Великий Гэтсби / The Great Gatsby

�I remembered you lived next door to –’

She held my hand impersonally, as a promise that she’d take care of me in a minute, and gave ear to two girls in twin 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.’

�You’ve dyed your hair since then,’ remarked Jordan, and I started, but the girls had moved casually on and her remark was addressed to the premature moon, produced like the supper, no doubt, out of a caterer’s basket.

With Jordan’s slender golden arm resting in mine, we descended the steps and sauntered about the garden. A tray of cocktails floated at us through the twilight, and we sat down at a table with the two girls in yellow and three men, each one introduced to us as Mr. Mumble.

�Do you come to these parties often?’ inquired Jordan of the girl beside her.

�The last one was the one I met you at,’ answered the girl, in an alert confident voice. She turned to her companion: �Wasn’t it for you, Lucille?’

It was for Lucille, too.

�I like to come,’ Lucille said. �I never care what I do, so I always have a good time. When I was here last I tore my gown on a chair, and he asked me my name and address – inside of a week I got a package from Croirier’s with a new evening gown in it.

’

�Did you keep it?’ asked Jordan.

�Sure I did. I was going to wear it to-night, but it was too big in the bust and had to be altered. It was gas blue with lavender beads. Two hundred and sixty-five dollars.’

�There’s something funny about a fellow that’ll do a thing like that,’ said the other girl eagerly. �He doesn’t want any trouble with anybody.’

�Who doesn’t?’ I inquired.

�Gatsby. Somebody told me – ’

The two girls and Jordan leaned together confidentially.

�Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once.’

A thrill passed over all of us. The three Mr. Mumbles bent forward and listened eagerly.

�I don’t think it’s so much that,’ argued Lucille sceptically; �it’s more that he was a German spy during the war.’

One of the men nodded in confirmation.

�I heard that from a man who knew all about him, grew up with him in Germany,’ he assured us positively.