Великий Гэтсби / The Great Gatsby

’ Myrtle raised her eyebrows in despair at the shiftlessness of the lower orders. �These people! You have to keep after them all the time.’

She looked at me and laughed pointlessly. Then she flounced over to the dog, kissed it with ecstasy, and swept into the kitchen, implying that a dozen chefs awaited her orders there.

�I’ve done some nice things out on Long Island,’ asserted Mr. McKee.

Tom looked at him blankly.

�Two of them we have framed downstairs.’

�Two what?’ demanded Tom.

�Two studies. One of them I call “Montauk Point – The Gulls”, and the other I call “Montauk Point – The Sea”.’

The sister Catherine sat down beside me on the couch.

�Do you live down on Long Island, too?’ she inquired.

�I live at West Egg.’

�Really? I was down there at a party about a month ago. At a man named Gatsby’s. Do you know him?’

�I live next door to him.’

�Well, they say he’s a nephew or a cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm’s[39 - Kaiser Wilhelm – Вильгельм II (1859–1941), император Германии и король Пруссии до окончания Первой мировой войны (1918)].

�Really?’

She nodded.

�I’m scared of him. I’d hate to have him get anything on me.’

This absorbing information about my neighbour was interrupted by Mrs. McKee’s pointing suddenly at Catherine:

�Chester, I think you could do something with her,’ she broke out, but Mr.

�I’d like to do more work on Long Island, if I could get the entry. All I ask is that they should give me a start.’

�Ask Myrtle,’ said Tom, breaking into a short shout of laughter as Mrs. Wilson entered with a tray. �She’ll give you a letter of introduction, won’t you, Myrtle?’

�Do what?’ she asked, startled.

�You’ll give McKee a letter of introduction to your husband, so he can do some studies of him.’ His lips moved silently for a moment as he invented.’ “George B. Wilson at the Gasoline Pump,” or something like that.’

Catherine leaned close to me and whispered in my ear:

�Neither of them can stand the person they’re married to.’

�Can’t they?’

�Can’t stand them’ She looked at Myrtle and then at Tom.