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rruptible dream； as he waved them goodby。 我后来一直很高兴找说了那句话。那是我对他说过的唯一的好话，因为我是彻头彻尾不赞成他的。他起先有礼貌地点点头，随后他脸上露出了那种喜洋洋的、会心的微笑，仿佛我们俩在这件事上早已进行了疯狂的勾结。他那套华丽的粉红色衣服衬托在白色的台阶上构成一片鲜艳的色彩，于是我联想起三个月前我初次来他的古色古香的别墅的那个晚上。当时他的草坪和汽车道上挤满了那些猜测他的罪愆的人们的面孔…而他站在台阶上，藏起他那永不腐蚀的梦，向他们挥手告别。
I thanked him for his hospitality。 We were always thanking him for that—I and the others。 我感谢了他的殷勤招待。我们总是为这向他道谢…我和其他的人。
“Goodby；” I called。 “I enjoyed breakfast； Gatsby。” 〃再见，〃我喊道，〃谢谢你的早饭，盖茨比。〃
Up in the city； I tried for a while to list the quotations on an interminable amount of stock； then I fell asleep in my swivelchair。 Just before noon the phone woke me； and I started up with sweat breaking out on my forehead。 It was Jordan Baker； she often called me up at this hour because the uncertainty of her own movements between hotels and clubs and private houses made her hard to find in any other way。 Usually her voice came over the wire as something fresh and cool； as if a divot from a green golflinks had e sailing in at the office window； but this morning it seemed harsh and dry。 到了城里，我勉强抄了一会那些不计其数的股票行情，后来就在我的转椅里睡着了。中午前不久电话把我吵醒，我吃了一惊，脑门上汗珠直冒。是乔丹？贝克。她时常在这个钟点打电话给我，因为她出入大饭店、俱乐部和私人住宅，行踪不定，我很难用任何其他办法找到她。通常她的声音从电话上传来总是清凉悦耳，仿佛一块草根土①从一片碧绿的高尔夫球场上飘进了办公室的窗口，但是今天上午她的声音却显得生硬枯燥。 ①打高尔夫球时，球棒从场地上削起的小块上。
“I’ve left Daisy’s house；” she said。 “I’m at Hempstead； and I’m going down to Southampton this afternoon。” 〃我离开了黛西的家，〃她说，〃我此刻在海普斯特德，今天下午就要到索斯安普敦去。〃
Probably it had been tactful to leave Daisy’s house； but the act annoyed me； and her next remark made me rigid。 她离开黛西的家可能是很得体的，但是她的做法却使我不高兴。接着她下面一句话更叫我生气。
“You weren’t so nice to me last night。” 〃昨晚你对我不怎么好。〃
“How could it have mattered then？” 〃在那种情况下有什么关系呢？〃
Silence for a moment。 Then： 片刻的沉默。然后：
“However—I want to see you。” 〃不管怎样吧。。。。。。我想见你。〃
“I want to see you； too。” 〃我也想见你。〃
“Suppose I don’t go to Southampton； and e into town this afternoon？” 〃那么我就不去索斯安普敦，下午进城来，好不好？〃
“No—I don’t think this afternoon。” 〃不好。。。。。。我想今天下午不行。〃
“Very well。” 〃随你的便吧。〃
“It’s impossible this afternoon。 Various——” 〃今天下午实在不可能。许多。。。。。。〃
We talked like that for a while； and then abruptly we weren’t talking any longer。 I don’t know which of us hung up with a sharp click； but I know I didn’t care。 I couldn’t have talked to her across a teatable that day if I never talked to her again in this world。 我们就这样说了一会，后来突然间我们俩都不再讲话了。我不知道我们俩是谁把电话啪的一下挂掉，但我知道我毫不在乎了。我那天不可能跟她在茶桌上面对面聊天，即使她从此永远不跟我讲话也不行
I called Gatsby’s house a few minutes later； but the line was busy。 I tried four times； finally an exasperated central told me the wire was being kept open for long distance from Detroit。 Taking out my timetable； I drew a small circle around the threefifty train。 Then I leaned back in my chair and tried to think。 It was just noon。 几分钟以后我打电话到盖茨比家去，但线给占了，我一连打了四欼？最后，一个不耐烦的接线员告诉我这条线路在专等底特律的长途电话。我拿出火车时刻表来，在三点五十分那班车上画了个小圆圈。然后我靠在椅子上，想思考一下。这时才是中午。
When I passed the ashheaps on the train that morning I had crossed deliberately to the other side of the car。 I suppose there’d be a curious crowd around there all day with little boys searching for dark spots in the dust； and some garrulous man telling over and over what had happened； until it became less and less real even to him and he could tell it no longer； and Myrtle Wilson’s tragic achievement was forgotten。 Now I want to go back a little and tell what happened at the garage after we left there the night before。 那天早上乘火车路过灰堆时，我特意走到车厢的另外一边去。我料想那儿整天都会有一群好奇的人围观，小男孩们在尘土中寻找黑色的血斑，还有一个爱唠叨的人翻来覆去讲出事的经过，一直说到连他自己也觉得越来越不真实，他也讲不下去了，茉特尔？威尔逊的悲惨的结局也就被人遗忘了。现在我要倒回去讲一下前一晚我们离开车行之后那里发生的情况。
They had difficulty in locating the sister； Catherine。 She must have broken her rule against drinking that night； for when she arrived she was stupid with liquor and unable to understand that the ambulance had already gone to Flushing。 When they convinced her of this； she immediately fainted； as if that was the intolerable part of the affair。 Some one； kind or curious； took her in his car and drove her in the wake of her sister’s body。 他们好不容易才找到了她的妹妹凯瑟琳。她那天晚上一定是破了她自己不喝酒的规矩，因为她到达的时候已经喝得昏头昏脑的，无法理解救护车已经开到弗勒兴区去了，等他们使她明白了这一点，她马上就晕了过去，仿佛这是整个事件中最难以忍受的部分。有个人，或是好心或是好奇，让她上了他的车子，跟在她姐姐的遗体后面一路开过去。
Until long after midnight a changing crowd lapped up against the front of the garage； while George Wilson rocked himself back and forth on the couch inside。 For a while the door of the office was open； and every one who came into the garage glanced irresistibly through it。 Finally someone said it was a shame； and closed the door。 Michaelis and several other men were with him； first； four or five men； later two or three men。 Still later Michaelis had to ask the last stranger to wait there fifteen minutes longer； while he went back to his own place and made a pot of coffee。 After that； he stayed there alone with Wilson until dawn。 直到午夜过去很久以后，还有川流不息的人拥在车行前面，同时乔治？威尔逊在里面长沙发上不停地摇来晃去。起先办公室的门是开着的，凡是到车行卫面来的人都忍不往往出面张望。后来有人说这太不像活了，才把门关上。米切里斯和另外几个男人轮流陪着他。起先有四五个人，后来剩下两三个人。再到后来，米切里斯不得不要求最后一个陌生人再等十五分钟，让他回自己铺子里去煮一壶咖啡。在那以后，他个独一个人待在那儿陪着威尔逊一直到天亮。
About three o’clock the quality of Wilson’s incoherent muttering changed—he grew quieter and began to talk about the yellow car。 He announced that he had a way of finding out whom the yellow car belonged to； and then he blurted out that a couple of months ago his wife had e from the city with her face bruised and her nose swollen。 三点钟左右、威尔逊哼哼唧唧的胡言乱语起了质变他渐渐安静了下来，开始谈到那辆黄色的车子。他宣布他有办法去查出来这辆黄车子是谁的。然后他又脱日说出两个月以前他老婆有一次从城里回来时鼻青脸肿。
But when he heard himself say this； he flinched and began to cry “Oh； my God！” again in his groaning voice。 Michaelis made a clumsy attempt to distract him。 但等地听到自己说出这事，他畏缩了一下，又开始哭哭啼啼地叫喊〃我的上帝啊！〃米切里斯笨口拙舌地想法子分散他的注意力。
“How long have you been married； George？ e on there； try and sit still a minute and answer my question。 How long have you been married？” 〃你结婚多久了，乔治？得啦，安安静静坐一会儿，回答我的问题。你结婚多久了？〃
“Twelve years。” 〃十二年。〃
“Ever had any children？ e on； George； sit still—I asked you a question。 Did you ever have any children？” 〃生过孩子没有？得啦，乔治，坐着别动…我问了你一个问题。你生过孩子没有？〃
The hard brown beetles kept thudding against the dull light； and whenever Michaelis heard a car go tearing along the road outside it sounded to him like the car that hadn’t stopped a few hours before。 He didn’t like to go into the garage； because the work bench was stained where the body had been lying； so he moved unfortably around the office—he knew every object in it before morning—and from time to time sat down beside Wilson trying to keep him more quiet。 硬壳的棕色甲虫不停地往暗淡的电灯上乱撞。每次米切里斯听见一辆汽车在外面公路上疾驰而过，他总觉得听上去就像是几个小时以前那辆没停的车。他不愿意走进汽车间去�