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

– Рада она была или нет, но я почувствовал необходимость ухватиться за кого-нибудь, пока я еще не начал приставать с душевными разговорами к прохожим.]

“Hello!” I cried, going toward her. My voice seemed unnaturally loud across the garden.

“I thought you might be here,” she answered absently as I came up. “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 listened 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. The girls moved on. With Jordan’s golden arm resting in mine, we descended the steps. 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[62 - each one introduced to us as Mr. Mumble – каждый из которых был нам представлен как Мистер Мамбл (mumble – невнятное бормотание)].

“Do you come to these parties often?” asked Jordan the girl beside her.

“The last one was a month ago when I met you here,” answered the girl, in a 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 dress on a chair, and he asked me my name and address – in half a week I got a package from Croirier’s[63 - Croirier’s – дом моды Круарье – вымысел автора. Слово образовано от французского глагола croire – верить] with a new evening dress in it.

”

“Did you keep it?” asked Jordan.

“Sure I did. I was going to wear it tonight, but it was too big in the bust. 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 asked.

“Gatsby. Somebody told me —” The two girls and Jordan leaned together confidentially.