Фрэнсис Фицджеральд - The Great Gatsby / Великий Гэтсби. Книга для чтения на английском языке

His speaking voice added to the impression of irritation. There was a touch of paternal contempt 12 12 a touch of paternal contempt – нотка презрительной отеческой снисходительности in it, even toward people he liked – and there were men at New Haven who had hated his character. We were never intimate, I always had the impression that he approved of me and wanted me to like him.

We talked for a few minutes on the sunny porch. Then he turned me around, politely and abruptly. “We’ll go inside.”

We walked into a bright rosy-colored room. The windows were shining white against the fresh grass outside. A breeze blew through the room, curtains were flying in and out like pale flags, twisting up toward the ceiling, and then falling over the wine-colored rug, making a shadow on it.

The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were lying as though upon a shaky balloon. They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering 13 13 their dresses were rippling and fluttering – их платья подрагивали и колыхались . Tom Buchanan shut the back windows and the caught wind died out about the room, and the curtains and the rugs and the two young women ballooned slowly to the floor.

The younger of the two was a stranger to me. She was lying full length at her end of the divan, completely motionless, and with her chin raised a little, as if she were balancing something on it, which could fall. If she saw me out of the corner of her eyes she didn’t show it – indeed, I was so surprised that I wanted to apologize for my coming in.

The other girl, Daisy, tried to rise then she laughed, an absurd, charming little laugh, and I laughed too and came forward into the room.

“I’m p-paralyzed with happiness.”

She laughed again, as if she said something very witty, and looked up into my face, and it seemed that I was the only one in the world she so much wanted to see. That was a way she had. She murmured that the surname of the balancing girl was Baker. (I’ve heard it said that Daisy’s murmur was only to make people lean toward her; an irrelevant criticism that made it no less charming.)

At any rate, Miss Baker’s lips moved a little, she nodded at me with exhibition of complete self-suf-ficiency 14 14 with exhibition of complete self-sufficiency – с выражением полной самодостаточности . I looked back at my cousin, who began to ask me questions in her low, thrilling voice. Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth.

I told her how I had stopped off in Chicago for a day on my way East, and how a dozen people had sent their love through me.

“Do they miss me?” she cried ecstatically.

“The whole town is desolate. All the cars have the left rear wheel painted black as a mourning wreath, and there’s a persistent wail all night along the north shore. 15 15 All the cars have the left rear wheel painted black as a mourning wreath, and there’s a persistent wail all night along the north shore. – У всех машин левое заднее колесо выкрашено черной краской в знак траура, а берега озера всю ночь оглашаются плачем и стенаниями. ”

“How gorgeous! Let’s go back, Tom. Tomorrow!” Then she added irrelevantly: “You ought to see the baby.”

“I’d like to.”

“She’s asleep. She’s three years old. You ought to see her. She’s —”

Tom Buchanan, who had been walking restlessly about the room, stopped and put his hand on my shoulder.

“What you doing, Nick?”

“I’m a bond man 16 16 bond man – служащий, занимающийся кредитными операциями .”

“Who with?”

I told him.

“Never heard of them,” he remarked decisively.

This annoyed me.

“You will,” I answered shortly. “You will if you stay in the East.”

“Oh, I’ll stay in the East, don’t you worry,” he said, glancing at Daisy. “I’d be a God damned fool to live anywhere else.”

At this point Miss Baker said: “Absolutely!” with such suddenness that I started 17 17 with such suddenness that I started – с такой внезапностью, что я вздрогнул – it was the first word she had said since I came into the room. I think it surprised her as much as it did me because she yawned and stood up into the room.

“I’m stiff,” she complained, “I’ve been lying on that sofa for as long as I can remember.”

I looked at Miss Baker. I enjoyed looking at her. She was a slim, small-breasted girl. Her gray sun-strained eyes looked back at me with polite curiosity out of a charming, discontented face. 18 18 Her gray sun-strained eyes looked back at me with polite curiosity out of a charming, discontented face. – Ее серые слегка прищуренные глаза посмотрели на меня с вежливым любопытством, которое, однако, не коснулось ее очаровательного недовольного лица. It seemed to me now that I had seen her, or a picture of her, somewhere before.

“You live in West Egg,” she remarked contemptuously. “You must know Gatsby.”

“Gatsby?” asked Daisy. “What Gatsby?”

Before I could answer that he was my neighbor dinner was announced. The two young women showed us the way onto a rosy-colored porch, open toward the sunset, where four candles were lit on the table.

“Why candles?” objected Daisy, frowning. She snapped them out with her fingers. “In two weeks it’ll be the longest day in the year.”

“We ought to plan something,” yawned Miss Baker, sitting down at the table as if she were getting into bed.

“All right,” said Daisy. “What’ll we plan?” She turned to me helplessly: “What do people plan?”

Before I could answer her eyes focused on her little finger.

“Look!” she complained; “I hurt it. You did it, Tom,” she said accusingly. “I know you didn’t want to, but you did do it. That’s what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great, big, hulking physical specimen 19 19 hulking physical specimen – неповоротливый здоровенный дылда of a —”

“I hate that word hulking,” objected Tom angrily, “even in kidding.”

“Hulking,” insisted Daisy.

Sometimes she and Miss Baker talked at once, but that was never quite chatter, that was as cool as their white dresses and their impersonal eyes in the absence of all desire. They were here, and they accepted Tom and me, making only a polite pleasant effort to entertain or to be entertained 20 20 they accepted Tom and me, making only a polite pleasant effort to entertain or to be entertained – они терпели Тома и меня, лишь из светской любезности развлекая нас и помогая нам развлекать их .

“You make me feel uncivilized, Daisy,” I confessed on my second glass of impressive wine. “Can’t you talk about crops or something?” I meant nothing special by this phrase, but the reaction was unexpected.

“Civilization’s going to pieces,” said Tom violently. “I’ve gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things. If we don’t look out the white race will be – will be completely underwater. It’s all scientific stuff; it’s been proved.”

“Tom’s getting a very deep thinker,” said Daisy, with an expression of unthoughtful sadness. “He reads deep books with long words in them.”