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

They got into automobiles which took them to Long Island, and somehow they ended up at Gatsby’s door. There they were introduced by somebody who knew Gatsby. Sometimes they came and went and didn’t meet Gatsby at all.

I had been actually invited. A chauffeur in a uniform crossed my lawn early that Saturday morning with a surprisingly formal invitation from his employer. It read[26 - В приглашении говорилось.], he had seen me several times, and had intended to visit me long before, but a peculiar combination of circumstances had prevented it.

Dressed up in white suit I went over to his lawn a little after seven, and wandered around feeling rather uncomfortable among people I didn’t know.

As soon as I arrived I made an attempt to find my host, but the two or three people of whom I asked about him stared at me in such an amazed way, that I moved in the direction of the cocktail table – the only place in the garden where a single man could remain without looking purposeless and alone.

I was going to get drunk because of embarrassment when Jordan Baker came out of the house and stood at the top of the marble steps, looking with contemptuous interest down into the garden.

В«Hello!В» I roared, moving toward her. My voice seemed unnaturally loud across the garden.

«I thought you might be here», she responded as I came up. «I remembered you lived next door to…» She held my hand, and turned to two girls in identical yellow dresses, who stopped at the foot of the steps.

«Hello!» they cried together. «Sorry you didn’t win».

That was for the golf tournament. She had lost in the finals the week before.

«You don’t know who we are», said one of the girls in yellow, «but we met you here about a month ago».

В«Do you often come to these parties?В» inquired Jordan of the girl beside her.

В«The last one was when I met youВ», answered the girl, in a confident voice. She turned to her companion: В«Were you there, too, Lucille?В»

Lucille was there, too.

В«I like to comeВ», Lucille said. В«I never think about what I do, so I always have a good time. When I was here last I tore my dress on a chair, and he asked me my name and address. And soon I got a package with a new evening dress in itВ».

В«Did you keep it?В» asked Jordan.

В«Sure I did. I was going to wear it tonight, but it had to be altered. It was blue with lavender beads.