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

A pair of stage twins, who turned out to be the girls in yellow, did a baby act in costume, and champagne was served in glasses bigger than finger-bowls. The moon had risen higher, and floating in the Sound was a triangle of silver scales, trembling a little to the stiff, tinny drip of the banjoes[48 - banjoes – banjo is a stringed musical instrument of African origin] on the lawn.

I was still with Jordan Baker. We were sitting at a table with a man of about my age and a rowdy little girl, who gave way upon the slightest provocation to uncontrollable laughter.

I was enjoying myself now. I had taken two finger-bowls of champagne, and the scene had changed before my eyes into something significant, elemental, and profound.

At a lull in the entertainment the man looked at me and smiled.

�Your face is familiar,’ he said, politely. �Weren’t you in the First Division during the war?’

�Why, yes. I was in the Twenty-eighth Infantry.’

�I was in the Sixteenth until June nineteen-eighteen.

I knew I’d seen you somewhere before.’

We talked for a moment about some wet, grey little villages in France. Evidently he lived in this vicinity, for he told me that he had just bought a hydroplane, and was going to try it out in the morning.

�Want to go with me, old sport? Just near the shore along the Sound.’

�What time?’

�Any time that suits you best.’

It was on the tip of my tongue to ask his name when Jordan looked around and smiled.

�Having a gay time now?’ she inquired.

�Much better.’ I turned again to my new acquaintance. �This is an unusual party for me. I haven’t even seen the host. I live over there – ’ I waved my hand at the invisible hedge in the distance, �and this man Gatsby sent over his chauffeur with an invitation.’

For a moment he looked at me as if he failed to understand.

�I’m Gatsby,’ he said suddenly.

�What!’ I exclaimed.

�Oh, I beg your pardon.’

�I thought you knew, old sport. I’m afraid I’m not a very good host.’

He smiled understandingly – much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced – or seemed to face – the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favour.