书丰富闻名。
We went upstairs； through period bedrooms swathed in rose and lavender silk and vivid with new flowers； through dressingrooms and poolrooms； and bathrooms with sunken baths—intruding into one chamber where a dishevelled man in pajamas was doing liver exercises on the floor。 It was Mr。 Klipspringer； the “boarder。” I had seen him wandering hungrily about the beach that morning。 Finally we came to Gatsby’s own apartment； a bedroom and a bath； and an Adam study； where we sat down and drank a glass of some Chartreuse he took from a cupboard in the wall。 我们走上楼，穿过一间间仿古的卧室，里面铺满了玫瑰色和淡紫色的绸缎，摆满了色彩缤纷的鲜花，穿过一间间更衣室和弹子室，以及嵌有地下浴池的浴室闯进一间卧室，里面有一个邋里邋遢穿着睡衣的人正在地板上做俯卧撑。那是〃房客〃克利普斯普林格先生。那天早上我看到过他如饥似渴地在海滩上徘徊。最后我们来到盖茨比本人的套间，包括一间卧室、一间浴室和一间小书房。我们在书房里坐下，喝了一杯他从壁橱里拿出来的荨麻酒。
He hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy； and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her wellloved eyes。 Sometimes； too； he stared around at his possessions in a dazed way； as though in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real。 Once he nearly toppled down a flight of stairs。 他一刻不停地看着黛西，因此我想他是在把房子里的每一件东西都按照那双他所钟爱的眼睛里的反应重新估价。有时他也神情恍惚地向四面凝视他自己的财物，仿佛在她这个惊心动魄的真人面前，所有这些东西就没有一件是真实的了。有一次他差点从楼梯上滚了下去。
His bedroom was the simplest room of all—except where the dresser was garnished with a toilet set of pure dull gold。 Daisy took the brush with delight； and smoothed her hair； whereupon Gatsby sat down and shaded his eyes and began to laugh。 他自己的卧室是所有屋子中最简朴的一间只有梳妆台上点缀着一副纯金的梳妆用具。黛西高兴地拿起了刷子刷刷头发，引得盖茨比坐下来用手遮住眼睛笑了起来。
“It’s the funniest thing； old sport；” he said hilariously。 “I can’t—When I try to——” 〃真是最滑稽的事情，老兄，〃他嘻嘻哈哈地说，〃我简直不能。。。。。。我想要。。。。。。〃
He had passed visibly through two states and was entering upon a third。 After his embarrassment and his unreasoning joy he was consumed with wonder at her presence。 He had been full of the idea so long； dreamed it right through to the end； waited with his teeth set； so to speak； at an inconceivable pitch of intensity。 Now； in the reaction； he was running down like an overwound clock。 显而易见，他已经历了两种精神状态，现在正进入第三种。他起初局促不安，继而大喜若狂，目前又由于她出现在眼前感到过分惊异而不能自持了。这件事他长年朝思暮想，梦寐以求，简直是咬紧了牙关期待着，感情强烈到不可思议的程度。此刻，由于反作用，他像一架发条上得太紧的时钟一样精疲力竭了。
Recovering himself in a minute he opened for us two hulking patent cabis which held his massed suits and dressinggowns and ties； and his shirts； piled like bricks in stacks a dozen high。 过了一会儿，精神恢复之后，他为我们打开了两个非常讲究的特大衣橱，里面装满了他的西装、晨衣和领带，还有一打一打像砖头一样堆起来的衬衣。
“I’ve got a man in England who buys me clothes。 He sends over a selection of things at the beginning of each season； spring and fall。” 〃我有一个人在英国替我买衣服。每年春秋两季开始的时候，他都挑选一些东西寄给我。〃
He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them； one by one； before us； shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel； which lost their folds as they fell and covered the table in manycolored disarray。 While we admired he brought more and the soft rich heap mounted higher—shirts with stripes and scrolls and plaids in coral and applegreen and lavender and faint orange； and monograms of Indian blue。 Suddenly； with a strained sound； Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily。 他拿出一堆衬衫，开始一件一件扔在我们面前，薄麻布衬衫、厚绸衬衫、细法兰绒衬衫都抖散了，五颜六色摆满了一桌。我们欣赏着的时候，他又继续抱来其他的，那个柔软贵重的衬衣堆越来越高条子衬衫、花纹衬衫、方格衬衫，珊瑚色的、苹果绿的、浅紫色的、淡桔色的、上面绣着深蓝色的他的姓名的交织字母。突然之间，黛西发出了很不自然的声音，一下把头埋进衬衫堆里，号陶大哭起来。
“They’re such beautiful shirts；” she sobbed； her voice muffled in the thick folds。 “It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such—such beautiful shirts before。” 〃这些衬衫这么美，〃她呜咽地说，她的声音在厚厚的衣堆里闷哑了，〃我看了很伤心，因为我从来没见过这么…这么美的衬衫。〃
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