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“By the way； Mr。 Gatsby； I understand you’re an Oxford man。” 〃说起来，盖茨比先生，我听说你是牛津校友。〃
“Not exactly。” 〃不完全是那样。〃
“Oh； yes； I understand you went to Oxford。” 〃哦，是的，我听说你上过牛津。〃
“Yes—I went there。” 〃是的，我上过那儿。〃
A pause。 Then Tom’s voice； incredulous and insulting： 停顿了一会。然后是汤姆的声音，带有怀疑和侮辱的口吻：
“You must have gone there about the time Biloxi went to New Haven。” 〃你一定是在毕洛克西上纽黑文的时候去牛津的吧。〃
Another pause。 A waiter knocked and came in with crushed mint and ice but； the silence was unbroken by his “thank you。” and the soft closing of the door。 This tremendous detail was to be cleared up at last。 又停顿了一会。一个茶房敲门，端着敲碎了的薄荷叶和冰走进来，但是他的一声〃谢谢您〃和轻轻的关门声也没打破沉默。这个关系重大的细节终于要澄清了。
“I told you I went there；” said Gatsby。 〃我跟你说过了我上过那儿。〃盖茨比说。
“I heard you； but I’d like to know when。” 〃我听见了，可是我想知道在什么时候。〃
“It was in nieennieen； I only stayed five months。 That’s why I can’t really call myself an Oxford man。” 〃是一九一九年，我只待了五个月。这就是为什么我不能自称是牛津校友的原因。〃
Tom glanced around to see if we mirrored his unbelief。 But we were all looking at Gatsby。 汤姆瞥了大家一眼，看看我们脸上是否也反映出他的怀疑。但是我们都在看着盖茨比。
“It was an opportunity they gave to some of the officers after the Armistice；” he continued。 “We could go to any of the universities in England or France。” 〃那是停战以后他们为一些军官提供的机会，〃他继续说下去，〃我们可以上任何英国或者法国的大学。〃
I wanted to get up and slap him on the back。 I had one of those renewals of plete faith in him that I’d experienced before。 我真想站起来拍拍他的肩膀。我又一次感到对他完全信任，这是我以前体验过的。
Daisy rose； smiling faintly； and went to the table。 黛西站了起来，微微一笑，走到桌子前面。
“Open the whiskey； Tom；” she ordered； “and I’ll make you a mint julep。 Then you won’t seem so stupid to yourself。 。 。 。 Look at the mint！” 〃打开威士忌，汤姆，〃她命令道，〃我给你做一杯薄荷酒。然后你就个会觉得自己那么蠢了。。。。。。你看这些薄荷叶子！〃
“Wait a minute；” snapped Tom； “I want to ask Mr。 Gatsby one more question。” 〃等一会，〃汤姆厉声道，〃我还要问盖茨比先生一个问题。〃
“Go on；” Gatsby said politely。 〃请问吧。〃盖茨比很有礼貌地说。
“What kind of a row are you trying to cause in my house anyhow？” 〃你到底想在我家里制造什么样的纠纷？〃
They were out in the open at last and Gatsby was content。 他们终于把话挑明了，盖茨比倒也满意。
“He isn’t causing a row。” Daisy looked desperately from one to the other。 “You’re causing a row。 Please have a little selfcontrol。” 〃他没制造纠纷，〃黛西惊惶地看看这一个又看看那一个，〃你在制造纠纷。请你自制一点儿。〃
“Selfcontrol！” Repeated Tom incredulously。 “I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr。 Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife。 Well； if that’s the idea you can count me out。 。 。 。 Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions； and next they’ll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white。” 〃自制！〃汤姆不能置信地重复道，〃我猜想最时髦的事情大概是装聋作哑，让不知从哪儿冒出来的阿猫阿狗跟你老婆凋情。哼，如果那样才算时髦，你可以把我除外。。。。。。这年头人们开始对家庭生活和家庭制度嗤之以鼻，再下一步他们就该抛弃一切，搞黑人和白人通婚了。〃
Flushed with his impassioned gibberish； he saw himself standing alone on the last barrier of civilization。 他满口胡言乱语，脸涨得通红，俨然自以为单独一个人站在文明最后的壁垒上。
“We’re all white here；” murmured Jordan。 〃我们这里大家都是白人嘛。〃乔丹咕哝着说。
“I know I’m not very popular。 I don’t give big parties。 I suppose you’ve got to make your house into a pigsty in order to have any friends—in the modern world。” 〃我知道我不得人心。我不举行大型宴会。大概你非得把自己的家搞成猪圈才能交朋友…在这个现代世界上。〃
Angry as I was； as we all were； I was tempted to laugh whenever he opened his mouth。 The transition from libertine to prig was so plete。 尽管我和大家一样感到很气愤，每次他一张口我就忍不住想笑。一个酒徒色鬼竟然摇身一变就成了道学先生。
“I’ve got something to tell YOU； old sport——” began Gatsby。 But Daisy guessed at his intention。 〃我也有话要对你说，老兄。。。。。。〃盖茨比开始说。但是黛西猜到了他的意图。
“Please don’t！” she interrupted helplessly。 “Please let’s all go home。 Why don’t we all go home？” 〃请你不要说！〃她无可奈何地打断了他的话，〃咱们都回家吧。咱们都回家不好吗？〃
“That’s a good idea。” I got up。 “e on； Tom。 Nobody wants a drink。” 〃这是个好主意。〃我站了起来，〃走吧，汤姆。没有人要喝酒。〃
“I want to know what Mr。 Gatsby has to tell me。” 〃我想知道盖茨比光生有什么话要告诉我。〃
“Your wife doesn’t love you；” said Gatsby。 “She’s never loved you。 She loves me。” 〃你妻子不爱你，〃盖茨比说，〃她从来没有爱过你。她爱我。〃
“You must be crazy！” exclaimed Tom automatically。 〃你一定是疯了！〃汤姆脱口而出道。
Gatsby sprang to his feet； vivid with excitement。 盖茨比猛地跳了起来，激动异常。
“She never loved you； do you hear？” he cried。 “She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me。 It was a terrible mistake； but in her heart she never loved any one except me！” 〃她从来没有爱过你，你听见了吗？〃他喊道，〃她跟你结了婚，只不过是因为我穷，她等我等得不耐烦了。那是一个大错，但是她心里除了我从来没有爱过任何人！〃
At this point Jordan and I tried to go； but Tom and Gatsby insisted with petitive firmness that we remain—as though neither of them had anything to conceal and it would be a privilege to partake vicariously of their emotions。 这时乔丹和我都想走，但是汤姆和盖茨比争先恐后地阻拦，硬要我们留下，仿佛两人都没有什么不可告人的事，仿佛以共鸣的方式分享他们的感情也是一种特殊的荣幸。
“Sit down； Daisy；” Tom’s voice groped unsuccessfully for the paternal note。 “What’s been going on？ I want to hear all about it。” 〃坐下，黛西，〃汤姆竭力装出父辈的口吻，可是并不成功，〃这是怎么一回事？我要听听整个经过。〃
“I told you what’s been going on；” said Gatsby。 “Going on for five years—and you didn’t know。” 〃我已经告诉过你是怎么一回事了，〃盖茨比说，〃已经五年了…而你却不知道，〃
Tom turned to Daisy sharply。 汤姆霍地转向黛西。
“You’ve been seeing this fellow for five years？” 〃你五年来一直和这家伙见面？〃
“Not seeing；” said Gatsby。 “No； we couldn’t meet。 But both of us loved each other all that time； old sport； and you didn’t know。 I used to laugh sometimes。”—but there was no laughter in his eyes——” to think that you didn’t know。” 〃没有见面。〃盖茨比说，〃不，我们见不了面。可是我们俩在那整个期间彼此相爱，老兄，而你却不知道。我以前有时发笑，〃但是他眼中并无笑意，〃想到你并不知道。〃
“Oh—that’s all。” Tom tapped his thick fingers together like a clergyman and leaned back in his chair。 〃哦…原来不过如此。〃汤姆像牧师一样把他的粗指头合拢在一起轻轻地敲敲，然后往椅子上一靠。
“You’re crazy！” he exploded。 “I can’t speak about what happened five years ago； because I didn’t know Daisy then—and I’ll be damned if I see how you got within a mile of her unless you brought the groceries to the back door。 But all the rest of that’s a God damned lie。 Daisy loved me when she married me and she loves me now。” 〃你发疯了！〃他破口大骂，〃五年前发生的事我没法说，因为当时我还不认识黛西…可是我真他妈的想不通你怎么能沾到她的边，除非你是把食品杂货送到她家后门口的。至于你其余的话都是他妈的胡扯。黛西跟我结婚时她是爱我的，现在她还是爱我。〃
“No；” said Gatsby； shaking his head。 〃不对。〃盖茨比摇摇头说。
“She does； though。 The trouble is that sometimes she gets foolish ideas in her head and doesn’t know what she’s doing。” He nodded sagely。 “And what’s more； I love Daisy too。 Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself； but I always e back； and in my heart I love her all the time。” 〃可是她确实爱我。问题是她有时胡思乱想，于一些她自己也莫名其妙的事。〃他明智地点点头，〃不但如此，我也爱黛西；偶尔我也荒唐一阵，干点蠢事，不过我总是回头，而且我心把始终是爱她的。〃
“You’re revolting；” said Daisy。 She turned to me； and her voice； dropping an octave lower； filled the room with thrilling scorn