«Великий Гэтсби» и другие лучшие произведения Ф.С. Фицджеральда

He had just shaved, for there was a white spot of lather on his cheekbone, and he was most respectful in his greeting to everyone in the room. He informed me that he was in the �artistic game’, and I gathered later that he was a photographer and had made the dim enlargement of Mrs. Wilson’s mother which hovered like an ectoplasm on the wall. His wife was shrill, languid, handsome, and horrible. She told me with pride that her husband had photographed her a hundred and twenty-seven times since they had been married.

Mrs. Wilson had changed her costume some time before, and was now attired in an elaborate afternoon dress of cream-coloured chiffon, which gave out a continual rustle as she swept about the room. With the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change. The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur. Her laughter, her gestures, her assertions became more violently affected moment by moment, and as she expanded the room grew smaller around her, until she seemed to be revolving on a noisy, creaking pivot through the smoky air.

�My dear,’ she told her sister in a high, mincing shout, �most of these fellas will cheat you every time. All they think of is money. I had a woman up here last week to look at my feet, and when she gave me the bill you’d of thought she had my appendicitis out.’

�What was the name of the woman?’ asked Mrs. McKee.

�Mrs. Eberhardt.

�I like your dress,’ remarked Mrs. McKee, �I think it’s adorable.’

Mrs. Wilson rejected the compliment by raising her eyebrow in disdain.

�It’s just a crazy old thing,’ she said. �I just slip it on sometimes when I don’t care what I look like.’

�But it looks wonderful on you, if you know what I mean,’ pursued Mrs. McKee. �If Chester could only get you in that pose I think he could make something of it.

We all looked in silence at Mrs. Wilson, who removed a strand of hair from over her eyes and looked back at us with a brilliant smile. Mr. McKee regarded her intently with his head on one side, and then moved his hand back and forth slowly in front of his face.

�I should change the light,’ he said after a moment. �I’d like to bring out the modeling of the features. And I’d try to get hold of all the back hair.