Великий Гэтсби

           Oneofthemennoddedinconfirmation.

           "Iheardthatfromamanwhoknewallabouthim,grewupwithhiminGermany,"heassureduspositively.

           "Oh,no,"saidthefirstgirl,"itcouldn’tbethat,becausehewasintheAmericanarmyduringthewar."Asourcredulityswitchedbacktohersheleanedforwardwithenthusiasm."Youlookathimsometimeswhenhethinksnobody’slookingathim.I’llbethekilledaman."

           Shenarrowedhereyesandshivered.Lucilleshivered.WeallturnedandlookedaroundforGatsby.Itwastestimonytotheromanticspeculationheinspiredthattherewerewhispersabouthimfromthosewhofoundlittlethatitwasnecessarytowhisperaboutinthisworld.

           Thefirstsupper—therewouldbeanotheroneaftermidnight—wasnowbeingserved,andJordaninvitedmetojoinherownparty,whowerespreadaroundatableontheothersideofthegarden.TherewerethreemarriedcouplesandJordan’sescort,apersistentundergraduategiventoviolentinnuendo,andobviouslyundertheimpressionthatsoonerorlaterJordanwasgoingtoyieldhimupherpersontoagreaterorlesserdegree.Insteadoframbling,thispartyhadpreservedadignifiedhomogeneity,andassumedtoitselfthefunctionofrepresentingthestaidnobilityofthecountry-side—EastEggcondescendingtoWestEgg,andcarefullyonguardagainstitsspectroscopicgayety.

           "Let’sgetout,"whisperedJordan,afterasomehowwastefulandinappropriatehalf-hour."Thisismuchtoopoliteforme."Wegotup,andsheexplainedthatweweregoingtofindthehost:Ihadnevermethim,shesaid,anditwasmakingmeuneasy.Theundergraduatenoddedinacynical,melancholyway.