Francis Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby. Адаптированная книга для чтения на английском языке. Уровень B1

«Now, don’t think my opinion on these matters is final», he seemed to say, «just because I’m stronger and more of a man than you are». We were in the same senior society, and while 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 and then walked through a high hallway into a bright rosy-colored space. The windows were partly open. A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in at one end and out the other like pale flags, twisting them up toward the ceiling.

The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous sofa on which two young women were lying. They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering.

The younger of the two was a stranger to me. She was completely motionless, and with her chin raised a little, as if she were balancing something on it which could fall. If she saw me she gave no hint of it.

The other girl, Daisy, made an attempt to rise – she leaned slightly forward, then she laughed, and I laughed too and came into the room.

«I’m p-paralyzed with happiness». She laughed again, as if she said something very witty, and held my hand for a moment, looking up into my face, promising that there was no one in the world she so much wanted to see. That was her manner. She murmured that the surname of the balancing girl was Baker.

Miss Baker barely nodded at me, and then quickly tipped her head back again – the object she was balancing had obviously given her something of a fright.

I looked back at my cousin, who began to ask me questions in her low, thrilling voice. It was the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down. Her face was sad and lovely, she had bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth, and there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget.

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».

«How gorgeous! Let’s go back, Tom. Tomorrow!» Then she suddenly added: «You ought to see the baby».

«I’d like to».

«She’s asleep. She’s three years old. Haven’t you ever seen her?»

«Never».

«Well, you ought to see her. She’s…»

Tom Buchanan, who had been hovering about the room, stopped and rested his hand on my shoulder.

«What are you doing, Nick?»

«I’m a bond man [12] Специалист по кредитным операциям. ».

«Who with?»

I told him.

«Never heard of them», he remarked decisively.

This annoyed me.

«You will [13] Услышишь. », I answered shortly. «You will if you stay in the East».

«Oh, I’ll stay in the East, don’t worry», he said, glancing at Daisy and then back at me. «I’d be a fool to live anywhere else».

At this point Miss Baker said: «Absolutely!» with such suddenness that I started – it was the first word she uttered since I came into the room. She yawned and stood up.

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

«Don’t look at me», Daisy said, «I’ve been trying to get you to New York all afternoon».

I enjoyed looking at Miss Baker. She was a slender, small breasted girl, keeping her back straight. Her gray eyes looked back at me with polite curiosity. It occurred to me now that I had seen her, or a picture of her, somewhere before.

«You live in West Egg», she remarked contemptuously. «I know somebody there».

«I don’t know a single…»

«You must know Gatsby».

«Gatsby?» asked Daisy. «What Gatsby?»

Before I could reply that he was my neighbor dinner was announced; Tom Buchanan compelled me from the room as if he were moving a checker to another square.

The two young women preceded us out onto a rosy-colored porch, open toward the sunset.

«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 she looked with a frightened expression at her little finger.

«Look!» she complained; «I hurt it».

We all looked – the knuckle was black and blue.

«You did it, Tom», she said accusingly. «That’s what I get for marrying a brute, a great, big, hulking physical specimen ofa…»

«I hate that word hulking», objected Tom crossly, «even in kidding». [14] Даже в шутку.

«Hulking», insisted Daisy.

Sometimes she and Miss Baker talked at once, but it was an uneasy talk. They were here, and they accepted Tom and me, making only a polite pleasant effort to entertain or to be entertained. They knew that presently dinner would be over and a little later the evening too would be over and casually put away. It was sharply different from the West, where an evening was hurried from phase to phase toward its close.

«You make me feel uncivilized, Daisy», I confessed on my second glass of red wine. «Can’t you talk about crops or something?»

I meant nothing in particular by this remark, but it was taken up in an unexpected way.

«Civilization’s going to pieces», said Tom. «I am a terrible pessimist about things now. Have you read ‘The Rise of the Colored Empires’ by Goddard?»

«Why, no», I answered, rather surprised by his tone.

«Well, it’s a fine book, and everybody ought to read it. The idea is if we don’t look out the white race will disappear. It’s all scientific stuff; it’s been proved».

«Tom’s getting very thoughtful», said Daisy sadly. «He reads deep books with long words in them».

«Well, these books are all scientific», insisted Tom, glancing at her impatiently. «It’s up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things».

«We’ve got to beat them down», whispered Daisy.

«You ought to live in California…» began Miss Baker, but Tom interrupted her by shifting heavily in his chair.

«This idea is that we’re Nordics. I am, and you are, and you are, and…» After some hesitation he included Daisy with a slight nod, and she winked at me. «– And we’ve produced all the things that go to make civilization – oh, science and art, and all that. Do you see?»

There was something pathetic in his concentration. Then, almost immediately, the telephone rang inside and the butler left the porch.

Soon the butler came back and murmured something close to Tom’s ear. Tom frowned, pushed back his chair, and without a word went inside.

Suddenly Daisy threw her napkin on the table and excused herself and went into the house.

Miss Baker and I exchanged a short glance. I was about to speak when she sat up alertly and said «Sh!» in a warning voice. A subdued passionate murmur was clear in the room beyond, and Miss Baker leaned forward unashamed, trying to hear.

«This Mr. Gatsby is my neighbor», I said.

«Don’t talk. I want to hear what happens».

«Is something happening?» I said innocently.

«You mean to say you don’t know?» said Miss Baker, honestly surprised. «I thought everybody knew».

«I don’t».

«Why…» she said hesitantly, «Tom’s got some woman in New York».

«Got some woman?» I repeated.

Miss Baker nodded.

«She might have the decency not to telephone him at dinner time. Don’t you think?»