Великий Гэтсби / The Great Gatsby

Then we sat down side by side on a bench.

Daisy took her face in her hands.

“We don’t know each other very well, Nick,” said Daisy. “Even if we are cousins. You didn’t come to my wedding.”

“I wasn’t back from the war.”

“That’s true.” She hesitated. “Well, I’ve had a very bad time, and I’m pretty cynical about everything.”

I waited but she didn’t say any more, and after a moment I decided to talk about her daughter.

“I suppose she talks, and—eats, and everything.”

“Oh, yes.” She looked at me absently.

“Listen, Nick; let me tell you what I said when she was born. Would you like to hear?”

“Very much.”

“Well, she was less than an hour old and Tom was God knows where. I woke up and asked the nurse right away if it was a boy or a girl. She told me it was a girl, and so I turned my head away and wept. ‘All right,’ I said, ‘I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing for a girl in this world, a beautiful little fool.”

“You see I think everything’s terrible anyhow,” she went on.

“Everybody thinks so—the most advanced people. And I KNOW. I’ve been everywhere and seen everything and done everything.”

Inside, the crimson room bloomed with light. Tom and Miss Baker sat on the long couch and she read aloud to him from the newspaper.

When we came in she held us silent for a moment with a lifted hand.

“To be continued,” she said, tossing the magazine on the table. She stood up.

“Ten o’clock,” she remarked. “Time for this good girl to go to bed.

”

“Jordan’s going to play at Westchester tomorrow,” explained Daisy.

“Oh—you’re Jordan Baker!”

I knew now why her face was familiar—it had looked out at me from many pictures of the sporting life.

“Good night,” she said softly. “Wake me at eight, won’t you?”

“But you won’t get up.”

“I will. Good night, Mr. Carraway. See you.”

“Of course you will,” confirmed Daisy. “In fact I think I’ll arrange a marriage. Come over often, Nick, and I’ll make it.

You know—push you out to sea in a boat, and all that sort of thing…”

“Good night,” called Miss Baker from the stairs. “I haven’t heard anything.”

“She’s a nice girl,” said Tom after a moment. “And her family…”

“Her family!” cried Daisy. “Her family is one aunt about a thousand years old. Nick will look after her, won’t you, Nick? She’s going to spend lots of week-ends out here this summer. I think the home influence will be very good for her.