The Great Gatsby / Великий Гэтсби. Книга для чтения на английском языке

He was a blond, spiritless man, weak, and faintly handsome. When he saw us a shade of hope appeared in his light blue eyes.

“Hello, Wilson, old man,” said Tom, slapping him cheerfully on the shoulder. “How’s business?”

“I can’t complain,” answered Wilson unconvincingly. “When are you going to sell me that car?”

“Next week; I’ve got my man working on it now.”

“Works pretty slow, don’t he?[38 - Works pretty slow, don’t he? – грамматически неверная фраза, подчеркивающая невежество и необразованность говорящего.

Правильно: He works pretty slowly, doesn’t he?]”

“No, he doesn’t,” said Tom coldly. “And if you feel that way about it, maybe I’d better sell it somewhere else after all.”

“I don’t mean that,” answered Wilson quickly. “I just meant —”

His voice faded off and Tom looked impatiently around the garage. Then I heard footsteps on a stairs, and in a moment the thickish figure of a woman blocked out the light from the office door[39 - the thickish figure of a woman blocked out the light from the office door – плотная женская фигура загородила свет, падавший из закутка].

She was in the middle thirties, and faintly fat, but she carried her overweight body sensuously as some women can. Her face contained no shade of beauty, but there was an immediate vitality about her that you couldn’t miss. She smiled slowly and, walking through her husband as if he were a ghost, shook hands with Tom, looking him right in the eye. Then she wet her lips, and without turning around spoke to her husband in a soft, coarse voice:

“Get some chairs, why don’t you, so somebody can sit down.”

“Oh, sure,” agreed Wilson hurriedly. A white ashen dust veiled his dark suit and his pale hair as it veiled everything in the vicinity[40 - A white ashen dust veiled his dark suit and his pale hair as it veiled everything in the vicinity – Налет шлаковой пыли выбелил его темный костюм и бесцветные волосы, как и все кругом] – except his wife, who moved close to Tom.

“I want to see you,” said Tom imperatively. “Get on the next train.”

“All right.”

We waited for her down the road and out of sight.