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The Gr eat Gat sby

F. Scot t Fi t zger al d

Then wear t he gol d hat , i f t hat wi l l move her ;

I f you can bounce hi gh, bounce f or her t oo,

Ti l l she cr y " Lover , gol d- hat t ed, hi gh- bounci ng l over ,

I must have you! "

- - THOMAS PARKE D' I NVI LLI ERS

Chapt er 1

I n my younger and mor e vul ner abl e year s my f at her gave me some advi ce

t hat I ' ve been t ur ni ng over i n my mi nd ever si nce.

" Whenever you f eel l i ke cr i t i ci zi ng any one, " he t ol d me, " j ust

r emember t hat al l t he peopl e i n t hi s wor l d haven' t had t he advant ages

t hat you' ve had. "

He di dn' t say any mor e but we' ve al ways been unusual l y communi cat i ve

i n a r eser ved way, and I under st ood t hat he meant a gr eat deal mor e

t han t hat . I n consequence I ' m i ncl i ned t o r eser ve al l j udgment s,

a habi t t hat has opened up many cur i ous nat ur es t o me and al so

made me t he vi ct i m of not a f ew vet er an bor es. The abnor mal mi nd

i s qui ck t o det ect and at t ach i t sel f t o t hi s qual i t y when i t

appear s i n a nor mal per son, and so i t came about t hat i n col l ege I

was unj ust l y accused of bei ng a pol i t i ci an, because I was pr i vy t o t he

secr et gr i ef s of wi l d, unknown men. Most of t he conf i dences wer e

unsought - - f r equent l y I have f ei gned sl eep, pr eoccupat i on, or a host i l e

l evi t y when I r eal i zed by some unmi st akabl e si gn t hat an i nt i mat e

r evel at i on was qui ver i ng on t he hor i zon- - f or t he i nt i mat e r evel at i ons

of young men or at l east t he t er ms i n whi ch t hey expr ess t hem ar e

usual l y pl agi ar i st i c and mar r ed by obvi ous suppr essi ons. Reser vi ng

j udgment s i s a mat t er of i nf i ni t e hope. I am st i l l a l i t t l e af r ai d of

mi ssi ng somet hi ng i f I f or get t hat , as my f at her snobbi shl y suggest ed,

and I snobbi shl y r epeat a sense of t he f undament al decenci es i s

par cel l ed out unequal l y at bi r t h.

And, af t er boast i ng t hi s way of my t ol er ance, I come t o t he admi ssi on

t hat i t has a l i mi t . Conduct may be f ounded on t he har d r ock or t he wet

mar shes but af t er a cer t ai n poi nt I don' t car e what i t ' s f ounded on.

When I came back f r om t he East l ast aut umn I f el t t hat I want ed t he

wor l d t o be i n uni f or m and at a sor t of mor al at t ent i on f or ever ; I

want ed no mor e r i ot ous excur si ons wi t h pr i vi l eged gl i mpses i nt o t he

human hear t . Onl y Gat sby, t he man who gi ves hi s name t o t hi s book, was

exempt f r om my r eact i on- - Gat sby who r epr esent ed ever yt hi ng f or whi ch I

have an unaf f ect ed scor n. I f per sonal i t y i s an unbr oken ser i es of

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successf ul gest ur es, t hen t her e was somet hi ng gor geous about hi m, some

hei ght ened sensi t i vi t y t o t he pr omi ses of l i f e, as i f he wer e r el at ed

t o one of t hose i nt r i cat e machi nes t hat r egi st er ear t hquakes t en

t housand mi l es away. Thi s r esponsi veness had not hi ng t o do wi t h t hat

f l abby i mpr essi onabi l i t y whi ch i s di gni f i ed under t he name of t he

" cr eat i ve t emper ament " - - i t was an ext r aor di nar y gi f t f or hope, a r omant i c

r eadi ness such as I have never f ound i n any ot her per son and whi ch i t

i s not l i kel y I shal l ever f i nd agai n. No- - Gat sby t ur ned out al l r i ght

at t he end; i t i s what pr eyed on Gat sby, what f oul dust f l oat ed i n t he

wake of hi s dr eams t hat t empor ar i l y cl osed out my i nt er est i n t he

abor t i ve sor r ows and shor t - wi nded el at i ons of men.

My f ami l y have been pr omi nent , wel l - t o- do peopl e i n t hi s mi ddl e- west er n

ci t y f or t hr ee gener at i ons. The Car r aways ar e somet hi ng of a cl an and we

have a t r adi t i on t hat we' r e descended f r om t he Dukes of Buccl euch, but t he

act ual f ounder of my l i ne was my gr andf at her ' s br ot her who came her e i n

f i f t y- one, sent a subst i t ut e t o t he Ci vi l War and st ar t ed t he whol esal e

har dwar e busi ness t hat my f at her car r i es on t oday.

I never saw t hi s gr eat - uncl e but I ' m supposed t o l ook l i ke hi m- - wi t h

speci al r ef er ence t o t he r at her har d- boi l ed pai nt i ng t hat hangs i n

Fat her ' s of f i ce. I gr aduat ed f r om New Haven i n 1915, j ust a quar t er of a

cent ur y af t er my f at her , and a l i t t l e l at er I par t i ci pat ed i n t hat

del ayed Teut oni c mi gr at i on known as t he Gr eat War . I enj oyed t he

count er - r ai d so t hor oughl y t hat I came back r est l ess. I nst ead of bei ng

t he war m cent er of t he wor l d t he mi ddl e- west now seemed l i ke t he

r agged edge of t he uni ver se- - so I deci ded t o go east and l ear n t he bond

busi ness. Ever ybody I knew was i n t he bond busi ness so I supposed i t

coul d suppor t one mor e si ngl e man. Al l my aunt s and uncl es t al ked i t

over as i f t hey wer e choosi ng a pr ep- school f or me and f i nal l y sai d,

" Why- - ye- es" wi t h ver y gr ave, hesi t ant f aces. Fat her agr eed t o f i nance

me f or a year and af t er var i ous del ays I came east , per manent l y, I

t hought , i n t he spr i ng of t went y- t wo.

The pr act i cal t hi ng was t o f i nd r ooms i n t he ci t y but i t was a war m

season and I had j ust l ef t a count r y of wi de l awns and f r i endl y t r ees,

so when a young man at t he of f i ce suggest ed t hat we t ake a house

t oget her i n a commut i ng t own i t sounded l i ke a gr eat i dea. He f ound

t he house, a weat her beat en car dboar d bungal ow at ei ght y a mont h, but

at t he l ast mi nut e t he f i r m or der ed hi m t o Washi ngt on and I went out

t o t he count r y al one. I had a dog, at l east I had hi m f or a f ew days

unt i l he r an away, and an ol d Dodge and a Fi nni sh woman who made my bed

and cooked br eakf ast and mut t er ed Fi nni sh wi sdom t o her sel f over t he

el ect r i c st ove.

I t was l onel y f or a day or so unt i l one mor ni ng some man, mor e r ecent l y

ar r i ved t han I , st opped me on t he r oad.

" How do you get t o West Egg vi l l age?" he asked hel pl essl y.

I t ol d hi m. And as I wal ked on I was l onel y no l onger . I was a gui de, a

pat hf i nder , an or i gi nal set t l er . He had casual l y conf er r ed on me t he

f r eedom of t he nei ghbor hood.

And so wi t h t he sunshi ne and t he gr eat bur st s of l eaves gr owi ng on t he

t r ees- - j ust as t hi ngs gr ow i n f ast movi es- - I had t hat f ami l i ar

convi ct i on t hat l i f e was begi nni ng over agai n wi t h t he summer .

Ther e was so much t o r ead f or one t hi ng and so much f i ne heal t h t o be

pul l ed down out of t he young br eat h- gi vi ng ai r . I bought a dozen

vol umes on banki ng and cr edi t and i nvest ment secur i t i es and t hey st ood

on my shel f i n r ed and gol d l i ke new money f r om t he mi nt , pr omi si ng t o

unf ol d t he shi ni ng secr et s t hat onl y Mi das and Mor gan and Maecenas

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knew. And I had t he hi gh i nt ent i on of r eadi ng many ot her books besi des.

I was r at her l i t er ar y i n col l ege- - one year I wr ot e a ser i es of ver y

sol emn and obvi ous edi t or i al s f or t he " Yal e News" - - and now I was goi ng

t o br i ng back al l such t hi ngs i nt o my l i f e and become agai n t hat most

l i mi t ed of al l speci al i st s, t he " wel l - r ounded man. " Thi s i sn' t j ust an

epi gr am- - l i f e i s much mor e successf ul l y l ooked at f r om a si ngl e wi ndow,

af t er al l .

I t was a mat t er of chance t hat I shoul d have r ent ed a house i n one of

t he st r angest communi t i es i n Nor t h Amer i ca. I t was on t hat sl ender

r i ot ous i sl and whi ch ext ends i t sel f due east of New Yor k and wher e

t her e ar e, among ot her nat ur al cur i osi t i es, t wo unusual f or mat i ons of

l and. Twent y mi l es f r om t he ci t y a pai r of enor mous eggs, i dent i cal i n

cont our and separ at ed onl y by a cour t esy bay, j ut out i nt o t he most

domest i cat ed body of sal t wat er i n t he West er n Hemi spher e, t he gr eat

wet bar nyar d of Long I sl and Sound. They ar e not per f ect oval s - - l i ke t he

egg i n t he Col umbus st or y t hey ar e bot h cr ushed f l at at t he cont act

end- - but t hei r physi cal r esembl ance must be a sour ce of per pet ual

conf usi on t o t he gul l s t hat f l y over head. To t he wi ngl ess a mor e

ar r est i ng phenomenon i s t hei r di ssi mi l ar i t y i n ever y par t i cul ar except

shape and si ze.

I l i ved at West Egg, t he- - wel l , t he l ess f ashi onabl e of t he t wo, t hough

t hi s i s a most super f i ci al t ag t o expr ess t he bi zar r e and not a l i t t l e

si ni st er cont r ast bet ween t hem. My house was at t he ver y t i p of t he

egg, onl y f i f t y yar ds f r om t he Sound, and squeezed bet ween t wo huge

pl aces t hat r ent ed f or t wel ve or f i f t een t housand a season. The one on

my r i ght was a col ossal af f ai r by any st andar d- - i t was a f act ual

i mi t at i on of some H t el de Vi l l e i n Nor mandy, wi t h a t ower on one si de,

spanki ng new under a t hi n bear d of r aw i vy, and a mar bl e swi mmi ng pool

and mor e t han f or t y acr es of l awn and gar den. I t was Gat sby' s mansi on.

Or r at her , as I di dn' t know Mr . Gat sby i t was a mansi on i nhabi t ed by

a gent l eman of t hat name. My own house was an eye- sor e, but i t was a

smal l eye- sor e, and i t had been over l ooked, so I had a vi ew of t he

wat er , a par t i al vi ew of my nei ghbor ' s l awn, and t he consol i ng

pr oxi mi t y of mi l l i onai r es- - al l f or ei ght y dol l ar s a mont h.

Acr oss t he cour t esy bay t he whi t e pal aces of f ashi onabl e East Egg

gl i t t er ed al ong t he wat er , and t he hi st or y of t he summer r eal l y begi ns

on t he eveni ng I dr ove over t her e t o have di nner wi t h t he Tom

Buchanans. Dai sy was my second cousi n once r emoved and I ' d known Tom

i n col l ege. And j ust af t er t he war I spent t wo days wi t h t hem i n

Chi cago.

Her husband, among var i ous physi cal accompl i shment s, had been one of

t he most power f ul ends t hat ever pl ayed f oot bal l at New Haven- - a

nat i onal f i gur e i n a way, one of t hose men who r each such an acut e

l i mi t ed excel l ence at t went y- one t hat ever yt hi ng af t er war d savor s of

ant i - cl i max. Hi s f ami l y wer e enor mousl y weal t hy- - even i n col l ege hi s

f r eedom wi t h money was a mat t er f or r epr oach- - but now he' d l ef t Chi cago

and come east i n a f ashi on t hat r at her t ook your br eat h away: f or

i nst ance he' d br ought down a st r i ng of pol o poni es f r om Lake For est .

I t was har d t o r eal i ze t hat a man i n my own gener at i on was weal t hy

enough t o do t hat .

Why t hey came east I don' t know. They had spent a year i n Fr ance, f or no

par t i cul ar r eason, and t hen dr i f t ed her e and t her e unr est f ul l y wher ever

peopl e pl ayed pol o and wer e r i ch t oget her . Thi s was a per manent move,

sai d Dai sy over t he t el ephone, but I di dn' t bel i eve i t - - I had no si ght

i nt o Dai sy' s hear t but I f el t t hat Tom woul d dr i f t on f or ever seeki ng

a l i t t l e wi st f ul l y f or t he dr amat i c t ur bul ence of some i r r ecover abl e

f oot bal l game.

And so i t happened t hat on a war m wi ndy eveni ng I dr ove over t o East

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Egg t o see t wo ol d f r i ends whom I scar cel y knew at al l . Thei r house was

even mor e el abor at e t han I expect ed, a cheer f ul r ed and whi t e Geor gi an

Col oni al mansi on over l ooki ng t he bay. The l awn st ar t ed at t he beach

and r an t owar d t he f r ont door f or a quar t er of a mi l e, j umpi ng over

sun- di al s and br i ck wal ks and bur ni ng gar dens- - f i nal l y when i t r eached

t he house dr i f t i ng up t he si de i n br i ght vi nes as t hough f r om t he

moment um of i t s r un. The f r ont was br oken by a l i ne of Fr ench wi ndows,

gl owi ng now wi t h r ef l ect ed gol d, and wi de open t o t he war m wi ndy

af t er noon, and Tom Buchanan i n r i di ng cl ot hes was st andi ng wi t h hi s

l egs apar t on t he f r ont por ch.

He had changed si nce hi s New Haven year s. Now he was a st ur dy, st r aw hai r ed

man of t hi r t y wi t h a r at her har d mout h and a super ci l i ous manner .

Two shi ni ng, ar r ogant eyes had est abl i shed domi nance over hi s f ace and

gave hi m t he appear ance of al ways l eani ng aggr essi vel y f or war d. Not

even t he ef f emi nat e swank of hi s r i di ng cl ot hes coul d hi de t he enor mous

power of t hat body- - he seemed t o f i l l t hose gl i st eni ng boot s unt i l he

st r ai ned t he t op l aci ng and you coul d see a gr eat pack of muscl e

shi f t i ng when hi s shoul der moved under hi s t hi n coat . I t was a body

capabl e of enor mous l ever age- - a cr uel body.

Hi s speaki ng voi ce, a gr uf f husky t enor , added t o t he i mpr essi on of

f r act i ousness he conveyed. Ther e was a t ouch of pat er nal cont empt i n

i t , even t owar d peopl e he l i ked- - and t her e wer e men at New Haven who had

hat ed hi s gut s.

" Now, don' t t hi nk my opi ni on on t hese mat t er s i s f i nal , " he seemed t o

say, " j ust because I ' m st r onger and mor e of a man t han you ar e. " We

wer e i n t he same Seni or Soci et y, and whi l e we wer e never i nt i mat e I

al ways had t he i mpr essi on t hat he appr oved of me and want ed me t o l i ke

hi m wi t h some har sh, def i ant wi st f ul ness of hi s own.

We t al ked f or a f ew mi nut es on t he sunny por ch.

" I ' ve got a ni ce pl ace her e, " he sai d, hi s eyes f l ashi ng about

r est l essl y.

Tur ni ng me ar ound by one ar m he moved a br oad f l at hand al ong t he

f r ont vi st a, i ncl udi ng i n i t s sweep a sunken I t al i an gar den, a hal f

acr e of deep pungent r oses and a snub- nosed mot or boat t hat bumped

t he t i de of f shor e.

" I t bel onged t o Demai ne t he oi l man. " He t ur ned me ar ound agai n,

pol i t el y and abr upt l y. " We' l l go i nsi de. "

We wal ked t hr ough a hi gh hal l way i nt o a br i ght r osy- col or ed space,

f r agi l el y bound i nt o t he house by Fr ench wi ndows at ei t her end.

The wi ndows wer e aj ar and gl eami ng whi t e agai nst t he f r esh gr ass

out si de t hat seemed t o gr ow a l i t t l e way i nt o t he house. A br eeze

bl ew t hr ough t he r oom, bl ew cur t ai ns i n at one end and out t he ot her

l i ke pal e f l ags, t wi st i ng t hem up t owar d t he f r ost ed weddi ng cake of

t he cei l i ng- - and t hen r i ppl ed over t he wi ne- col or ed r ug, maki ng a

shadow on i t as wi nd does on t he sea.

The onl y compl et el y st at i onar y obj ect i n t he r oom was an enor mous couch

on whi ch t wo young women wer e buoyed up as t hough upon an anchor ed

bal l oon. They wer e bot h i n whi t e and t hei r dr esses wer e r i ppl i ng and

f l ut t er i ng as i f t hey had j ust been bl own back i n af t er a shor t f l i ght

ar ound t he house. I must have st ood f or a f ew moment s l i st eni ng t o t he

whi p and snap of t he cur t ai ns and t he gr oan of a pi ct ur e on t he wal l .

Then t her e was a boom as Tom Buchanan shut t he r ear wi ndows and t he caught

wi nd di ed out about t he r oom and t he cur t ai ns and t he r ugs and t he t wo

young women bal l ooned sl owl y t o t he f l oor .

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The younger of t he t wo was a st r anger t o me. She was ext ended f ul l l engt h

at her end of t he di van, compl et el y mot i onl ess and wi t h her chi n r ai sed

a l i t t l e as i f she wer e bal anci ng somet hi ng on i t whi ch was qui t e l i kel y

t o f al l . I f she saw me out of t he cor ner of her eyes she gave no hi nt of

i t - - i ndeed, I was al most sur pr i sed i nt o mur mur i ng an apol ogy f or havi ng

di st ur bed her by comi ng i n.

The ot her gi r l , Dai sy, made an at t empt t o r i se- - she l eaned sl i ght l y

f or war d wi t h a consci ent i ous expr essi on- - t hen she l aughed, an absur d,

char mi ng l i t t l e l augh, and I l aughed t oo and came f or war d i nt o t he

r oom.

" I ' m p- par al yzed wi t h happi ness. "

She l aughed agai n, as i f she sai d somet hi ng ver y wi t t y, and hel d my hand

f or a moment , l ooki ng up i nt o my f ace, pr omi si ng t hat t her e was no one

i n t he wor l d she so much want ed t o see. That was a way she had.

She hi nt ed i n a mur mur t hat t he sur name of t he bal anci ng gi r l was Baker .

( I ' ve hear d i t sai d t hat Dai sy' s mur mur was onl y t o make peopl e

l ean t owar d her ; an i r r el evant cr i t i ci sm t hat made i t no l ess char mi ng. )

At any r at e Mi ss Baker ' s l i ps f l ut t er ed, she nodded at me al most

i mper cept i bl y and t hen qui ckl y t i pped her head back agai n- - t he obj ect

she was bal anci ng had obvi ousl y t ot t er ed a l i t t l e and gi ven her somet hi ng

of a f r i ght . Agai n a sor t of apol ogy ar ose t o my l i ps. Al most any

exhi bi t i on of compl et e sel f suf f i ci ency dr aws a st unned t r i but e f r om me.

I l ooked back at my cousi n who began t o ask me quest i ons i n her l ow,

t hr i l l i ng voi ce. I t was t he ki nd of voi ce t hat t he ear f ol l ows up and

down as i f each speech i s an ar r angement of not es t hat wi l l never be

pl ayed agai n. Her f ace was sad and l ovel y wi t h br i ght t hi ngs i n i t ,

br i ght eyes and a br i ght passi onat e mout h- - but t her e was an exci t ement

i n her voi ce t hat men who had car ed f or her f ound di f f i cul t t o f or get :

a si ngi ng compul si on, a whi sper ed " Li st en, " a pr omi se t hat she had done

gay, exci t i ng t hi ngs j ust a whi l e si nce and t hat t her e wer e gay,

exci t i ng t hi ngs hover i ng i n t he next hour .

I t ol d her how I had st opped of f i n Chi cago f or a day on my way east

and how a dozen peopl e had sent t hei r l ove t hr ough me.

" Do t hey mi ss me?" she cr i ed ecst at i cal l y.

" The whol e t own i s desol at e. Al l t he car s have t he l ef t r ear wheel

pai nt ed bl ack as a mour ni ng wr eat h and t her e' s a per si st ent wai l al l

ni ght al ong t he Nor t h Shor e. "

" How gor geous! Let ' s go back, Tom. Tomor r ow! " Then she added

i r r el evant l y, " You ought t o see t he baby. "

" I ' d l i ke t o. "

" She' s asl eep. She' s t wo year s ol d. Haven' t you ever seen her ?"

" Never . "

" Wel l , you ought t o see her . She' s- - - - "

Tom Buchanan who had been hover i ng r est l essl y about t he r oom st opped

and r est ed hi s hand on my shoul der .

" What you doi ng, Ni ck?"

" I ' m a bond man. "

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" Who wi t h?"

I t ol d hi m.

" Never hear d of t hem, " he r emar ked deci si vel y.

Thi s annoyed me.

" You wi l l , " I answer ed shor t l y. " You wi l l i f you st ay i n t he East . "

" Oh, I ' l l st ay i n t he East , don' t you wor r y, " he sai d, gl anci ng at

Dai sy and t hen back at me, as i f he wer e al er t f or somet hi ng mor e.

" I ' d be a God Damned f ool t o l i ve anywher e el se. "

At t hi s poi nt Mi ss Baker sai d " Absol ut el y! " wi t h such suddenness t hat I

st ar t ed- - i t was t he f i r st wor d she ut t er ed si nce I came i nt o t he r oom.

Evi dent l y i t sur pr i sed her as much as i t di d me, f or she yawned and

wi t h a ser i es of r api d, def t movement s st ood up i nt o t he r oom.

" I ' m st i f f , " she compl ai ned, " I ' ve been l yi ng on t hat sof a f or as l ong

as I can r emember . "

" Don' t l ook at me, " Dai sy r et or t ed. " I ' ve been t r yi ng t o get you t o New

Yor k al l af t er noon. "

" No, t hanks, " sai d Mi ss Baker t o t he f our cockt ai l s j ust i n f r om t he

pant r y, " I ' m absol ut el y i n t r ai ni ng. "

Her host l ooked at her i ncr edul ousl y.

" You ar e! " He t ook down hi s dr i nk as i f i t wer e a dr op i n t he bot t om of

a gl ass. " How you ever get anyt hi ng done i s beyond me. "

I l ooked at Mi ss Baker wonder i ng what i t was she " got done. " I enj oyed

l ooki ng at her . She was a sl ender , smal l - br east ed gi r l , wi t h an er ect

car r i age whi ch she accent uat ed by t hr owi ng her body backwar d at t he

shoul der s l i ke a young cadet . Her gr ey sun- st r ai ned eyes l ooked back at

me wi t h pol i t e r eci pr ocal cur i osi t y out of a wan, char mi ng di scont ent ed

f ace. I t occur r ed t o me now t hat I had seen her , or a pi ct ur e of her ,

somewher e bef or e.

" You l i ve i n West Egg, " she r emar ked cont empt uousl y. " I know somebody

t her e. "

" I don' t know a si ngl e- - - - "

" You must know Gat sby. "

" Gat sby?" demanded Dai sy. " What Gat sby?"

Bef or e I coul d r epl y t hat he was my nei ghbor di nner was announced;

wedgi ng hi s t ense ar m i mper at i vel y under mi ne Tom Buchanan compel l ed

me f r om t he r oom as t hough he wer e movi ng a checker t o anot her squar e.

Sl ender l y, l angui dl y, t hei r hands set l i ght l y on t hei r hi ps t he t wo

young women pr eceded us out ont o a r osy- col or ed por ch open t owar d t he

sunset wher e f our candl es f l i cker ed on t he t abl e i n t he di mi ni shed

wi nd.

" Why CANDLES?" obj ect ed Dai sy, f r owni ng. She snapped t hem out wi t h her

f i nger s. " I n t wo weeks i t ' l l be t he l ongest day i n t he year . "

She l ooked at us al l r adi ant l y. " Do you al ways wat ch f or t he l ongest day

of t he year and t hen mi ss i t ? I al ways wat ch f or t he l ongest day i n t he

year and t hen mi ss i t . "

Page 7 of 100

" We ought t o pl an somet hi ng, " yawned Mi ss Baker , si t t i ng down at t he

t abl e as i f she wer e get t i ng i nt o bed.

" Al l r i ght , " sai d Dai sy. " What ' l l we pl an?" She t ur ned t o me hel pl essl y.

" What do peopl e pl an?"

Bef or e I coul d answer her eyes f ast ened wi t h an awed expr essi on on her

l i t t l e f i nger .

" Look! " she compl ai ned. " I hur t i t . "

We al l l ooked- - t he knuckl e was bl ack and bl ue.

" You di d i t , Tom, " she sai d accusi ngl y. " I know you di dn' t mean t o

but you DI D do i t . That ' s what I get f or mar r yi ng a br ut e of a man,

a gr eat bi g hul ki ng physi cal speci men of a- - - - "

" I hat e t hat wor d hul ki ng, " obj ect ed Tom cr ossl y, " even i n ki ddi ng. "

" Hul ki ng, " i nsi st ed Dai sy.

Somet i mes she and Mi ss Baker t al ked at once, unobt r usi vel y and wi t h a

bant er i ng i nconsequence t hat was never qui t e chat t er , t hat was as cool

as t hei r whi t e dr esses and t hei r i mper sonal eyes i n t he absence of al l

desi r e. They wer e her e- - and t hey accept ed Tom and me, maki ng onl y a

pol i t e pl easant ef f or t t o ent er t ai n or t o be ent er t ai ned. They knew

t hat pr esent l y di nner woul d be over and a l i t t l e l at er t he eveni ng t oo

woul d be over and casual l y put away. I t was shar pl y di f f er ent f r om t he

West wher e an eveni ng was hur r i ed f r om phase t o phase t owar d i t s

cl ose i n a cont i nual l y di sappoi nt ed ant i ci pat i on or el se i n sheer

ner vous dr ead of t he moment i t sel f .

" You make me f eel unci vi l i zed, Dai sy, " I conf essed on my second gl ass

of cor ky but r at her i mpr essi ve cl ar et . " Can' t you t al k about cr ops or

somet hi ng?"

I meant not hi ng i n par t i cul ar by t hi s r emar k but i t was t aken up i n an

unexpect ed way.

" Ci vi l i zat i on' s goi ng t o pi eces, " br oke out Tom vi ol ent l y.

" I ' ve got t en t o be a t er r i bl e pessi mi st about t hi ngs. Have you r ead

' The Ri se of t he Col our ed Empi r es' by t hi s man Goddar d?"

" Why, no, " I answer ed, r at her sur pr i sed by hi s t one.

" Wel l , i t ' s a f i ne book, and ever ybody ought t o r ead i t . The i dea i s i f

we don' t l ook out t he whi t e r ace wi l l be- - wi l l be ut t er l y submer ged.

I t ' s al l sci ent i f i c st uf f ; i t ' s been pr oved. "

" Tom' s get t i ng ver y pr of ound, " sai d Dai sy wi t h an expr essi on of

unt hought f ul sadness. " He r eads deep books wi t h l ong wor ds i n t hem.

What was t hat wor d we- - - - "

" Wel l , t hese books ar e al l sci ent i f i c, " i nsi st ed Tom, gl anci ng at her

i mpat i ent l y. " Thi s f el l ow has wor ked out t he whol e t hi ng. I t ' s up t o us

who ar e t he domi nant r ace t o wat ch out or t hese ot her r aces wi l l have

cont r ol of t hi ngs. "

" We' ve got t o beat t hem down, " whi sper ed Dai sy, wi nki ng f er oci ousl y

t owar d t he f er vent sun.

" You ought t o l i ve i n Cal i f or ni a- - " began Mi ss Baker but Tom

i nt er r upt ed her by shi f t i ng heavi l y i n hi s chai r .

Page 8 of 100

" Thi s i dea i s t hat we' r e Nor di cs. I am, and you ar e and you ar e

and- - - - " Af t er an i nf i ni t esi mal hesi t at i on he i ncl uded Dai sy wi t h a

sl i ght nod and she wi nked at me agai n. " - - and we' ve pr oduced al l t he

t hi ngs t hat go t o make ci vi l i zat i on- - oh, sci ence and ar t and al l t hat .

Do you see?"

Ther e was somet hi ng pat het i c i n hi s concent r at i on as i f hi s compl acency,

mor e acut e t han of ol d, was not enough t o hi m any mor e. When, al most

i mmedi at el y, t he t el ephone r ang i nsi de and t he but l er l ef t t he por ch Dai sy

sei zed upon t he moment ar y i nt er r upt i on and l eaned t owar d me.

" I ' l l t el l you a f ami l y secr et , " she whi sper ed ent husi ast i cal l y. " I t ' s

about t he but l er ' s nose. Do you want t o hear about t he but l er ' s nose?"

" That ' s why I came over t oni ght . "

" Wel l , he wasn' t al ways a but l er ; he used t o be t he si l ver pol i sher f or

some peopl e i n New Yor k t hat had a si l ver ser vi ce f or t wo hundr ed peopl e.

He had t o pol i sh i t f r om mor ni ng t i l l ni ght unt i l f i nal l y i t began t o

af f ect hi s nose- - - - "

" Thi ngs went f r om bad t o wor se, " suggest ed Mi ss Baker .

" Yes. Thi ngs went f r om bad t o wor se unt i l f i nal l y he had t o gi ve up

hi s posi t i on. "

For a moment t he l ast sunshi ne f el l wi t h r omant i c af f ect i on upon

her gl owi ng f ace; her voi ce compel l ed me f or war d br eat hl essl y as

I l i st ened- - t hen t he gl ow f aded, each l i ght deser t i ng her wi t h

l i nger i ng r egr et l i ke chi l dr en l eavi ng a pl easant st r eet at dusk.

The but l er came back and mur mur ed somet hi ng cl ose t o Tom' s ear

wher eupon Tom f r owned, pushed back hi s chai r and wi t hout a wor d went

i nsi de. As i f hi s absence qui ckened somet hi ng wi t hi n her Dai sy l eaned

f or war d agai n, her voi ce gl owi ng and si ngi ng.

" I l ove t o see you at my t abl e, Ni ck. You r emi nd me of a- - of a r ose, an

absol ut e r ose. Doesn' t he?" She t ur ned t o Mi ss Baker f or conf i r mat i on.

" An absol ut e r ose?"

Thi s was unt r ue. I am not even f ai nt l y l i ke a r ose. She was onl y

ext empor i zi ng but a st i r r i ng war mt h f l owed f r om her as i f her

hear t was t r yi ng t o come out t o you conceal ed i n one of t hose

br eat hl ess, t hr i l l i ng wor ds. Then suddenl y she t hr ew her napki n on t he

t abl e and excused her sel f and went i nt o t he house.

Mi ss Baker and I exchanged a shor t gl ance consci ousl y devoi d of

meani ng. I was about t o speak when she sat up al er t l y and sai d " Sh! " i n

a war ni ng voi ce. A subdued i mpassi oned mur mur was audi bl e i n t he r oom

beyond and Mi ss Baker l eaned f or war d, unashamed, t r yi ng t o hear . The

mur mur t r embl ed on t he ver ge of coher ence, sank down, mount ed

exci t edl y, and t hen ceased al t oget her .

" Thi s Mr . Gat sby you spoke of i s my nei ghbor - - - - " I sai d.

" Don' t t al k. I want t o hear what happens. "

" I s somet hi ng happeni ng?" I i nqui r ed i nnocent l y.

" You mean t o say you don' t know?" sai d Mi ss Baker , honest l y sur pr i sed.

" I t hought ever ybody knew. "

" I don' t . "

Page 9 of 100

" Why- - - - " she sai d hesi t ant l y, " Tom' s got some woman i n New Yor k. "

" Got some woman?" I r epeat ed bl ankl y.

Mi ss Baker nodded.

" She mi ght have t he decency not t o t el ephone hi m at di nner - t i me. Don' t

you t hi nk?"

Al most bef or e I had gr asped her meani ng t her e was t he f l ut t er of

a dr ess and t he cr unch of l eat her boot s and Tom and Dai sy wer e back

at t he t abl e.

" I t coul dn' t be hel ped! " cr i ed Dai sy wi t h t ense gayet y.

She sat down, gl anced sear chi ngl y at Mi ss Baker and t hen at me and

cont i nued: " I l ooked out door s f or a mi nut e and i t ' s ver y r omant i c

out door s. Ther e' s a bi r d on t he l awn t hat I t hi nk must be a ni ght i ngal e

come over on t he Cunar d or Whi t e St ar Li ne. He' s si ngi ng away - - - - " her

voi ce sang " - - - - I t ' s r omant i c, i sn' t i t , Tom?"

" Ver y r omant i c, " he sai d, and t hen mi ser abl y t o me: " I f i t ' s l i ght enough

af t er di nner I want t o t ake you down t o t he st abl es. "

The t el ephone r ang i nsi de, st ar t l i ngl y, and as Dai sy shook her

head deci si vel y at Tom t he subj ect of t he st abl es, i n f act al l

subj ect s, vani shed i nt o ai r . Among t he br oken f r agment s of t he

l ast f i ve mi nut es at t abl e I r emember t he candl es bei ng l i t agai n,

poi nt l essl y, and I was consci ous of want i ng t o l ook squar el y at ever y

one and yet t o avoi d al l eyes. I coul dn' t guess what Dai sy and Tom

wer e t hi nki ng but I doubt i f even Mi ss Baker who seemed t o have

mast er ed a cer t ai n har dy skept i ci sm was abl e ut t er l y t o put t hi s f i f t h

guest ' s shr i l l met al l i c ur gency out of mi nd. To a cer t ai n t emper ament

t he si t uat i on mi ght have seemed i nt r i gui ng- - my own i nst i nct was t o

t el ephone i mmedi at el y f or t he pol i ce.

The hor ses, needl ess t o say, wer e not ment i oned agai n. Tom and Mi ss

Baker , wi t h sever al f eet of t wi l i ght bet ween t hem st r ol l ed back i nt o

t he l i br ar y, as i f t o a vi gi l besi de a per f ect l y t angi bl e body, whi l e

t r yi ng t o l ook pl easant l y i nt er est ed and a l i t t l e deaf I f ol l owed

Dai sy ar ound a chai n of connect i ng ver andas t o t he por ch i n f r ont . I n

i t s deep gl oom we sat down si de by si de on a wi cker set t ee.

Dai sy t ook her f ace i n her hands, as i f f eel i ng i t s l ovel y shape, and

her eyes moved gr adual l y out i nt o t he vel vet dusk. I saw t hat t ur bul ent

emot i ons possessed her , so I asked what I t hought woul d be some

sedat i ve quest i ons about her l i t t l e gi r l .

" We don' t know each ot her ver y wel l , Ni ck, " she sai d suddenl y.

" Even i f we ar e cousi ns. You di dn' t come t o my weddi ng. "

" I wasn' t back f r om t he war . "

" That ' s t r ue. " She hesi t at ed. " Wel l , I ' ve had a ver y bad t i me, Ni ck,

and I ' m pr et t y cyni cal about ever yt hi ng. "

Evi dent l y she had r eason t o be. I wai t ed but she di dn' t say any mor e,

and af t er a moment I r et ur ned r at her f eebl y t o t he subj ect of her

daught er .

" I suppose she t al ks, and- - eat s, and ever yt hi ng. "

" Oh, yes. " She l ooked at me absent l y. " Li st en, Ni ck; l et me t el l you what

Page 10 of 100

I sai d when she was bor n. Woul d you l i ke t o hear ?"

" Ver y much. "

" I t ' l l show you how I ' ve got t en t o f eel about - - t hi ngs. Wel l , she was l ess

t han an hour ol d and Tom was God knows wher e. I woke up out of t he et her

wi t h an ut t er l y abandoned f eel i ng and asked t he nur se r i ght away i f i t

was a boy or a gi r l . She t ol d me i t was a gi r l , and so I t ur ned my head

away and wept . ' Al l r i ght , ' I sai d, ' I ' m gl ad i t ' s a gi r l . And I hope

she' l l be a f ool - - t hat ' s t he best t hi ng a gi r l can be i n t hi s wor l d,

a beaut i f ul l i t t l e f ool . "

" You see I t hi nk ever yt hi ng' s t er r i bl e anyhow, " she went on i n a

convi nced way. " Ever ybody t hi nks so- - t he most advanced peopl e. And I KNOW.

I ' ve been ever ywher e and seen ever yt hi ng and done ever yt hi ng. "

Her eyes f l ashed ar ound her i n a def i ant way, r at her l i ke Tom' s, and she

l aughed wi t h t hr i l l i ng scor n. " Sophi st i cat ed- - God, I ' m sophi st i cat ed! "

The i nst ant her voi ce br oke of f , ceasi ng t o compel my at t ent i on,

my bel i ef , I f el t t he basi c i nsi ncer i t y of what she had sai d.

I t made me uneasy, as t hough t he whol e eveni ng had been a t r i ck

of some sor t t o exact a cont r i but or y emot i on f r om me. I wai t ed,

and sur e enough, i n a moment she l ooked at me wi t h an absol ut e smi r k

on her l ovel y f ace as i f she had asser t ed her member shi p i n a r at her

di st i ngui shed secr et soci et y t o whi ch she and Tom bel onged.

I nsi de, t he cr i mson r oom bl oomed wi t h l i ght . Tom and Mi ss Baker

sat at ei t her end of t he l ong couch and she r ead al oud t o hi m f r om

t he " Sat ur day Eveni ng Post " - - t he wor ds, mur mur ous and

uni nf l ect ed, r unni ng t oget her i n a soot hi ng t une. The l amp- l i ght ,

br i ght on hi s boot s and dul l on t he aut umn- l eaf yel l ow of her hai r ,

gl i nt ed al ong t he paper as she t ur ned a page wi t h a f l ut t er of sl ender

muscl es i n her ar ms.

When we came i n she hel d us si l ent f or a moment wi t h a l i f t ed hand.

" To be cont i nued, " she sai d, t ossi ng t he magazi ne on t he t abl e, " i n our

ver y next i ssue. "

Her body asser t ed i t sel f wi t h a r est l ess movement of her knee, and she

st ood up.

" Ten o' cl ock, " she r emar ked, appar ent l y f i ndi ng t he t i me on t he

cei l i ng. " Ti me f or t hi s good gi r l t o go t o bed. "

" Jor dan' s goi ng t o pl ay i n t he t our nament t omor r ow, " expl ai ned Dai sy,

" over at West chest er . "

" Oh, - - you' r e JORdan Baker . "

I knew now why her f ace was f ami l i ar - - i t s pl easi ng cont empt uous

expr essi on had l ooked out at me f r om many r ot ogr avur e pi ct ur es of

t he spor t i ng l i f e at Ashevi l l e and Hot Spr i ngs and Pal m Beach. I

had hear d some st or y of her t oo, a cr i t i cal , unpl easant st or y,

but what i t was I had f or got t en l ong ago.

" Good ni ght , " she sai d sof t l y. " Wake me at ei ght , won' t you. "

" I f you' l l get up. "

" I wi l l . Good ni ght , Mr . Car r away. See you anon. "

" Of cour se you wi l l , " conf i r med Dai sy. " I n f act I t hi nk I ' l l ar r ange

Page 11 of 100

a mar r i age. Come over of t en, Ni ck, and I ' l l sor t of - - oh- - f l i ng you

t oget her . You know- - l ock you up acci dent al l y i n l i nen cl oset s and push

you out t o sea i n a boat , and al l t hat sor t of t hi ng- - - - "

" Good ni ght , " cal l ed Mi ss Baker f r om t he st ai r s. " I haven' t hear d a wor d. "

" She' s a ni ce gi r l , " sai d Tom af t er a moment . " They ought n' t t o l et her

r un ar ound t he count r y t hi s way. "

" Who ought n' t t o?" i nqui r ed Dai sy col dl y.

" Her f ami l y. "

" Her f ami l y i s one aunt about a t housand year s ol d. Besi des, Ni ck' s

goi ng t o l ook af t er her , ar en' t you, Ni ck? She' s goi ng t o spend l ot s of

week- ends out her e t hi s summer . I t hi nk t he home i nf l uence wi l l be ver y

good f or her . "

Dai sy and Tom l ooked at each ot her f or a moment i n si l ence.

" I s she f r om New Yor k?" I asked qui ckl y.

" Fr om Loui svi l l e. Our whi t e gi r l hood was passed t oget her t her e. Our

beaut i f ul whi t e- - - - "

" Di d you gi ve Ni ck a l i t t l e hear t t o hear t t al k on t he ver anda?"

demanded Tom suddenl y.

" Di d I ?" She l ooked at me. " I can' t seem t o r emember , but I t hi nk

we t al ked about t he Nor di c r ace. Yes, I ' m sur e we di d. I t sor t of

cr ept up on us and f i r st t hi ng you know- - - - "

" Don' t bel i eve ever yt hi ng you hear , Ni ck, " he advi sed me.

I sai d l i ght l y t hat I had hear d not hi ng at al l , and a f ew mi nut es l at er

I got up t o go home. They came t o t he door wi t h me and st ood si de by

si de i n a cheer f ul squar e of l i ght . As I st ar t ed my mot or Dai sy

per empt or i l y cal l ed " Wai t !

" I f or got t o ask you somet hi ng, and i t ' s i mpor t ant . We hear d you wer e

engaged t o a gi r l out West . "

" That ' s r i ght , " cor r obor at ed Tom ki ndl y. " We hear d t hat you wer e

engaged. "

" I t ' s l i bel . I ' m t oo poor . "

" But we hear d i t , " i nsi st ed Dai sy, sur pr i si ng me by openi ng up agai n i n

a f l ower - l i ke way. " We hear d i t f r om t hr ee peopl e so i t must be t r ue. "

Of cour se I knew what t hey wer e r ef er r i ng t o, but I wasn' t even vaguel y

engaged. The f act t hat gossi p had publ i shed t he banns was one of t he

r easons I had come east . You can' t st op goi ng wi t h an ol d f r i end on

account of r umor s and on t he ot her hand I had no i nt ent i on of bei ng

r umor ed i nt o mar r i age.

Thei r i nt er est r at her t ouched me and made t hem l ess r emot el y

r i ch- - never t hel ess, I was conf used and a l i t t l e di sgust ed as I dr ove

away. I t seemed t o me t hat t he t hi ng f or Dai sy t o do was t o r ush out of

t he house, chi l d i n ar ms- - but appar ent l y t her e wer e no such i nt ent i ons

i n her head. As f or Tom, t he f act t hat he " had some woman i n New Yor k"

was r eal l y l ess sur pr i si ng t han t hat he had been depr essed by a book.

Somet hi ng was maki ng hi m ni bbl e at t he edge of st al e i deas as i f hi s

st ur dy physi cal egot i sm no l onger nour i shed hi s per empt or y hear t .

Page 12 of 100

Al r eady i t was deep summer on r oadhouse r oof s and i n f r ont of waysi de

gar ages, wher e new r ed gas- pumps sat out i n pool s of l i ght , and when I

r eached my est at e at West Egg I r an t he car under i t s shed and sat f or

a whi l e on an abandoned gr ass r ol l er i n t he yar d. The wi nd had bl own

of f , l eavi ng a l oud br i ght ni ght wi t h wi ngs beat i ng i n t he t r ees and

a per si st ent or gan sound as t he f ul l bel l ows of t he ear t h bl ew t he

f r ogs f ul l of l i f e. The si l houet t e of a movi ng cat waver ed acr oss t he

moonl i ght and t ur ni ng my head t o wat ch i t I saw t hat I was not

al one- - f i f t y f eet away a f i gur e had emer ged f r om t he shadow of my

nei ghbor ' s mansi on and was st andi ng wi t h hi s hands i n hi s pocket s

r egar di ng t he si l ver pepper of t he st ar s. Somet hi ng i n hi s l ei sur el y

movement s and t he secur e posi t i on of hi s f eet upon t he l awn suggest ed

t hat i t was Mr . Gat sby hi msel f , come out t o det er mi ne what shar e was

hi s of our l ocal heavens.

I deci ded t o cal l t o hi m. Mi ss Baker had ment i oned hi m at di nner , and

t hat woul d do f or an i nt r oduct i on. But I di dn' t cal l t o hi m f or he gave

a sudden i nt i mat i on t hat he was cont ent t o be al one- - he st r et ched out hi s

ar ms t owar d t he dar k wat er i n a cur i ous way, and f ar as I was f r om hi m

I coul d have swor n he was t r embl i ng. I nvol unt ar i l y I gl anced seawar d- - and

di st i ngui shed not hi ng except a si ngl e gr een l i ght , mi nut e and f ar away,

t hat mi ght have been t he end of a dock. When I l ooked once mor e f or Gat sby

he had vani shed, and I was al one agai n i n t he unqui et dar kness.

Chapt er 2

About hal f way bet ween West Egg and New Yor k t he mot or - r oad hast i l y

j oi ns t he r ai l r oad and r uns besi de i t f or a quar t er of a mi l e, so as t o

shr i nk away f r om a cer t ai n desol at e ar ea of l and. Thi s i s a val l ey of

ashes- - a f ant ast i c f ar m wher e ashes gr ow l i ke wheat i nt o r i dges and

hi l l s and gr ot esque gar dens wher e ashes t ake t he f or ms of houses and

chi mneys and r i si ng smoke and f i nal l y, wi t h a t r anscendent ef f or t , of

men who move di ml y and al r eady cr umbl i ng t hr ough t he powder y ai r .

Occasi onal l y a l i ne of gr ey car s cr awl s al ong an i nvi si bl e t r ack, gi ves

out a ghast l y cr eak and comes t o r est , and i mmedi at el y t he ash- gr ey

men swar m up wi t h l eaden spades and st i r up an i mpenet r abl e cl oud

whi ch scr eens t hei r obscur e oper at i ons f r om your si ght .

But above t he gr ey l and and t he spasms of bl eak dust whi ch dr i f t

endl essl y over i t , you per cei ve, af t er a moment , t he eyes of Doct or T.

J. Eckl ebur g. The eyes of Doct or T. J. Eckl ebur g ar e bl ue and

gi gant i c- - t hei r r et i nas ar e one yar d hi gh. They l ook out of no f ace but ,

i nst ead, f r om a pai r of enor mous yel l ow spect acl es whi ch pass over a

nonexi st ent nose. Evi dent l y some wi l d wag of an ocul i st set t hem t her e t o

f at t en hi s pr act i ce i n t he bor ough of Queens, and t hen sank down hi msel f

i nt o et er nal bl i ndness or f or got t hem and moved away. But hi s eyes,

di mmed a l i t t l e by many pai nt l ess days under sun and r ai n, br ood on over

t he sol emn dumpi ng gr ound.

The val l ey of ashes i s bounded on one si de by a smal l f oul r i ver , and

when t he dr awbr i dge i s up t o l et bar ges t hr ough, t he passenger s on

wai t i ng t r ai ns can st ar e at t he di smal scene f or as l ong as hal f an

hour . Ther e i s al ways a hal t t her e of at l east a mi nut e and i t was

because of t hi s t hat I f i r st met Tom Buchanan' s mi st r ess.

The f act t hat he had one was i nsi st ed upon wher ever he was known. Hi s

acquai nt ances r esent ed t he f act t hat he t ur ned up i n popul ar

r est aur ant s wi t h her and, l eavi ng her at a t abl e, saunt er ed about ,

Page 13 of 100

chat t i ng wi t h whomsoever he knew. Though I was cur i ous t o see her I

had no desi r e t o meet her - - but I di d. I went up t o New Yor k wi t h Tom on

t he t r ai n one af t er noon and when we st opped by t he ashheaps he j umped

t o hi s f eet and t aki ng hol d of my el bow l i t er al l y f or ced me f r om t he

car .

" We' r e get t i ng of f ! " he i nsi st ed. " I want you t o meet my gi r l . "

I t hi nk he' d t anked up a good deal at l uncheon and hi s det er mi nat i on t o

have my company bor der ed on vi ol ence. The super ci l i ous assumpt i on was t hat

on Sunday af t er noon I had not hi ng bet t er t o do.

I f ol l owed hi m over a l ow whi t e- washed r ai l r oad f ence and we wal ked

back a hundr ed yar ds al ong t he r oad under Doct or Eckl ebur g' s per si st ent

st ar e. The onl y bui l di ng i n si ght was a smal l bl ock of yel l ow br i ck

si t t i ng on t he edge of t he wast e l and, a sor t of compact Mai n St r eet

mi ni st er i ng t o i t and cont i guous t o absol ut el y not hi ng. One of t he

t hr ee shops i t cont ai ned was f or r ent and anot her was an al l - ni ght

r est aur ant appr oached by a t r ai l of ashes; t he t hi r d was a

gar age- - Repai r s. GEORGE B. WI LSON. Car s Bought and Sol d- - and I f ol l owed

Tom i nsi de.

The i nt er i or was unpr osper ous and bar e; t he onl y car vi si bl e was t he

dust - cover ed wr eck of a For d whi ch cr ouched i n a di m cor ner . I t had

occur r ed t o me t hat t hi s shadow of a gar age must be a bl i nd and t hat

sumpt uous and r omant i c apar t ment s wer e conceal ed over head when t he

pr opr i et or hi msel f appear ed i n t he door of an of f i ce, wi pi ng hi s hands

on a pi ece of wast e. He was a bl onde, spi r i t l ess man, anaemi c, and

f ai nt l y handsome. When he saw us a damp gl eam of hope spr ang i nt o hi s

l i ght bl ue eyes.

" Hel l o, Wi l son, ol d man, " sai d Tom, sl appi ng hi m j ovi al l y on t he

shoul der . " How' s busi ness?"

" I can' t compl ai n, " answer ed Wi l son unconvi nci ngl y. " When ar e you goi ng

t o sel l me t hat car ?"

" Next week; I ' ve got my man wor ki ng on i t now. "

" Wor ks pr et t y sl ow, don' t he?"

" No, he doesn' t , " sai d Tom col dl y. " And i f you f eel t hat way about i t ,

maybe I ' d bet t er sel l i t somewher e el se af t er al l . "

" I don' t mean t hat , " expl ai ned Wi l son qui ckl y. " I j ust meant - - - - "

Hi s voi ce f aded of f and Tom gl anced i mpat i ent l y ar ound t he gar age. Then

I hear d f oot st eps on a st ai r s and i n a moment t he t hi cki sh f i gur e of a

woman bl ocked out t he l i ght f r om t he of f i ce door . She was i n t he mi ddl e

t hi r t i es, and f ai nt l y st out , but she car r i ed her sur pl us f l esh sensuousl y

as some women can. Her f ace, above a spot t ed dr ess of dar k bl ue

cr epe- de- chi ne, cont ai ned no f acet or gl eam of beaut y but t her e was an

i mmedi at el y per cept i bl e vi t al i t y about her as i f t he ner ves of her body

wer e cont i nual l y smoul der i ng. She smi l ed sl owl y and wal ki ng t hr ough her

husband as i f he wer e a ghost shook hands wi t h Tom, l ooki ng hi m f l ush i n

t he eye. Then she wet her l i ps and wi t hout t ur ni ng ar ound spoke t o her

husband i n a sof t , coar se voi ce:

" Get some chai r s, why don' t you, so somebody can si t down. "

" Oh, sur e, " agr eed Wi l son hur r i edl y and went t owar d t he l i t t l e of f i ce,

mi ngl i ng i mmedi at el y wi t h t he cement col or of t he wal l s. A whi t e ashen

dust vei l ed hi s dar k sui t and hi s pal e hai r as i t vei l ed ever yt hi ng i n

t he vi ci ni t y- - except hi s wi f e, who moved cl ose t o Tom.

Page 14 of 100

" I want t o see you, " sai d Tom i nt ent l y. " Get on t he next t r ai n. "

" Al l r i ght . "

" I ' l l meet you by t he news- st and on t he l ower l evel . "

She nodded and moved away f r om hi m j ust as Geor ge Wi l son

emer ged wi t h t wo chai r s f r om hi s of f i ce door .

We wai t ed f or her down t he r oad and out of si ght . I t was a f ew days bef or e

t he Four t h of Jul y, and a gr ey, scr awny I t al i an chi l d was set t i ng

t or pedoes i n a r ow al ong t he r ai l r oad t r ack.

" Ter r i bl e pl ace, i sn' t i t , " sai d Tom, exchangi ng a f r own wi t h Doct or

Eckl ebur g.

" Awf ul . "

" I t does her good t o get away. "

" Doesn' t her husband obj ect ?"

" Wi l son? He t hi nks she goes t o see her si st er i n New Yor k. He' s so dumb

he doesn' t know he' s al i ve. "

So Tom Buchanan and hi s gi r l and I went up t oget her t o New Yor k - - or not

qui t e t oget her , f or Mr s. Wi l son sat di scr eet l y i n anot her car . Tom

def er r ed t hat much t o t he sensi bi l i t i es of t hose East Egger s who mi ght be

on t he t r ai n.

She had changed her dr ess t o a br own f i gur ed musl i n whi ch st r et ched

t i ght over her r at her wi de hi ps as Tom hel ped her t o t he pl at f or m i n

New Yor k. At t he news- st and she bought a copy of " Town Tat t l e" and a

movi ng- pi ct ur e magazi ne and, i n t he st at i on dr ug st or e, some col d cr eam

and a smal l f l ask of per f ume. Upst ai r s, i n t he sol emn echoi ng dr i ve

she l et f our t axi cabs dr i ve away bef or e she sel ect ed a new one,

l avender - col or ed wi t h gr ey uphol st er y, and i n t hi s we sl i d out f r om t he

mass of t he st at i on i nt o t he gl owi ng sunshi ne. But i mmedi at el y she

t ur ned shar pl y f r om t he wi ndow and l eani ng f or war d t apped on t he

f r ont gl ass.

" I want t o get one of t hose dogs, " she sai d ear nest l y. " I want t o get one

f or t he apar t ment . They' r e ni ce t o have- - a dog. "

We backed up t o a gr ey ol d man who bor e an absur d r esembl ance t o John

D. Rockef el l er . I n a basket , swung f r om hi s neck, cower ed a dozen ver y

r ecent puppi es of an i ndet er mi nat e br eed.

" What ki nd ar e t hey?" asked Mr s. Wi l son eager l y as he came t o t he

t axi - wi ndow.

" Al l ki nds. What ki nd do you want , l ady?"

" I ' d l i ke t o get one of t hose pol i ce dogs; I don' t suppose you got t hat

ki nd?"

The man peer ed doubt f ul l y i nt o t he basket , pl unged i n hi s hand and dr ew

one up, wr i ggl i ng, by t he back of t he neck.

" That ' s no pol i ce dog, " sai d Tom.

" No, i t ' s not exact l y a pol I CE dog, " sai d t he man wi t h di sappoi nt ment

i n hi s voi ce. " I t ' s mor e of an ai r edal e. " He passed hi s hand over t he

Page 15 of 100

br own wash- r ag of a back. " Look at t hat coat . Some coat . That ' s a dog

t hat ' l l never bot her you wi t h cat chi ng col d. "

" I t hi nk i t ' s cut e, " sai d Mr s. Wi l son ent husi ast i cal l y. " How much i s i t ?"

" That dog?" He l ooked at i t admi r i ngl y. " That dog wi l l cost you t en

dol l ar s. "

The ai r edal e- - undoubt edl y t her e was an ai r edal e concer ned i n i t somewher e

t hough i t s f eet wer e st ar t l i ngl y whi t e- - changed hands and set t l ed down

i nt o Mr s. Wi l son' s l ap, wher e she f ondl ed t he weat her - pr oof coat wi t h

r apt ur e.

" I s i t a boy or a gi r l ?" she asked del i cat el y.

" That dog? That dog' s a boy. "

" I t ' s a bi t ch, " sai d Tom deci si vel y. " Her e' s your money. Go and buy t en

mor e dogs wi t h i t . "

We dr ove over t o Fi f t h Avenue, so war m and sof t , al most past or al , on t he

summer Sunday af t er noon t hat I woul dn' t have been sur pr i sed t o see a gr eat

f l ock of whi t e sheep t ur n t he cor ner .

" Hol d on, " I sai d, " I have t o l eave you her e. "

" No, you don' t , " i nt er posed Tom qui ckl y. " Myr t l e' l l be hur t i f you don' t

come up t o t he apar t ment . Won' t you,

Myr t l e?"

" Come on, " she ur ged. " I ' l l t el ephone my si st er Cat her i ne. She' s sai d t o

be ver y beaut i f ul by peopl e who ought t o know. "

" Wel l , I ' d l i ke t o, but - - - - "

We went on, cut t i ng back agai n over t he Par k t owar d t he West Hundr eds.

At 158t h St r eet t he cab st opped at one sl i ce i n a l ong whi t e cake of

apar t ment houses. Thr owi ng a r egal homecomi ng gl ance ar ound t he

nei ghbor hood, Mr s. Wi l son gat her ed up her dog and her ot her pur chases

and went haught i l y i n.

" I ' m goi ng t o have t he McKees come up, " she announced as we r ose i n t he

el evat or . " And of cour se I got t o cal l up my si st er , t oo. "

The apar t ment was on t he t op f l oor - - a smal l l i vi ng r oom, a smal l

di ni ng r oom, a smal l bedr oom and a bat h. The l i vi ng r oom was cr owded t o

t he door s wi t h a set of t apest r i ed f ur ni t ur e ent i r el y t oo l ar ge f or i t

so t hat t o move about was t o st umbl e cont i nual l y over scenes of

l adi es swi ngi ng i n t he gar dens of Ver sai l l es. The onl y pi ct ur e was

an over - enl ar ged phot ogr aph, appar ent l y a hen si t t i ng on a bl ur r ed

r ock. Looked at f r om a di st ance however t he hen r esol ved i t sel f

i nt o a bonnet and t he count enance of a st out ol d l ady beamed down

i nt o t he r oom. Sever al ol d copi es of " Town Tat t l e " l ay on t he t abl e

t oget her wi t h a copy of " Si mon Cal l ed Pet er " and some of t he smal l

scandal magazi nes of Br oadway. Mr s. Wi l son was f i r st concer ned wi t h

t he dog. A r el uct ant el evat or boy went f or a box f ul l of st r aw and

some mi l k t o whi ch he added on hi s own i ni t i at i ve a t i n of l ar ge

har d dog bi scui t s- - one of whi ch decomposed apat het i cal l y i n t he saucer

of mi l k al l af t er noon. Meanwhi l e Tom br ought out a bot t l e of whi skey

f r om a l ocked bur eau door .

I have been dr unk j ust t wi ce i n my l i f e and t he second t i me was t hat

af t er noon so ever yt hi ng t hat happened has a di m hazy cast over i t

al t hough unt i l af t er ei ght o' cl ock t he apar t ment was f ul l of cheer f ul

Page 16 of 100

sun. Si t t i ng on Tom' s l ap Mr s. Wi l son cal l ed up sever al peopl e on t he

t el ephone; t hen t her e wer e no ci gar et t es and I went out t o buy some at

t he dr ug st or e on t he cor ner . When I came back t hey had di sappear ed so

I sat down di scr eet l y i n t he l i vi ng r oom and r ead a chapt er of " Si mon

Cal l ed Pet er " - - ei t her i t was t er r i bl e st uf f or t he whi skey di st or t ed

t hi ngs because i t di dn' t make any sense t o me.

Just as Tom and Myr t l e- - af t er t he f i r st dr i nk Mr s. Wi l son and I cal l ed

each ot her by our f i r st names- - r eappear ed, company commenced t o ar r i ve

at t he apar t ment door .

The si st er , Cat her i ne, was a sl ender , wor l dl y gi r l of about t hi r t y

wi t h a sol i d st i cky bob of r ed hai r and a compl exi on powder ed mi l ky

whi t e. Her eyebr ows had been pl ucked and t hen dr awn on agai n at a mor e

r aki sh angl e but t he ef f or t s of nat ur e t owar d t he r est or at i on of t he

ol d al i gnment gave a bl ur r ed ai r t o her f ace. When she moved about

t her e was an i ncessant cl i cki ng as i nnumer abl e pot t er y br acel et s

j i ngl ed up and down upon her ar ms. She came i n wi t h such a pr opr i et ar y

hast e and l ooked ar ound so possessi vel y at t he f ur ni t ur e t hat I wonder ed

i f she l i ved her e. But when I asked her she l aughed i mmoder at el y, r epeat ed

my quest i on al oud and t ol d me she l i ved wi t h a gi r l f r i end at a hot el .

Mr . McKee was a pal e f emi ni ne man f r om t he f l at bel ow. He had j ust

shaved f or t her e was a whi t e spot of l at her on hi s cheekbone and he

was most r espect f ul i n hi s gr eet i ng t o ever yone i n t he r oom. He

i nf or med me t hat he was i n t he " ar t i st i c game" and I gat her ed l at er

t hat he was a phot ogr apher and had made t he di m enl ar gement of Mr s.

Wi l son' s mot her whi ch hover ed l i ke an ect opl asm on t he wal l . Hi s wi f e

was shr i l l , l angui d, handsome and hor r i bl e. She t ol d me wi t h pr i de

t hat her husband had phot ogr aphed her a hundr ed and t went y - seven t i mes

si nce t hey had been mar r i ed.

Mr s. Wi l son had changed her cost ume some t i me bef or e and was now

at t i r ed i n an el abor at e af t er noon dr ess of cr eam col or ed chi f f on, whi ch

gave out a cont i nual r ust l e as she swept about t he r oom.

Wi t h t he i nf l uence of t he dr ess her per sonal i t y had al so under gone a

change. The i nt ense vi t al i t y t hat had been so r emar kabl e i n t he gar age

was conver t ed i nt o i mpr essi ve haut eur . Her l aught er , her gest ur es, her

asser t i ons became mor e vi ol ent l y af f ect ed moment by moment and as she

expanded t he r oom gr ew smal l er ar ound her unt i l she seemed t o be

r evol vi ng on a noi sy, cr eaki ng pi vot t hr ough t he smoky ai r .

" My dear , " she t ol d her si st er i n a hi gh mi nci ng shout , " most of t hese

f el l as wi l l cheat you ever y t i me. Al l t hey t hi nk of i s money. I had a

woman up her e l ast week t o l ook at my f eet and when she gave me t he

bi l l you' d of t hought she had my appendi ci t us out . "

" What was t he name of t he woman?" asked Mr s. McKee.

" Mr s. Eber har dt . She goes ar ound l ooki ng at peopl e' s f eet i n t hei r own

homes. "

" I l i ke your dr ess, " r emar ked Mr s. McKee, " I t hi nk i t ' s ador abl e. "

Mr s. Wi l son r ej ect ed t he compl i ment by r ai si ng her eyebr ow i n di sdai n.

" I t ' s j ust a cr azy ol d t hi ng, " she sai d. " I j ust sl i p i t on somet i mes when

I don' t car e what I l ook l i ke. "

" But i t l ooks wonder f ul on you, i f you know what I mean, " pur sued

Mr s. McKee. " I f Chest er coul d onl y get you i n t hat pose I t hi nk he coul d

make somet hi ng of i t . "

We al l l ooked i n si l ence at Mr s. Wi l son who r emoved a st r and of hai r f r om

Page 17 of 100

over her eyes and l ooked back at us wi t h a br i l l i ant smi l e. Mr . McKee

r egar ded her i nt ent l y wi t h hi s head on one si de and t hen moved hi s hand

back and f or t h sl owl y i n f r ont of hi s f ace.

" I shoul d change t he l i ght , " he sai d af t er a moment . " I ' d l i ke t o br i ng

out t he model l i ng of t he f eat ur es. And I ' d t r y t o get hol d of al l t he

back hai r . "

" I woul dn' t t hi nk of changi ng t he l i ght , " cr i ed Mr s. McKee. " I t hi nk

i t ' s- - - - "

Her husband sai d " SH! " and we al l l ooked at t he subj ect agai n wher eupon

Tom Buchanan yawned audi bl y and got t o hi s f eet .

" You McKees have somet hi ng t o dr i nk, " he sai d. " Get some mor e i ce and

mi ner al wat er , Myr t l e, bef or e ever ybody goes t o sl eep. "

" I t ol d t hat boy about t he i ce. " Myr t l e r ai sed her eyebr ows i n despai r

at t he shi f t l essness of t he l ower or der s. " These peopl e! You have t o keep

af t er t hem al l t he t i me. "

She l ooked at me and l aughed poi nt l essl y. Then she f l ounced over t o t he

dog, ki ssed i t wi t h ecst asy and swept i nt o t he ki t chen, i mpl yi ng t hat

a dozen chef s awai t ed her or der s t her e.

" I ' ve done some ni ce t hi ngs out on Long I sl and, " asser t ed Mr . McKee.

Tom l ooked at hi m bl ankl y.

" Two of t hem we have f r amed downst ai r s. "

" Two what ?" demanded Tom.

" Two st udi es. One of t hem I cal l ' Mont auk Poi nt - - t he Gul l s, ' and t he

ot her I cal l ' Mont auk Poi nt - - t he Sea. ' "

The si st er Cat her i ne sat down besi de me on t he couch.

" Do you l i ve down on Long I sl and, t oo?" she i nqui r ed.

" I l i ve at West Egg. "

" Real l y? I was down t her e at a par t y about a mont h ago. At a man named

Gat sby' s. Do you know hi m?"

" I l i ve next door t o hi m. "

" Wel l , t hey say he' s a nephew or a cousi n of Kai ser Wi l hel m' s. That ' s

wher e al l hi s money comes f r om. "

" Real l y?"

She nodded.

" I ' m scar ed of hi m. I ' d hat e t o have hi m get anyt hi ng on me. "

Thi s absor bi ng i nf or mat i on about my nei ghbor was i nt er r upt ed by

Mr s. McKee' s poi nt i ng suddenl y at Cat her i ne:

" Chest er , I t hi nk you coul d do somet hi ng wi t h HER, " she br oke out ,

but Mr . McKee onl y nodded i n a bor ed way and t ur ned hi s at t ent i on

t o Tom.

" I ' d l i ke t o do mor e wor k on Long I sl and i f I coul d get t he ent r y. Al l

Page 18 of 100

I ask i s t hat t hey shoul d gi ve me a st ar t . "

" Ask Myr t l e, " sai d Tom, br eaki ng i nt o a shor t shout of l aught er as

Mr s. Wi l son ent er ed wi t h a t r ay. " She' l l gi ve you a l et t er of

i nt r oduct i on, won' t you, Myr t l e?"

" Do what ?" she asked, st ar t l ed.

" You' l l gi ve McKee a l et t er of i nt r oduct i on t o your husband, so he can

do some st udi es of hi m. " Hi s l i ps moved si l ent l y f or a moment as he

i nvent ed. " ' Geor ge B. Wi l son at t he Gasol i ne Pump, ' or somet hi ng l i ke

t hat . "

Cat her i ne l eaned cl ose t o me and whi sper ed i n my ear : " Nei t her of t hem

can st and t he per son t hey' r e mar r i ed t o. "

" Can' t t hey?"

" Can' t STAND t hem. " She l ooked at Myr t l e and t hen at Tom. " What I say i s,

why go on l i vi ng wi t h t hem i f t hey can' t st and t hem? I f I was t hem I ' d get

a di vor ce and get mar r i ed t o each ot her r i ght away. "

" Doesn' t she l i ke Wi l son ei t her ?"

The answer t o t hi s was unexpect ed. I t came f r om Myr t l e who had over hear d

t he quest i on and i t was vi ol ent and obscene.

" You see?" cr i ed Cat her i ne t r i umphant l y. She l ower ed her voi ce agai n.

" I t ' s r eal l y hi s wi f e t hat ' s keepi ng t hem apar t . She' s a Cat hol i c and

t hey don' t bel i eve i n di vor ce. "

Dai sy was not a Cat hol i c and I was a l i t t l e shocked at t he el abor at eness

of t he l i e.

" When t hey do get mar r i ed, " cont i nued Cat her i ne, " t hey' r e goi ng west t o

l i ve f or a whi l e unt i l i t bl ows over . "

" I t ' d be mor e di scr eet t o go t o Eur ope. "

" Oh, do you l i ke Eur ope?" she excl ai med sur pr i si ngl y. " I j ust got back

f r om Mont e Car l o. "

" Real l y. "

" Just l ast year . I went over t her e wi t h anot her gi r l . "

" St ay l ong?"

" No, we j ust went t o Mont e Car l o and back. We went by way of Mar sei l l es.

We had over t wel ve hundr ed dol l ar s when we st ar t ed but we got gypped

out of i t al l i n t wo days i n t he pr i vat e r ooms. We had an awf ul t i me

get t i ng back, I can t el l you. God, how I hat ed t hat t own! "

The l at e af t er noon sky bl oomed i n t he wi ndow f or a moment l i ke t he bl ue

honey of t he Medi t er r anean- - t hen t he shr i l l voi ce of Mr s. McKee cal l ed me

back i nt o t he r oom.

" I al most made a mi st ake, t oo, " she decl ar ed vi gor ousl y. " I al most

mar r i ed a l i t t l e kyke who' d been af t er me f or year s. I knew he was

bel ow me. Ever ybody kept sayi ng t o me: ' Luci l l e, t hat man' s way bel ow

you! ' But i f I hadn' t met Chest er , he' d of got me sur e. "

" Yes, but l i st en, " sai d Myr t l e Wi l son, noddi ng her head up and down,

Page 19 of 100

" at l east you di dn' t mar r y hi m. "

" I know I di dn' t . "

" Wel l , I mar r i ed hi m, " sai d Myr t l e, ambi guousl y. " And t hat ' s t he

di f f er ence bet ween your case and mi ne. "

" Why di d you, Myr t l e?" demanded Cat her i ne. " Nobody f or ced you t o. "

Myr t l e consi der ed.

" I mar r i ed hi m because I t hought he was a gent l eman, " she sai d f i nal l y.

" I t hought he knew somet hi ng about br eedi ng, but he wasn' t f i t t o l i ck

my shoe. "

" You wer e cr azy about hi m f or a whi l e, " sai d Cat her i ne.

" Cr azy about hi m! " cr i ed Myr t l e i ncr edul ousl y. " Who sai d I was cr azy about

hi m? I never was any mor e cr azy about hi m t han I was about t hat man

t her e. "

She poi nt ed suddenl y at me, and ever y one l ooked at me accusi ngl y.

I t r i ed t o show by my expr essi on t hat I had pl ayed no par t i n her past .

" The onl y CRAZY I was was when I mar r i ed hi m. I knew r i ght away I made a

mi st ake. He bor r owed somebody' s best sui t t o get mar r i ed i n and never

even t ol d me about i t , and t he man came af t er i t one day when he was out .

She l ooked ar ound t o see who was l i st eni ng: " ' Oh, i s t hat your sui t ?' I

sai d.

' Thi s i s t he f i r st I ever hear d about i t . ' But I gave i t t o hi m and t hen I

l ay down

and cr i ed t o beat t he band al l af t er noon. "

" She r eal l y ought t o get away f r om hi m, " r esumed Cat her i ne t o me.

" They' ve been l i vi ng over t hat gar age f or el even year s. And Tom' s t he

f i r st sweet i e she ever had. "

The bot t l e of whi skey- - a second one- - was now i n const ant demand by al l

pr esent , except i ng Cat her i ne who " f el t j ust as good on not hi ng at al l . "

Tom r ang f or t he j ani t or and sent hi m f or some cel ebr at ed sandwi ches,

whi ch wer e a compl et e supper i n t hemsel ves. I want ed t o get out and wal k

east war d t owar d t he par k t hr ough t he sof t t wi l i ght but each t i me I t r i ed

t o go I became ent angl ed i n some wi l d st r i dent ar gument whi ch pul l ed me

back, as i f wi t h r opes, i nt o my chai r . Yet hi gh over t he ci t y our l i ne of

yel l ow wi ndows must have cont r i but ed t hei r shar e of human secr ecy t o t he

casual wat cher i n t he dar keni ng st r eet s, and I was hi m t oo, l ooki ng up and

wonder i ng. I was wi t hi n and wi t hout , si mul t aneousl y enchant ed and r epel l ed

by t he i nexhaust i bl e var i et y of l i f e.

Myr t l e pul l ed her chai r cl ose t o mi ne, and suddenl y her war m br eat h

pour ed over me t he st or y of her f i r st meet i ng wi t h Tom.

" I t was on t he t wo l i t t l e seat s f aci ng each ot her t hat ar e al ways t he

l ast ones l ef t on t he t r ai n. I was goi ng up t o New Yor k t o see my

si st er and spend t he ni ght . He had on a dr ess sui t and pat ent l eat her

shoes and I coul dn' t keep my eyes of f hi m but ever y t i me he l ooked at

me I had t o pr et end t o be l ooki ng at t he adver t i sement over hi s head.

When we came i nt o t he st at i on he was next t o me and hi s whi t e

shi r t - f r ont pr essed agai nst my ar m- - and so I t ol d hi m I ' d have t o cal l

a pol i ceman, but he knew I l i ed. I was so exci t ed t hat when I got i nt o

a t axi wi t h hi m I di dn' t har dl y know I wasn' t get t i ng i nt o a subway

t r ai n. Al l I kept t hi nki ng about , over and over , was ' You can' t l i ve

f or ever , you can' t l i ve f or ever . ' "

Page 20 of 100

She t ur ned t o Mr s. McKee and t he r oom r ang f ul l of her ar t i f i ci al

l aught er .

" My dear , " she cr i ed, " I ' m goi ng t o gi ve you t hi s dr ess as soon as I ' m

t hr ough wi t h i t . I ' ve got t o get anot her one t omor r ow. I ' m goi ng t o

make a l i st of al l t he t hi ngs I ' ve got t o get . A massage and a wave

and a col l ar f or t he dog and one of t hose cut e l i t t l e ash- t r ays wher e

you t ouch a spr i ng, and a wr eat h wi t h a bl ack si l k bow f or mot her ' s

gr ave t hat ' l l l ast al l summer . I got t o wr i t e down a l i st so I won' t

f or get al l t he t hi ngs I got t o do. "

I t was ni ne o' cl ock- - al most i mmedi at el y af t er war d I l ooked at my wat ch

and f ound i t was t en. Mr . McKee was asl eep on a chai r wi t h hi s f i st s

cl enched i n hi s l ap, l i ke a phot ogr aph of a man of act i on. Taki ng out my

handker chi ef I wi ped f r om hi s cheek t he r emai ns of t he spot of dr i ed

l at her t hat had wor r i ed me al l t he af t er noon.

The l i t t l e dog was si t t i ng on t he t abl e l ooki ng wi t h bl i nd eyes t hr ough

t he smoke and f r om t i me t o t i me gr oani ng f ai nt l y. Peopl e di sappear ed,

r eappear ed, made pl ans t o go somewher e, and t hen l ost each ot her ,

sear ched f or each ot her , f ound each ot her a f ew f eet away. Some t i me

t owar d mi dni ght Tom Buchanan and Mr s. Wi l son st ood f ace t o f ace

di scussi ng i n i mpassi oned voi ces whet her Mr s. Wi l son had any r i ght t o

ment i on Dai sy' s name.

" Dai sy! Dai sy! Dai sy! " shout ed Mr s. Wi l son. " I ' l l say i t whenever I want

t o! Dai sy! Dai - - - - "

Maki ng a shor t def t movement Tom Buchanan br oke her nose wi t h hi s

open hand.

Then t her e wer e bl oody t owel s upon t he bat hr oom f l oor , and women' s

voi ces scol di ng, and hi gh over t he conf usi on a l ong br oken wai l of

pai n. Mr . McKee awoke f r om hi s doze and st ar t ed i n a daze t owar d t he door .

When he had gone hal f way he t ur ned ar ound and st ar ed at t he scene- - hi s

wi f e and Cat her i ne scol di ng and consol i ng as t hey st umbl ed her e and

t her e among t he cr owded f ur ni t ur e wi t h ar t i cl es of ai d, and t he

despai r i ng f i gur e on t he couch bl eedi ng f l uent l y and t r yi ng t o spr ead

a copy of " Town Tat t l e" over t he t apest r y scenes of Ver sai l l es.

Then Mr . McKee t ur ned and cont i nued on out t he door . Taki ng my hat f r om

t he chandel i er I f ol l owed.

" Come t o l unch some day, " he suggest ed, as we gr oaned down i n t he

el evat or .

" Wher e?"

" Anywher e. "

" Keep your hands of f t he l ever , " snapped t he el evat or boy.

" I beg your par don, " sai d Mr . McKee wi t h di gni t y, " I di dn' t know I was

t ouchi ng i t . "

" Al l r i ght , " I agr eed, " I ' l l be gl ad t o. "

. . . I was st andi ng besi de hi s bed and he was si t t i ng up bet ween t he

sheet s, cl ad i n hi s under wear , wi t h a gr eat por t f ol i o i n hi s hands.

" Beaut y and t he Beast . . . Lonel i ness . . . Ol d Gr ocer y Hor se . . .

Br ook' n Br i dge . . . . "

Then I was l yi ng hal f asl eep i n t he col d l ower l evel of t he Pennsyl vani a

St at i on, st ar i ng at t he mor ni ng " Tr i bune" and wai t i ng f or t he f our

Page 21 of 100

o' cl ock t r ai n.

Chapt er 3

Ther e was musi c f r om my nei ghbor ' s house t hr ough t he summer ni ght s. I n

hi s bl ue gar dens men and gi r l s came and went l i ke mot hs among t he

whi sper i ngs and t he champagne and t he st ar s. At hi gh t i de i n t he

af t er noon I wat ched hi s guest s di vi ng f r om t he t ower of hi s r af t or

t aki ng t he sun on t he hot sand of hi s beach whi l e hi s t wo mot or - boat s

sl i t t he wat er s of t he Sound, dr awi ng aquapl anes over cat ar act s of

f oam. On week- ends hi s Rol l s- Royce became an omni bus, bear i ng par t i es

t o and f r om t he ci t y, bet ween ni ne i n t he mor ni ng and l ong past

mi dni ght , whi l e hi s st at i on wagon scamper ed l i ke a br i sk yel l ow bug t o

meet al l t r ai ns. And on Mondays ei ght ser vant s i ncl udi ng an ext r a

gar dener t oi l ed al l day wi t h mops and scr ubbi ng- br ushes and hammer s

and gar den- shear s, r epai r i ng t he r avages of t he ni ght bef or e.

Ever y Fr i day f i ve cr at es of or anges and l emons ar r i ved f r om a f r ui t er er

i n New Yor k- - ever y Monday t hese same or anges and l emons l ef t hi s back

door i n a pyr ami d of pul pl ess hal ves. Ther e was a machi ne i n t he

ki t chen whi ch coul d ext r act t he j ui ce of t wo hundr ed or anges i n hal f an

hour , i f a l i t t l e but t on was pr essed t wo hundr ed t i mes by a but l er ' s

t humb.

At l east once a f or t ni ght a cor ps of cat er er s came down wi t h sever al

hundr ed f eet of canvas and enough col or ed l i ght s t o make a Chr i st mas

t r ee of Gat sby' s enor mous gar den. On buf f et t abl es, gar ni shed wi t h

gl i st eni ng hor s- d' oeuvr e, spi ced baked hams cr owded agai nst sal ads of

har l equi n desi gns and past r y pi gs and t ur keys bewi t ched t o a dar k gol d.

I n t he mai n hal l a bar wi t h a r eal br ass r ai l was set up, and st ocked

wi t h gi ns and l i quor s and wi t h cor di al s so l ong f or got t en t hat most of

hi s f emal e guest s wer e t oo young t o know one f r om anot her .

By seven o' cl ock t he or chest r a has ar r i ved- - no t hi n f i ve- pi ece af f ai r

but a whol e pi t f ul of oboes and t r ombones and saxophones and vi ol s and

cor net s and pi ccol os and l ow and hi gh dr ums. The l ast swi mmer s have

come i n f r om t he beach now and ar e dr essi ng upst ai r s; t he car s f r om

New Yor k ar e par ked f i ve deep i n t he dr i ve, and al r eady t he hal l s and

sal ons and ver andas ar e gaudy wi t h pr i mar y col or s and hai r shor n i n

st r ange new ways and shawl s beyond t he dr eams of Cast i l e. The

bar i s i n f ul l swi ng and f l oat i ng r ounds of cockt ai l s per meat e t he

gar den out si de unt i l t he ai r i s al i ve wi t h chat t er and l aught er and

casual i nnuendo and i nt r oduct i ons f or got t en on t he spot and

ent husi ast i c meet i ngs bet ween women who never knew each ot her ' s names.

The l i ght s gr ow br i ght er as t he ear t h l ur ches away f r om t he sun and

now t he or chest r a i s pl ayi ng yel l ow cockt ai l musi c and t he oper a of

voi ces pi t ches a key hi gher . Laught er i s easi er , mi nut e by mi nut e,

spi l l ed wi t h pr odi gal i t y, t i pped out at a cheer f ul wor d. The gr oups

change mor e swi f t l y, swel l wi t h new ar r i val s, di ssol ve and f or m i n t he

same br eat h- - al r eady t her e ar e wander er s, conf i dent gi r l s who weave

her e and t her e among t he st out er and mor e st abl e, become f or a shar p,

j oyous moment t he cent er of a gr oup and t hen exci t ed wi t h t r i umph

gl i de on t hr ough t he sea- change of f aces and voi ces and col or under t he

const ant l y changi ng l i ght .

Suddenl y one of t hese gypsi es i n t r embl i ng opal , sei zes a cockt ai l out

of t he ai r , dumps i t down f or cour age and movi ng her hands l i ke

Fr i sco dances out al one on t he canvas pl at f or m. A moment ar y hush; t he

Page 22 of 100

or chest r a l eader var i es hi s r hyt hm obl i gi ngl y f or her and t her e i s a

bur st of chat t er as t he er r oneous news goes ar ound t hat she i s Gi l da

Gr ay' s under st udy f r om t he " Fol l i es. " The par t y has begun.

I bel i eve t hat on t he f i r st ni ght I went t o Gat sby' s house I was one of

t he f ew guest s who had act ual l y been i nvi t ed. Peopl e wer e not

i nvi t ed- - t hey went t her e. They got i nt o aut omobi l es whi ch bor e t hem out

t o Long I sl and and somehow t hey ended up at Gat sby' s door . Once t her e

t hey wer e i nt r oduced by somebody who knew Gat sby and af t er t hat t hey

conduct ed t hemsel ves accor di ng t o t he r ul es of behavi or associ at ed wi t h

amusement par ks. Somet i mes t hey came and went wi t hout havi ng met Gat sby

at al l , came f or t he par t y wi t h a si mpl i ci t y of hear t t hat was i t s own

t i cket of admi ssi on.

I had been act ual l y i nvi t ed. A chauf f eur i n a uni f or m of r obi n' s egg

bl ue cr ossed my l awn ear l y t hat Sat ur day mor ni ng wi t h a sur pr i si ngl y

f or mal not e f r om hi s empl oyer - - t he honor woul d be ent i r el y Gat sby' s, i t

sai d, i f I woul d at t end hi s " l i t t l e par t y" t hat ni ght . He had

seen me sever al t i mes and had i nt ended t o cal l on me l ong bef or e

but a pecul i ar combi nat i on of ci r cumst ances had pr event ed i t - - si gned

Jay Gat sby i n a maj est i c hand.

Dr essed up i n whi t e f l annel s I went over t o hi s l awn a l i t t l e af t er

seven and wander ed ar ound r at her i l l - at - ease among swi r l s and eddi es

of peopl e I di dn' t know- - t hough her e and t her e was a f ace I had not i ced

on t he commut i ng t r ai n. I was i mmedi at el y st r uck by t he number of young

Engl i shmen dot t ed about ; al l wel l dr essed, al l l ooki ng a l i t t l e hungr y

and al l t al ki ng i n l ow ear nest voi ces t o sol i d and pr osper ous

Amer i cans. I was sur e t hat t hey wer e sel l i ng somet hi ng: bonds or

i nsur ance or aut omobi l es. They wer e, at l east , agoni zi ngl y awar e of t he

easy money i n t he vi ci ni t y and convi nced t hat i t was t hei r s f or a f ew

wor ds i n t he r i ght key.

As soon as I ar r i ved I made an at t empt t o f i nd my host but t he t wo or

t hr ee peopl e of whom I asked hi s wher eabout s st ar ed at me i n such an

amazed way and deni ed so vehement l y any knowl edge of hi s movement s

t hat I sl unk of f i n t he di r ect i on of t he cockt ai l t abl e- - t he onl y pl ace

i n t he gar den wher e a si ngl e man coul d l i nger wi t hout l ooki ng

pur posel ess and al one.

I was on my way t o get r oar i ng dr unk f r om sheer embar r assment when

Jor dan Baker came out of t he house and st ood at t he head of t he mar bl e

st eps, l eani ng a l i t t l e backwar d and l ooki ng wi t h cont empt uous i nt er est

down i nt o t he gar den.

Wel come or not , I f ound i t necessar y t o at t ach mysel f t o someone

bef or e I shoul d begi n t o addr ess cor di al r emar ks t o t he passer s - by.

" Hel l o! " I r oar ed, advanci ng t owar d her . My voi ce seemed unnat ur al l y

l oud acr oss t he gar den.

" I t hought you mi ght be her e, " she r esponded absent l y as I came up.

" I r emember ed you l i ved next door t o- - - - "

She hel d my hand i mper sonal l y, as a pr omi se t hat she' d t ake car e

of me i n a mi nut e, and gave ear t o t wo gi r l s i n t wi n yel l ow dr esses

who st opped at t he f oot of t he st eps.

" Hel l o! " t hey cr i ed t oget her . " Sor r y you di dn' t wi n. "

That was f or t he gol f t our nament . She had l ost i n t he f i nal s t he week

bef or e.

" You don' t know who we ar e, " sai d one of t he gi r l s i n yel l ow, " but we

Page 23 of 100

met you her e about a mont h ago. "

" You' ve dyed your hai r si nce t hen, " r emar ked Jor dan, and I st ar t ed

but t he gi r l s had moved casual l y on and her r emar k was addr essed t o t he

pr emat ur e moon, pr oduced l i ke t he supper , no doubt , out of a cat er er ' s

basket . Wi t h Jor dan' s sl ender gol den ar m r est i ng i n mi ne we descended

t he st eps and saunt er ed about t he gar den. A t r ay of cockt ai l s f l oat ed at

us t hr ough t he t wi l i ght and we sat down at a t abl e wi t h t he t wo gi r l s i n

yel l ow and t hr ee men, each one i nt r oduced t o us as Mr . Mumbl e.

" Do you come t o t hese par t i es of t en?" i nqui r ed Jor dan of t he gi r l

besi de her .

" The l ast one was t he one I met you at , " answer ed t he gi r l , i n an al er t ,

conf i dent voi ce. She t ur ned t o her compani on: " Wasn' t i t f or you,

Luci l l e?"

I t was f or Luci l l e, t oo.

" I l i ke t o come, " Luci l l e sai d. " I never car e what I do, so I al ways have

a good t i me. When I was her e l ast I t or e my gown on a chai r , and he asked

me my name and addr ess- - i nsi de of a week I got a package f r om Cr oi r i er ' s

wi t h a new eveni ng gown i n i t . "

" Di d you keep i t ?" asked Jor dan.

" Sur e I di d. I was goi ng t o wear i t t oni ght , but i t was t oo bi g i n t he

bust and had t o be al t er ed. I t was gas bl ue wi t h l avender beads. Two

hundr ed and si xt y- f i ve dol l ar s. "

" Ther e' s somet hi ng f unny about a f el l ow t hat ' l l do a t hi ng l i ke t hat , "

sai d t he ot her gi r l eager l y. " He doesn' t want any t r oubl e wi t h ANYbody. "

" Who doesn' t ?" I i nqui r ed.

" Gat sby. Somebody t ol d me- - - - "

The t wo gi r l s and Jor dan l eaned t oget her conf i dent i al l y.

" Somebody t ol d me t hey t hought he ki l l ed a man once. "

A t hr i l l passed over al l of us. The t hr ee Mr . Mumbl es bent f or war d and

l i st ened eager l y.

" I don' t t hi nk i t ' s so much THAT, " ar gued Luci l l e skept i cal l y; " i t ' s

mor e t hat he was a Ger man spy dur i ng t he war . "

One of t he men nodded i n conf i r mat i on.

" I hear d t hat f r om a man who knew al l about hi m, gr ew up wi t h hi m i n

Ger many, " he assur ed us posi t i vel y.

" Oh, no, " sai d t he f i r st gi r l , " i t coul dn' t be t hat , because he was i n

t he Amer i can ar my dur i ng t he war . " As our cr edul i t y swi t ched back t o

her she l eaned f or war d wi t h ent husi asm. " You l ook at hi m somet i mes when

he t hi nks nobody' s l ooki ng at hi m. I ' l l bet he ki l l ed a man. "

She nar r owed her eyes and shi ver ed. Luci l l e shi ver ed. We al l t ur ned and

l ooked ar ound f or Gat sby. I t was t est i mony t o t he r omant i c specul at i on he

i nspi r ed t hat t her e wer e whi sper s about hi m f r om t hose who f ound l i t t l e

t hat i t was necessar y t o whi sper about i n t hi s wor l d.

The f i r st supper - - t her e woul d be anot her one af t er mi dni ght - - was now

bei ng ser ved, and Jor dan i nvi t ed me t o j oi n her own par t y who wer e

Page 24 of 100

spr ead ar ound a t abl e on t he ot her si de of t he gar den. Ther e wer e

t hr ee mar r i ed coupl es and Jor dan' s escor t , a per si st ent under gr aduat e

gi ven t o vi ol ent i nnuendo and obvi ousl y under t he i mpr essi on

t hat sooner or l at er Jor dan was goi ng t o yi el d hi m up her per son

t o a gr eat er or l esser degr ee. I nst ead of r ambl i ng t hi s par t y

had pr eser ved a di gni f i ed homogenei t y, and assumed t o i t sel f t he

f unct i on of r epr esent i ng t he st ai d nobi l i t y of t he count r ysi de- - East

Egg condescendi ng t o West Egg, and car ef ul l y on guar d agai nst i t s

spect r oscopi c gayet y.

" Let ' s get out , " whi sper ed Jor dan, af t er a somehow wast ef ul and

i nappr opr i at e hal f hour . " Thi s i s much t oo pol i t e f or me. "

We got up, and she expl ai ned t hat we wer e goi ng t o f i nd t he host - - I

had never met hi m, she sai d, and i t was maki ng me uneasy. The

under gr aduat e nodded i n a cyni cal , mel anchol y way.

The bar , wher e we gl anced f i r st , was cr owded but Gat sby was not t her e.

She coul dn' t f i nd hi m f r om t he t op of t he st eps, and he wasn' t on t he

ver anda. On a chance we t r i ed an i mpor t ant - l ooki ng door , and wal ked

i nt o a hi gh Got hi c l i br ar y, panel l ed wi t h car ved Engl i sh oak, and

pr obabl y t r anspor t ed compl et e f r om some r ui n over seas.

A st out , mi ddl e- aged man wi t h enor mous owl - eyed spect acl es was

si t t i ng somewhat dr unk on t he edge of a gr eat t abl e, st ar i ng wi t h

unst eady concent r at i on at t he shel ves of books. As we ent er ed he

wheel ed exci t edl y ar ound and exami ned Jor dan f r om head t o f oot .

" What do you t hi nk?" he demanded i mpet uousl y.

" About what ?"

He waved hi s hand t owar d t he book- shel ves.

" About t hat . As a mat t er of f act you needn' t bot her t o ascer t ai n. I

ascer t ai ned. They' r e r eal . "

" The books?"

He nodded.

" Absol ut el y r eal - - have pages and ever yt hi ng. I t hought t hey' d be a ni ce

dur abl e car dboar d. Mat t er of f act , t hey' r e absol ut el y r eal . Pages

and- - Her e! Lemme show you. "

Taki ng our skept i ci sm f or gr ant ed, he r ushed t o t he bookcases and

r et ur ned wi t h Vol ume One of t he " St oddar d Lect ur es. "

" See! " he cr i ed t r i umphant l y. " I t ' s a bona f i de pi ece of pr i nt ed mat t er .

I t f ool ed me. Thi s f el l a' s a r egul ar Bel asco. I t ' s a t r i umph. What

t hor oughness! What r eal i sm! Knew when t o st op t oo- - di dn' t cut t he pages.

But what do you want ? What do you expect ?"

He snat ched t he book f r om me and r epl aced i t hast i l y on i t s shel f

mut t er i ng t hat i f one br i ck was r emoved t he whol e l i br ar y was l i abl e

t o col l apse.

" Who br ought you?" he demanded. " Or di d you j ust come? I was br ought .

Most peopl e wer e br ought . "

Jor dan l ooked at hi m al er t l y, cheer f ul l y wi t hout answer i ng.

" I was br ought by a woman named Roosevel t , " he cont i nued. " Mr s. Cl aud

Roosevel t . Do you know her ? I met her somewher e l ast ni ght . I ' ve

Page 25 of 100

been dr unk f or about a week now, and I t hought i t mi ght sober me

up t o si t i n a l i br ar y. "

" Has i t ?"

" A l i t t l e bi t , I t hi nk. I can' t t el l yet . I ' ve onl y been her e

an hour . Di d I t el l you about t he books? They' r e r eal . They' r e- - - - "

" You t ol d us. "

We shook hands wi t h hi m gr avel y and went back out door s.

Ther e was danci ng now on t he canvas i n t he gar den, ol d men pushi ng

young gi r l s backwar d i n et er nal gr acel ess ci r cl es, super i or coupl es

hol di ng each ot her t or t uousl y, f ashi onabl y and keepi ng i n t he

cor ner s- - and a gr eat number of si ngl e gi r l s danci ng i ndi vi dual i st i cal l y

or r el i evi ng t he or chest r a f or a moment of t he bur den of t he banj o or

t he t r aps. By mi dni ght t he hi l ar i t y had i ncr eased. A cel ebr at ed t enor had

sung i n I t al i an and a not or i ous cont r al t o had sung i n j azz and bet ween

t he number s peopl e wer e doi ng " st unt s" al l over t he gar den, whi l e happy

vacuous bur st s of l aught er r ose t owar d t he summer sky. A pai r of st age

" t wi ns" - - who t ur ned out t o be t he gi r l s i n yel l ow- - di d a baby act i n

cost ume and champagne was ser ved i n gl asses bi gger t han f i nger bowl s.

The moon had r i sen hi gher , and f l oat i ng i n t he Sound was a t r i angl e of

si l ver scal es, t r embl i ng a l i t t l e t o t he st i f f , t i nny dr i p of t he

banj oes on t he l awn.

I was st i l l wi t h Jor dan Baker . We wer e si t t i ng at a t abl e wi t h a man of

about my age and a r owdy l i t t l e gi r l who gave way upon t he sl i ght est

pr ovocat i on t o uncont r ol l abl e l aught er . I was enj oyi ng mysel f now. I

had t aken t wo f i nger bowl s of champagne and t he scene had changed

bef or e my eyes i nt o somet hi ng si gni f i cant , el ement al and pr of ound.

At a l ul l i n t he ent er t ai nment t he man l ooked at me and smi l ed.

" Your f ace i s f ami l i ar , " he sai d, pol i t el y. " Wer en' t you i n t he Thi r d

Di vi si on dur i ng t he war ?"

" Why, yes. I was i n t he Ni nt h Machi ne- Gun Bat t al i on. "

" I was i n t he Sevent h I nf ant r y unt i l June ni net een- ei ght een. I knew I ' d

seen you somewher e bef or e. "

We t al ked f or a moment about some wet , gr ey l i t t l e vi l l ages i n Fr ance.

Evi dent l y he l i ved i n t hi s vi ci ni t y f or he t ol d me t hat he had j ust

bought a hydr opl ane and was goi ng t o t r y i t out i n t he mor ni ng.

" Want t o go wi t h me, ol d spor t ? Just near t he shor e al ong t he Sound. "

" What t i me?"

" Any t i me t hat sui t s you best . "

I t was on t he t i p of my t ongue t o ask hi s name when Jor dan l ooked ar ound

and smi l ed.

" Havi ng a gay t i me now?" she i nqui r ed.

" Much bet t er . " I t ur ned agai n t o my new acquai nt ance. " Thi s i s an unusual

par t y f or me. I haven' t even seen t he host . I l i ve over t her e- - - - " I waved

my hand at t he i nvi si bl e hedge i n t he di st ance, " and t hi s man Gat sby sent

over hi s chauf f eur wi t h an i nvi t at i on. "

For a moment he l ooked at me as i f he f ai l ed t o under st and.

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" I ' m Gat sby, " he sai d suddenl y.

" What ! " I excl ai med. " Oh, I beg your par don. "

" I t hought you knew, ol d spor t . I ' m af r ai d I ' m not a ver y good host . "

He smi l ed under st andi ngl y- - much mor e t han under st andi ngl y. I t was

one of t hose r ar e smi l es wi t h a qual i t y of et er nal r eassur ance

i n i t , t hat you may come acr oss f our or f i ve t i mes i n l i f e. I t f aced- - or

seemed t o f ace- - t he whol e ext er nal wor l d f or an i nst ant , and t hen

concent r at ed on YOU wi t h an i r r esi st i bl e pr ej udi ce i n your f avor . I t

under st ood you j ust so f ar as you want ed t o be under st ood, bel i eved i n

you as you woul d l i ke t o bel i eve i n your sel f and assur ed you t hat i t

had pr eci sel y t he i mpr essi on of you t hat , at your best , you hoped t o

convey. Pr eci sel y at t hat poi nt i t vani shed- - and I was l ooki ng at an

el egant young r ough- neck, a year or t wo over t hi r t y, whose el abor at e

f or mal i t y of speech j ust mi ssed bei ng absur d. Some t i me bef or e he

i nt r oduced hi msel f I ' d got a st r ong i mpr essi on t hat he was pi cki ng hi s

wor ds wi t h car e.

Al most at t he moment when Mr . Gat sby i dent i f i ed hi msel f a but l er

hur r i ed t owar d hi m wi t h t he i nf or mat i on t hat Chi cago was cal l i ng hi m on

t he wi r e. He excused hi msel f wi t h a smal l bow t hat i ncl uded each of us

i n t ur n.

" I f you want anyt hi ng j ust ask f or i t , ol d spor t , " he ur ged me.

" Excuse me. I wi l l r ej oi n you l at er . "

When he was gone I t ur ned i mmedi at el y t o Jor dan- - const r ai ned t o assur e her

of my sur pr i se. I had expect ed t hat Mr . Gat sby woul d be a f l or i d and

cor pul ent per son i n hi s mi ddl e year s.

" Who i s he?" I demanded. " Do you know?"

" He' s j ust a man named Gat sby. "

" Wher e i s he f r om, I mean? And what does he do?"

" Now YOU' r e st ar t ed on t he subj ect , " she answer ed wi t h a wan smi l e.

" Wel l , - - he t ol d me once he was an Oxf or d man. "

A di m backgr ound st ar t ed t o t ake shape behi nd hi m but at her

next r emar k i t f aded away.

" However , I don' t bel i eve i t . "

" Why not ?"

" I don' t know, " she i nsi st ed, " I j ust don' t t hi nk he went t her e. "

Somet hi ng i n her t one r emi nded me of t he ot her gi r l ' s " I t hi nk

he ki l l ed a man, " and had t he ef f ect of st i mul at i ng my cur i osi t y. I

woul d have accept ed wi t hout quest i on t he i nf or mat i on t hat Gat sby spr ang

f r om t he swamps of Loui si ana or f r om t he l ower East Si de of New Yor k.

That was compr ehensi bl e. But young men di dn' t - - at l east i n my pr ovi nci al

i nexper i ence I bel i eved t hey di dn' t - - dr i f t cool l y out of nowher e and buy

a pal ace on Long I sl and Sound.

" Anyhow he gi ves l ar ge par t i es, " sai d Jor dan, changi ng t he subj ect

wi t h an ur bane di st ast e f or t he concr et e. " And I l i ke l ar ge par t i es.

They' r e so i nt i mat e. At smal l par t i es t her e i sn' t any pr i vacy. "

Ther e was t he boom of a bass dr um, and t he voi ce of t he or chest r a l eader

Page 27 of 100

r ang out suddenl y above t he echol al i a of t he gar den.

" Ladi es and gent l emen, " he cr i ed. " At t he r equest of Mr . Gat sby we ar e

goi ng t o pl ay f or you Mr . Vl adi mi r Tost of f ' s l at est wor k whi ch at t r act ed

so much at t ent i on at Car negi e Hal l l ast May. I f you r ead t he paper s

you know t her e was a bi g sensat i on. " He smi l ed wi t h j ovi al condescensi on

and added " Some sensat i on! " wher eupon ever ybody l aughed.

" The pi ece i s known, " he concl uded l ust i l y, " as ' Vl adi mi r Tost of f ' s

Jazz Hi st or y of t he Wor l d. ' "

The nat ur e of Mr . Tost of f ' s composi t i on el uded me, because j ust as

i t began my eyes f el l on Gat sby, st andi ng al one on t he mar bl e st eps

and l ooki ng f r om one gr oup t o anot her wi t h appr ovi ng eyes.

Hi s t anned ski n was dr awn at t r act i vel y t i ght on hi s f ace and

hi s shor t hai r l ooked as t hough i t wer e t r i mmed ever y day. I coul d

see not hi ng si ni st er about hi m. I wonder ed i f t he f act t hat he was

not dr i nki ng hel ped t o set hi m of f f r om hi s guest s, f or i t seemed

t o me t hat he gr ew mor e cor r ect as t he f r at er nal hi l ar i t y i ncr eased.

When t he " Jazz Hi st or y of t he Wor l d" was over gi r l s wer e put t i ng

t hei r heads on men' s shoul der s i n a puppyi sh, convi vi al way, gi r l s wer e

swooni ng backwar d pl ayf ul l y i nt o men' s ar ms, even i nt o gr oups knowi ng

t hat some one woul d ar r est t hei r f al l s- - but no one swooned backwar d on

Gat sby and no Fr ench bob t ouched Gat sby' s shoul der and no si ngi ng

quar t et s wer e f or med wi t h Gat sby' s head f or one l i nk.

" I beg your par don. "

Gat sby' s but l er was suddenl y st andi ng besi de us.

" Mi ss Baker ?" he i nqui r ed. " I beg your par don but Mr . Gat sby woul d l i ke

t o speak t o you al one. "

" Wi t h me?" she excl ai med i n sur pr i se.

" Yes, madame. "

She got up sl owl y, r ai si ng her eyebr ows at me i n ast oni shment ,

and f ol l owed t he but l er t owar d t he house. I not i ced t hat she wor e

her eveni ng dr ess, al l her dr esses, l i ke spor t s cl ot hes - - t her e

was a j aunt i ness about her movement s as i f she had f i r st l ear ned t o

wal k upon gol f cour ses on cl ean, cr i sp mor ni ngs.

I was al one and i t was al most t wo. For some t i me conf used and

i nt r i gui ng sounds had i ssued f r om a l ong many- wi ndowed r oom whi ch

over hung t he t er r ace. El udi ng Jor dan' s under gr aduat e who was now

engaged i n an obst et r i cal conver sat i on wi t h t wo chor us gi r l s, and who

i mpl or ed me t o j oi n hi m, I went i nsi de.

The l ar ge r oom was f ul l of peopl e. One of t he gi r l s i n yel l ow was

pl ayi ng t he pi ano and besi de her st ood a t al l , r ed hai r ed young l ady

f r om a f amous chor us, engaged i n song. She had dr unk a quant i t y of

champagne and dur i ng t he cour se of her song she had deci ded i nept l y

t hat ever yt hi ng was ver y ver y sad- - she was not onl y si ngi ng, she was

weepi ng t oo. Whenever t her e was a pause i n t he song she f i l l ed i t wi t h

gaspi ng br oken sobs and t hen t ook up t he l yr i c agai n i n a quaver i ng

sopr ano. The t ear s cour sed down her cheeks- - not f r eel y, however , f or when

t hey came i nt o cont act wi t h her heavi l y beaded eyel ashes t hey assumed an

i nky col or , and pur sued t he r est of t hei r way i n sl ow bl ack r i vul et s. A

humor ous suggest i on was made t hat she si ng t he not es on her f ace

wher eupon she t hr ew up her hands, sank i nt o a chai r and went of f i nt o

a deep vi nous sl eep.

" She had a f i ght wi t h a man who says he' s her husband, " expl ai ned a

Page 28 of 100

gi r l at my el bow.

I l ooked ar ound. Most of t he r emai ni ng women wer e now havi ng f i ght s

wi t h men sai d t o be t hei r husbands. Even Jor dan' s par t y, t he quar t et

f r om East Egg, wer e r ent asunder by di ssensi on. One of t he men was

t al ki ng wi t h cur i ous i nt ensi t y t o a young act r ess, and hi s wi f e af t er

at t empt i ng t o l augh at t he si t uat i on i n a di gni f i ed and i ndi f f er ent

way br oke down ent i r el y and r esor t ed t o f l ank at t acks - - at i nt er val s she

appear ed suddenl y at hi s si de l i ke an angr y di amond, and hi ssed " You

pr omi sed! " i nt o hi s ear .

The r el uct ance t o go home was not conf i ned t o waywar d men. The hal l was at

pr esent occupi ed by t wo depl or abl y sober men and t hei r hi ghl y i ndi gnant

wi ves. The wi ves wer e sympat hi zi ng wi t h each ot her i n sl i ght l y r ai sed

voi ces.

" Whenever he sees I ' m havi ng a good t i me he want s t o go home. "

" Never hear d anyt hi ng so sel f i sh i n my l i f e. "

" We' r e al ways t he f i r st ones t o l eave. "

" So ar e we. "

" Wel l , we' r e al most t he l ast t oni ght , " sai d one of t he men sheepi shl y.

" The or chest r a l ef t hal f an hour ago. "

I n spi t e of t he wi ves' agr eement t hat such mal evol ence was beyond

cr edi bi l i t y, t he di sput e ended i n a shor t st r uggl e, and bot h wi ves wer e

l i f t ed ki cki ng i nt o t he ni ght .

As I wai t ed f or my hat i n t he hal l t he door of t he l i br ar y opened and

Jor dan Baker and Gat sby came out t oget her . He was sayi ng some l ast wor d

t o her but t he eager ness i n hi s manner t i ght ened abr upt l y i nt o

f or mal i t y as sever al peopl e appr oached hi m t o say goodbye.

Jor dan' s par t y wer e cal l i ng i mpat i ent l y t o her f r om t he por ch but she

l i nger ed f or a moment t o shake hands.

" I ' ve j ust hear d t he most amazi ng t hi ng, " she whi sper ed. " How l ong wer e

we i n t her e?"

" Why, - - about an hour . "

" I t was- - si mpl y amazi ng, " she r epeat ed abst r act edl y. " But I swor e

I woul dn' t t el l i t and her e I am t ant al i zi ng you. " She yawned

gr acef ul l y i n my f ace. " Pl ease come and see me. . . . Phone book.

. . . Under t he name of Mr s. Si gour ney Howar d. . . . My aunt . . . . "

She was hur r yi ng of f as she t al ked- - her br own hand waved a

j aunt y sal ut e as she mel t ed i nt o her par t y at t he door .

Rat her ashamed t hat on my f i r st appear ance I had st ayed so l at e, I

j oi ned t he l ast of Gat sby' s guest s who wer e cl ust er ed ar ound hi m. I

want ed t o expl ai n t hat I ' d hunt ed f or hi m ear l y i n t he eveni ng and t o

apol ogi ze f or not havi ng known hi m i n t he gar den.

" Don' t ment i on i t , " he enj oi ned me eager l y. " Don' t gi ve i t anot her

t hought , ol d spor t . " The f ami l i ar expr essi on hel d no mor e f ami l i ar i t y

t han t he hand whi ch r eassur i ngl y br ushed my shoul der . " And don' t f or get

we' r e goi ng up i n t he hydr opl ane t omor r ow mor ni ng at ni ne o' cl ock. "

Then t he but l er , behi nd hi s shoul der :

" Phi l adel phi a want s you on t he phone, si r . "

Page 29 of 100

" Al l r i ght , i n a mi nut e. Tel l t hem I ' l l be r i ght t her e. . . . good

ni ght . "

" Good ni ght . "

" Good ni ght . " He smi l ed- - and suddenl y t her e seemed t o be a pl easant

si gni f i cance i n havi ng been among t he l ast t o go, as i f he had desi r ed

i t al l t he t i me. " Good ni ght , ol d spor t . . . . Good ni ght . "

But as I wal ked down t he st eps I saw t hat t he eveni ng was not qui t e over .

Fi f t y f eet f r om t he door a dozen headl i ght s i l l umi nat ed a bi zar r e and

t umul t uous scene. I n t he di t ch besi de t he r oad, r i ght si de up but

vi ol ent l y shor n of one wheel , r est ed a new coup

whi ch had l ef t Gat sby' s

dr i ve not t wo mi nut es bef or e. The shar p j ut of a wal l account ed f or t he

det achment of t he wheel whi ch was now get t i ng consi der abl e at t ent i on f r om

hal f a dozen cur i ous chauf f eur s. However , as t hey had l ef t t hei r car s

bl ocki ng t he r oad a har sh di scor dant di n f r om t hose i n t he r ear had been

audi bl e f or some t i me and added t o t he al r eady vi ol ent conf usi on of

t he scene.

A man i n a l ong dust er had di smount ed f r om t he wr eck and now st ood i n

t he mi ddl e of t he r oad, l ooki ng f r om t he car t o t he t i r e and f r om t he

t i r e t o t he obser ver s i n a pl easant , puzzl ed way.

" See! " he expl ai ned. " I t went i n t he di t ch. "

The f act was i nf i ni t el y ast oni shi ng t o hi m- - and I r ecogni zed f i r st t he

unusual qual i t y of wonder and t hen t he man- - i t was t he l at e pat r on of

Gat sby' s l i br ar y.

" How' d i t happen?"

He shr ugged hi s shoul der s.

" I know not hi ng what ever about mechani cs, " he sai d deci si vel y.

" But how di d i t happen? Di d you r un i nt o t he wal l ?"

" Don' t ask me, " sai d Owl Eyes, washi ng hi s hands of t he whol e mat t er .

" I know ver y l i t t l e about dr i vi ng- - next t o not hi ng. I t happened,

and t hat ' s al l I know. "

" Wel l , i f you' r e a poor dr i ver you ought n' t t o t r y dr i vi ng at ni ght . "

" But I wasn' t even t r yi ng, " he expl ai ned i ndi gnant l y, " I wasn' t even

t r yi ng. "

An awed hush f el l upon t he byst ander s.

" Do you want t o commi t sui ci de?"

" You' r e l ucky i t was j ust a wheel ! A bad dr i ver and not even TRYi ng! "

" You don' t under st and, " expl ai ned t he cr i mi nal . " I wasn' t dr i vi ng. Ther e' s

anot her man i n t he car . "

The shock t hat f ol l owed t hi s decl ar at i on f ound voi ce i n a sust ai ned

" Ah- h- h! " as t he door of t he coup

swung sl owl y open. The cr owd- - i t was

now a cr owd- - st epped back i nvol unt ar i l y and when t he door had opened wi de

t her e was a ghost l y pause. Then, ver y gr adual l y, par t by par t , a pal e

dangl i ng i ndi vi dual st epped out of t he wr eck, pawi ng t ent at i vel y at t he

gr ound wi t h a l ar ge uncer t ai n danci ng shoe.

Page 30 of 100

Bl i nded by t he gl ar e of t he headl i ght s and conf used by t he i ncessant

gr oani ng of t he hor ns t he appar i t i on st ood swayi ng f or a moment bef or e

he per cei ved t he man i n t he dust er .

" Wha' s mat t er ?" he i nqui r ed cal ml y. " Di d we r un out a gas?"

" Look! "

Hal f a dozen f i nger s poi nt ed at t he amput at ed wheel - - he st ar ed

at i t f or a moment and t hen l ooked upwar d as t hough he suspect ed t hat

i t had dr opped f r om t he sky.

" I t came of f , " some one expl ai ned.

He nodded.

" At f i r st I di n' not i ce we' d st opped. "

A pause. Then, t aki ng a l ong br eat h and st r ai ght eni ng hi s shoul der s

he r emar ked i n a det er mi ned voi ce:

" Wonder ' f f t el l me wher e t her e' s a gas' l i ne st at i on?"

At l east a dozen men, some of t hem l i t t l e bet t er of f t han he was,

expl ai ned t o hi m t hat wheel and car wer e no l onger j oi ned by any physi cal

bond.

" Back out , " he suggest ed af t er a moment . " Put her i n r ever se. "

" But t he WHEEL' S of f ! "

He hesi t at ed.

" No har m i n t r yi ng, " he sai d.

The cat er waul i ng hor ns had r eached a cr escendo and I t ur ned away and

cut acr oss t he l awn t owar d home. I gl anced back once. A waf er of a moon

was shi ni ng over Gat sby' s house, maki ng t he ni ght f i ne as bef or e and

sur vi vi ng t he l aught er and t he sound of hi s st i l l gl owi ng gar den. A

sudden empt i ness seemed t o f l ow now f r om t he wi ndows and t he gr eat

door s, endowi ng wi t h compl et e i sol at i on t he f i gur e of t he host who

st ood on t he por ch, hi s hand up i n a f or mal gest ur e of f ar ewel l .

Readi ng over what I have wr i t t en so f ar I see I have gi ven t he

i mpr essi on t hat t he event s of t hr ee ni ght s sever al weeks apar t wer e al l

t hat absor bed me. On t he cont r ar y t hey wer e mer el y casual event s i n a

cr owded summer and, unt i l much l at er , t hey absor bed me i nf i ni t el y l ess

t han my per sonal af f ai r s.

Most of t he t i me I wor ked. I n t he ear l y mor ni ng t he sun t hr ew my shadow

west war d as I hur r i ed down t he whi t e chasms of l ower New Yor k t o t he

Pr obi t y Tr ust . I knew t he ot her cl er ks and young bond- sal esmen by t hei r

f i r st names and l unched wi t h t hem i n dar k cr owded r est aur ant s on

l i t t l e pi g sausages and mashed pot at oes and cof f ee. I even had a shor t

af f ai r wi t h a gi r l who l i ved i n Jer sey Ci t y and wor ked i n t he

account i ng depar t ment , but her br ot her began t hr owi ng mean l ooks i n my

di r ect i on so when she went on her vacat i on i n Jul y I l et i t bl ow

qui et l y away.

I t ook di nner usual l y at t he Yal e Cl ub- - f or some r eason i t was t he

gl oomi est event of my day- - and t hen I went upst ai r s t o t he l i br ar y and

st udi ed i nvest ment s and secur i t i es f or a consci ent i ous hour .

Ther e wer e gener al l y a f ew r i ot er s ar ound but t hey never came i nt o t he

Page 31 of 100

l i br ar y so i t was a good pl ace t o wor k. Af t er t hat , i f t he ni ght was

mel l ow I st r ol l ed down Madi son Avenue past t he ol d Mur r ay Hi l l Hot el

and over Thi r t y- t hi r d St r eet t o t he Pennsyl vani a St at i on.

I began t o l i ke New Yor k, t he r acy, advent ur ous f eel of i t at ni ght

and t he sat i sf act i on t hat t he const ant f l i cker of men and women and

machi nes gi ves t o t he r est l ess eye. I l i ked t o wal k up Fi f t h Avenue and

pi ck out r omant i c women f r om t he cr owd and i magi ne t hat i n a f ew

mi nut es I was goi ng t o ent er i nt o t hei r l i ves, and no one woul d ever

know or di sappr ove. Somet i mes, i n my mi nd, I f ol l owed t hem t o t hei r

apar t ment s on t he cor ner s of hi dden st r eet s, and t hey t ur ned and smi l ed

back at me bef or e t hey f aded t hr ough a door i nt o war m dar kness. At t he

enchant ed met r opol i t an t wi l i ght I f el t a haunt i ng l onel i ness somet i mes,

and f el t i t i n ot her s- - poor young cl er ks who l oi t er ed i n f r ont of wi ndows

wai t i ng unt i l i t was t i me f or a sol i t ar y r est aur ant di nner - - young cl er ks

i n t he dusk, wast i ng t he most poi gnant moment s of ni ght and l i f e.

Agai n at ei ght o' cl ock, when t he dar k l anes of t he For t i es wer e f i ve

deep wi t h t hr obbi ng t axi cabs, bound f or t he t heat r e di st r i ct , I f el t a

si nki ng i n my hear t . For ms l eaned t oget her i n t he t axi s as t hey wai t ed,

and voi ces sang, and t her e was l aught er f r om unhear d j okes, and l i ght ed

ci gar et t es out l i ned uni nt el l i gi bl e gest ur es i nsi de. I magi ni ng t hat

I , t oo, was hur r yi ng t owar d gayet y and shar i ng t hei r i nt i mat e

exci t ement , I wi shed t hem wel l .

For a whi l e I l ost si ght of Jor dan Baker , and t hen i n mi dsummer I f ound

her agai n. At f i r st I was f l at t er ed t o go pl aces wi t h her because she

was a gol f champi on and ever y one knew her name. Then i t was

somet hi ng mor e. I wasn' t act ual l y i n l ove, but I f el t a sor t of

t ender cur i osi t y. The bor ed haught y f ace t hat she t ur ned t o t he

wor l d conceal ed somet hi ng- - most af f ect at i ons conceal somet hi ng

event ual l y, even t hough t hey don' t i n t he begi nni ng- - and one day I f ound

what i t was. When we wer e on a house- par t y t oget her up i n War wi ck, she

l ef t a bor r owed car out i n t he r ai n wi t h t he t op down, and t hen l i ed

about i t - - and suddenl y I r emember ed t he st or y about her t hat had el uded

me t hat ni ght at Dai sy' s. At her f i r st bi g gol f t our nament t her e was a

r ow t hat near l y r eached t he newspaper s- - a suggest i on t hat she had moved

her bal l f r om a bad l i e i n t he semi - f i nal r ound. The t hi ng appr oached

t he pr opor t i ons of a scandal - - t hen di ed away. A caddy r et r act ed hi s

st at ement and t he onl y ot her wi t ness admi t t ed t hat he mi ght have been

mi st aken. The i nci dent and t he name had r emai ned t oget her i n my mi nd.

Jor dan Baker i nst i nct i vel y avoi ded cl ever shr ewd men and now I saw

t hat t hi s was because she f el t saf er on a pl ane wher e any di ver gence

f r om a code woul d be t hought i mpossi bl e. She was i ncur abl y di shonest .

She wasn' t abl e t o endur e bei ng at a di sadvant age, and gi ven t hi s

unwi l l i ngness I suppose she had begun deal i ng i n subt er f uges when she

was ver y young i n or der t o keep t hat cool , i nsol ent smi l e t ur ned t o t he

wor l d and yet sat i sf y t he demands of her har d j aunt y body.

I t made no di f f er ence t o me. Di shonest y i n a woman i s a t hi ng you never

bl ame deepl y- - I was casual l y sor r y, and t hen I f or got . I t was on t hat

same house par t y t hat we had a cur i ous conver sat i on about dr i vi ng a

car . I t st ar t ed because she passed so cl ose t o some wor kmen t hat our

f ender f l i cked a but t on on one man' s coat .

" You' r e a r ot t en dr i ver , " I pr ot est ed. " Ei t her you ought t o be mor e

car ef ul or you ought n' t t o dr i ve at al l . "

" I am car ef ul . "

" No, you' r e not . "

" Wel l , ot her peopl e ar e, " she sai d l i ght l y.

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" What ' s t hat got t o do wi t h i t ?"

" They' l l keep out of my way, " she i nsi st ed. " I t t akes t wo t o make an

acci dent . "

" Suppose you met somebody j ust as car el ess as your sel f . "

" I hope I never wi l l , " she answer ed. " I hat e car el ess peopl e. That ' s why

I l i ke you. "

Her gr ey, sun- st r ai ned eyes st ar ed st r ai ght ahead, but she had

del i ber at el y shi f t ed our r el at i ons, and f or a moment I t hought I l oved

her . But I am sl ow- t hi nki ng and f ul l of i nt er i or r ul es t hat act as br akes

on my desi r es, and I knew t hat f i r st I had t o get mysel f def i ni t el y out of

t hat t angl e back home. I ' d been wr i t i ng l et t er s once a week and si gni ng

t hem: " Love, Ni ck, " and al l I coul d t hi nk of was how, when t hat cer t ai n

gi r l pl ayed t enni s, a f ai nt must ache of per spi r at i on appear ed on her

upper l i p. Never t hel ess t her e was a vague under st andi ng t hat had t o be

t act f ul l y br oken of f bef or e I was f r ee.

Ever y one suspect s hi msel f of at l east one of t he car di nal vi r t ues, and

t hi s i s mi ne: I am one of t he f ew honest peopl e t hat I have ever known.

Chapt er 4

On Sunday mor ni ng whi l e chur ch bel l s r ang i n t he vi l l ages al ong shor e

t he wor l d and i t s mi st r ess r et ur ned t o Gat sby' s house and t wi nkl ed

hi l ar i ousl y on hi s l awn.

" He' s a boot l egger , " sai d t he young l adi es, movi ng somewher e bet ween

hi s cockt ai l s and hi s f l ower s. " One t i me he ki l l ed a man who had f ound out

t hat he was nephew t o von Hi ndenbur g and second cousi n t o t he devi l .

Reach me a r ose, honey, and pour me a l ast dr op i nt o t hat t her e cr yst al

gl ass. "

Once I wr ot e down on t he empt y spaces of a t i me- t abl e t he names

of t hose who came t o Gat sby' s house t hat summer . I t i s an ol d t i me- t abl e

now, di si nt egr at i ng at i t s f ol ds and headed " Thi s schedul e i n ef f ect

Jul y 5t h, 1922. " But I can st i l l r ead t he gr ey names and t hey wi l l gi ve

you a bet t er i mpr essi on t han my gener al i t i es of t hose who accept ed

Gat sby' s hospi t al i t y and pai d hi m t he subt l e t r i but e of knowi ng not hi ng

what ever about hi m.

Fr om East Egg, t hen, came t he Chest er Becker s and t he Leeches and a

man named Bunsen whom I knew at Yal e and Doct or Webst er Ci vet who

was dr owned l ast summer up i n Mai ne. And t he Hor nbeams and t he Wi l l i e

Vol t ai r es and a whol e cl an named Bl ackbuck who al ways gat her ed i n a

cor ner and f l i pped up t hei r noses l i ke goat s at whosoever came near .

And t he I smays and t he Chr yst i es ( or r at her Huber t Auer bach and Mr .

Chr yst i e' s wi f e) and Edgar Beaver , whose hai r t hey say t ur ned

cot t on- whi t e one wi nt er af t er noon f or no good r eason at al l .

Cl ar ence Endi ve was f r om East Egg, as I r emember . He came onl y

once, i n whi t e kni cker bocker s, and had a f i ght wi t h a bum named

Et t y i n t he gar den. Fr om f ar t her out on t he I sl and came t he Cheadl es

and t he O. R. P. Schr aeder s and t he St onewal l Jackson Abr ams of

Geor gi a and t he Fi shguar ds and t he Ri pl ey Snel l s. Snel l was t her e

t hr ee days bef or e he went t o t he peni t ent i ar y, so dr unk out on t he

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gr avel dr i ve t hat Mr s. Ul ysses Swet t ' s aut omobi l e r an over hi s r i ght

hand. The Danci es came t oo and S. B. Whi t ebai t , who was wel l over

si xt y, and Maur i ce A. Fl i nk and t he Hammer heads and Bel uga t he

t obacco i mpor t er and Bel uga' s gi r l s.

Fr om West Egg came t he Pol es and t he Mul r eadys and Ceci l Roebuck and

Ceci l Schoen and Gul i ck t he st at e senat or and Newt on Or chi d who

cont r ol l ed Fi l ms Par Excel l ence and Eckhaust and Cl yde Cohen and Don

S. Schwar t ze ( t he son) and Ar t hur McCar t y, al l connect ed wi t h t he

movi es i n one way or anot her . And t he Cat l i ps and t he Bember gs and G.

Ear l Mul doon, br ot her t o t hat Mul doon who af t er war d st r angl ed hi s wi f e.

Da Font ano t he pr omot er came t her e, and Ed Legr os and James B.

( " Rot - Gut " ) Fer r et and t he De Jongs and Er nest Li l l y- - t hey came t o

gambl e and when Fer r et wander ed i nt o t he gar den i t meant he was

cl eaned out and Associ at ed Tr act i on woul d have t o f l uct uat e pr of i t abl y

next day.

A man named Kl i pspr i nger was t her e so of t en and so l ong t hat he became

known as " t he boar der " - - I doubt i f he had any ot her home. Of t heat r i cal

peopl e t her e wer e Gus Wai ze and Hor ace O' Donavan and Lest er Meyer and

Geor ge Duckweed and Fr anci s Bul l . Al so f r om New Yor k wer e t he Chr omes

and t he Backhyssons and t he Denni cker s and Russel Bet t y and t he

Cor r i gans and t he Kel l eher s and t he Dewar s and t he Scul l ys and S. W.

Bel cher and t he Smi r kes and t he young Qui nns, di vor ced now, and Henr y

L. Pal met t o who ki l l ed hi msel f by j umpi ng i n f r ont of a subway t r ai n

i n Ti mes Squar e.

Benny McCl enahan ar r i ved al ways wi t h f our gi r l s. They wer e never qui t e

t he same ones i n physi cal per son but t hey wer e so i dent i cal one wi t h

anot her t hat i t i nevi t abl y seemed t hey had been t her e bef or e. I have

f or got t en t hei r names- - Jaquel i ne, I t hi nk, or el se Consuel a or Gl or i a

or Judy or June, and t hei r l ast names wer e ei t her t he mel odi ous names

of f l ower s and mont hs or t he st er ner ones of t he gr eat Amer i can

capi t al i st s whose cousi ns, i f pr essed, t hey woul d conf ess t hemsel ves t o

be.

I n addi t i on t o al l t hese I can r emember t hat Faust i na O' Br i en came

t her e at l east once and t he Baedeker gi r l s and young Br ewer who had

hi s nose shot of f i n t he war and Mr . Al br ucksbur ger and Mi ss Haag, hi s

f i anc e, and Ar di t a Fi t z- Pet er s, and Mr . P. Jewet t , once head of t he

Amer i can Legi on, and Mi ss Cl audi a Hi p wi t h a man r eput ed t o be her

chauf f eur , and a pr i nce of somet hi ng whom we cal l ed Duke and whose name,

i f I ever knew i t , I have f or got t en.

Al l t hese peopl e came t o Gat sby' s house i n t he summer .

At ni ne o' cl ock, one mor ni ng l at e i n Jul y Gat sby' s gor geous car

l ur ched up t he r ocky dr i ve t o my door and gave out a bur st of mel ody

f r om i t s t hr ee not ed hor n. I t was t he f i r st t i me he had cal l ed on me

t hough I had gone t o t wo of hi s par t i es, mount ed i n hi s hydr opl ane,

and, at hi s ur gent i nvi t at i on, made f r equent use of hi s beach.

" Good mor ni ng, ol d spor t . You' r e havi ng l unch wi t h me t oday and I

t hought we' d r i de up t oget her . "

He was bal anci ng hi msel f on t he dashboar d of hi s car wi t h t hat

r esour cef ul ness of movement t hat i s so pecul i ar l y Amer i can- - t hat comes,

I suppose, wi t h t he absence of l i f t i ng wor k or r i gi d si t t i ng i n yout h

and, even mor e, wi t h t he f or ml ess gr ace of our ner vous, spor adi c games.

Thi s qual i t y was cont i nual l y br eaki ng t hr ough hi s punct i l i ous manner i n

t he shape of r est l essness. He was never qui t e st i l l ; t her e was al ways a

t appi ng f oot somewher e or t he i mpat i ent openi ng and cl osi ng of a hand.

Page 34 of 100

He saw me l ooki ng wi t h admi r at i on at hi s car .

" I t ' s pr et t y, i sn' t i t , ol d spor t . " He j umped of f t o gi ve me a bet t er

vi ew. " Haven' t you ever seen i t bef or e?"

I ' d seen i t . Ever ybody had seen i t . I t was a r i ch cr eam col or , br i ght

wi t h ni ckel , swol l en her e and t her e i n i t s monst r ous l engt h wi t h

t r i umphant hat boxes and supper - boxes and t ool - boxes, and t er r aced wi t h a

l abyr i nt h of wi ndshi el ds t hat mi r r or ed a dozen suns. Si t t i ng down behi nd

many l ayer s of gl ass i n a sor t of gr een l eat her conser vat or y we st ar t ed

t o t own.

I had t al ked wi t h hi m per haps hal f a dozen t i mes i n t he past mont h and

f ound, t o my di sappoi nt ment , t hat he had l i t t l e t o say. So my f i r st

i mpr essi on, t hat he was a per son of some undef i ned consequence, had

gr adual l y f aded and he had become si mpl y t he pr opr i et or of an el abor at e

r oadhouse next door .

And t hen came t hat di sconcer t i ng r i de. We hadn' t r eached West Egg

vi l l age bef or e Gat sby began l eavi ng hi s el egant sent ences unf i ni shed

and sl appi ng hi msel f i ndeci si vel y on t he knee of hi s car amel - col or ed

sui t .

" Look her e, ol d spor t , " he br oke out sur pr i si ngl y. " What ' s your opi ni on

of me, anyhow?"

A l i t t l e over whel med, I began t he gener al i zed evasi ons whi ch

t hat quest i on deser ves.

" Wel l , I ' m goi ng t o t el l you somet hi ng about my l i f e, " he i nt er r upt ed.

" I don' t want you t o get a wr ong i dea of me f r om al l t hese st or i es you

hear . "

So he was awar e of t he bi zar r e accusat i ons t hat f l avor ed conver sat i on i n

hi s hal l s.

" I ' l l t el l you God' s t r ut h. " Hi s r i ght hand suddenl y or der ed di vi ne

r et r i but i on t o st and by. " I am t he son of some weal t hy peopl e i n t he

mi ddl e- west - - al l dead now. I was br ought up i n Amer i ca but educat ed at

Oxf or d because al l my ancest or s have been educat ed t her e f or many year s.

I t i s a f ami l y t r adi t i on. "

He l ooked at me si deways- - and I knew why Jor dan Baker had bel i eved he was

l yi ng. He hur r i ed t he phr ase " educat ed at Oxf or d, " or swal l owed i t or

choked on i t as t hough i t had bot her ed hi m bef or e. And wi t h t hi s doubt

hi s whol e st at ement f el l t o pi eces and I wonder ed i f t her e wasn' t

somet hi ng a l i t t l e si ni st er about hi m af t er al l .

" What par t of t he mi ddl e- west ?" I i nqui r ed casual l y.

" San Fr anci sco. "

" I see. "

" My f ami l y al l di ed and I came i nt o a good deal of money. "

Hi s voi ce was sol emn as i f t he memor y of t hat sudden ext i nct i on of a cl an

st i l l haunt ed hi m. For a moment I suspect ed t hat he was pul l i ng my l eg

but a gl ance at hi m convi nced me ot her wi se.

" Af t er t hat I l i ved l i ke a young r aj ah i n al l t he capi t al s of

Eur ope- - Par i s, Veni ce, Rome- - col l ect i ng j ewel s, chi ef l y r ubi es, hunt i ng

bi g game, pai nt i ng a l i t t l e, t hi ngs f or mysel f onl y, and t r yi ng t o

f or get somet hi ng ver y sad t hat had happened t o me l ong ago. "

Page 35 of 100

Wi t h an ef f or t I managed t o r est r ai n my i ncr edul ous l aught er . The ver y

phr ases wer e wor n so t hr eadbar e t hat t hey evoked no i mage except t hat of a

t ur baned " char act er " l eaki ng sawdust at ever y por e as he pur sued a

t i ger t hr ough t he Boi s de Boul ogne.

" Then came t he war , ol d spor t . I t was a gr eat r el i ef and I t r i ed ver y

har d t o di e but I seemed t o bear an enchant ed l i f e. I accept ed a

commi ssi on as f i r st l i eut enant when i t began. I n t he Ar gonne For est I

t ook t wo machi ne- gun det achment s so f ar f or war d t hat t her e was a hal f

mi l e gap on ei t her si de of us wher e t he i nf ant r y coul dn' t advance. We

st ayed t her e t wo days and t wo ni ght s, a hundr ed and t hi r t y men wi t h

si xt een Lewi s guns, and when t he i nf ant r y came up at l ast t hey f ound

t he i nsi gni a of t hr ee Ger man di vi si ons among t he pi l es of dead. I was

pr omot ed t o be a maj or and ever y Al l i ed gover nment gave me a

decor at i on- - even Mont enegr o, l i t t l e Mont enegr o down on t he Adr i at i c

Sea! "

Li t t l e Mont enegr o! He l i f t ed up t he wor ds and nodded at t hem- - wi t h

hi s smi l e. The smi l e compr ehended Mont enegr o' s t r oubl ed hi st or y and

sympat hi zed wi t h t he br ave st r uggl es of t he Mont enegr i n peopl e. I t

appr eci at ed f ul l y t he chai n of nat i onal ci r cumst ances whi ch had

el i ci t ed t hi s t r i but e f r om Mont enegr o' s war m l i t t l e hear t . My

i ncr edul i t y was submer ged i n f asci nat i on now; i t was l i ke ski mmi ng

hast i l y t hr ough a dozen magazi nes.

He r eached i n hi s pocket and a pi ece of met al , sl ung on a r i bbon, f el l

i nt o my pal m.

" That ' s t he one f r om Mont enegr o. "

To my ast oni shment , t he t hi ng had an aut hent i c l ook.

_Or der i di Dani l o_, r an t he ci r cul ar l egend, _Mont enegr o, Ni col as Rex_.

" Tur n i t . "

_Maj or Jay Gat sby_, I r ead, _For Val our Ext r aor di nar y_.

" Her e' s anot her t hi ng I al ways car r y. A souveni r of Oxf or d days. I t was

t aken i n Tr i ni t y Quad- - t he man on my l ef t i s now t he Ear l of Dor cast er . "

I t was a phot ogr aph of hal f a dozen young men i n bl azer s l oaf i ng i n an

ar chway t hr ough whi ch wer e vi si bl e a host of spi r es. Ther e was Gat sby,

l ooki ng a l i t t l e, not much, younger - - wi t h a cr i cket bat i n hi s hand.

Then i t was al l t r ue. I saw t he ski ns of t i ger s f l ami ng i n hi s pal ace

on t he Gr and Canal ; I saw hi m openi ng a chest of r ubi es t o ease, wi t h

t hei r cr i mson- l i ght ed dept hs, t he gnawi ngs of hi s br oken hear t .

" I ' m goi ng t o make a bi g r equest of you t oday, " he sai d, pocket i ng hi s

souveni r s wi t h sat i sf act i on, " so I t hought you ought t o know somet hi ng

about me. I di dn' t want you t o t hi nk I was j ust some nobody. You see,

I usual l y f i nd mysel f among st r anger s because I dr i f t her e and t her e

t r yi ng t o f or get t he sad t hi ng t hat happened t o me. " He hesi t at ed.

" You' l l hear about i t t hi s af t er noon. "

" At l unch?"

" No, t hi s af t er noon. I happened t o f i nd out t hat you' r e t aki ng Mi ss Baker

t o t ea. "

" Do you mean you' r e i n l ove wi t h Mi ss Baker ?"

Page 36 of 100

" No, ol d spor t , I ' m not . But Mi ss Baker has ki ndl y consent ed t o speak

t o you about t hi s mat t er . "

I hadn' t t he f ai nt est i dea what " t hi s mat t er " was, but I was mor e

annoyed t han i nt er est ed. I hadn' t asked Jor dan t o t ea i n or der t o di scuss

Mr . Jay Gat sby. I was sur e t he r equest woul d be somet hi ng ut t er l y

f ant ast i c and f or a moment I was sor r y I ' d ever set f oot upon hi s

over popul at ed l awn.

He woul dn' t say anot her wor d. Hi s cor r ect ness gr ew on hi m as we near ed

t he ci t y. We passed Por t Roosevel t , wher e t her e was a gl i mpse of

r ed- bel t ed ocean- goi ng shi ps, and sped al ong a cobbl ed sl um l i ned wi t h

t he dar k, undeser t ed sal oons of t he f aded gi l t ni net een- hundr eds. Then

t he val l ey of ashes opened out on bot h si des of us, and I had a gl i mpse

of Mr s. Wi l son st r ai ni ng at t he gar age pump wi t h pant i ng vi t al i t y as we

went by.

Wi t h f ender s spr ead l i ke wi ngs we scat t er ed l i ght t hr ough hal f

Ast or i a- - onl y hal f , f or as we t wi st ed among t he pi l l ar s of t he

el evat ed I hear d t he f ami l i ar " j ug- - j ug- - SPAT! " of a mot or cycl e, and a

f r ant i c pol i ceman r ode al ongsi de.

" Al l r i ght , ol d spor t , " cal l ed Gat sby. We sl owed down. Taki ng a whi t e

car d f r om hi s wal l et he waved i t bef or e t he man' s eyes.

" Ri ght you ar e, " agr eed t he pol i ceman, t i ppi ng hi s cap. " Know you next

t i me, Mr . Gat sby. Excuse ME! "

" What was t hat ?" I i nqui r ed. " The pi ct ur e of Oxf or d?"

" I was abl e t o do t he commi ssi oner a f avor once, and he sends me a

Chr i st mas car d ever y year . "

Over t he gr eat br i dge, wi t h t he sunl i ght t hr ough t he gi r der s maki ng a

const ant f l i cker upon t he movi ng car s, wi t h t he ci t y r i si ng up acr oss t he

r i ver i n whi t e heaps and sugar l umps al l bui l t wi t h a wi sh out of

non- ol f act or y money. The ci t y seen f r om t he Queensbor o Br i dge i s al ways

t he ci t y seen f or t he f i r st t i me, i n i t s f i r st wi l d pr omi se of al l t he

myst er y and t he beaut y i n t he wor l d.

A dead man passed us i n a hear se heaped wi t h bl ooms, f ol l owed by t wo

car r i ages wi t h dr awn bl i nds and by mor e cheer f ul car r i ages f or

f r i ends. The f r i ends l ooked out at us wi t h t he t r agi c eyes and shor t

upper l i ps of sout h- east er n Eur ope, and I was gl ad t hat t he si ght of

Gat sby' s spl endi d car was i ncl uded i n t hei r somber hol i day. As we

cr ossed Bl ackwel l ' s I sl and a l i mousi ne passed us, dr i ven by a whi t e

chauf f eur , i n whi ch sat t hr ee modi sh Negr oes, t wo bucks and a gi r l . I

l aughed al oud as t he yol ks of t hei r eyebal l s r ol l ed t owar d us i n

haught y r i val r y.

" Anyt hi ng can happen now t hat we' ve sl i d over t hi s br i dge, " I t hought ;

" anyt hi ng at al l . . . . "

Even Gat sby coul d happen, wi t hout any par t i cul ar wonder .

Roar i ng noon. I n a wel l - f anned For t y- second St r eet cel l ar I met Gat sby

f or l unch. Bl i nki ng away t he br i ght ness of t he st r eet out si de my eyes

pi cked hi m out obscur el y i n t he ant er oom, t al ki ng t o anot her man.

" Mr . Car r away t hi s i s my f r i end Mr . Wol f shi em. "

A smal l , f l at - nosed Jew r ai sed hi s l ar ge head and r egar ded me wi t h t wo

f i ne gr owt hs of hai r whi ch l uxur i at ed i n ei t her nost r i l . Af t er a moment I

Page 37 of 100

di scover ed hi s t i ny eyes i n t he hal f dar kness.

" - - so I t ook one l ook at hi m- - " sai d Mr . Wol f shi em, shaki ng my hand

ear nest l y, " - - and what do you t hi nk I di d?"

" What ?" I i nqui r ed pol i t el y.

But evi dent l y he was not addr essi ng me f or he dr opped my hand and

cover ed Gat sby wi t h hi s expr essi ve nose.

" I handed t he money t o Kat spaugh and I si d, ' Al l r i ght , Kat spaugh,

don' t pay hi m a penny t i l l he shut s hi s mout h. ' He shut i t t hen and

t her e. "

Gat sby t ook an ar m of each of us and moved f or war d i nt o t he

r est aur ant wher eupon Mr . Wol f shi em swal l owed a new sent ence he was

st ar t i ng and l apsed i nt o a somnambul at or y abst r act i on.

" Hi ghbal l s?" asked t he head wai t er .

" Thi s i s a ni ce r est aur ant her e, " sai d Mr . Wol f shi em l ooki ng at t he

Pr esbyt er i an nymphs on t he cei l i ng. " But I l i ke acr oss t he st r eet bet t er ! "

" Yes, hi ghbal l s, " agr eed Gat sby, and t hen t o Mr . Wol f shi em: " I t ' s t oo hot

over t her e. "

" Hot and smal l - - yes, " sai d Mr . Wol f shi em, " but f ul l of memor i es. "

" What pl ace i s t hat ?" I asked.

" The ol d Met r opol e.

" The ol d Met r opol e, " br ooded Mr . Wol f shi em gl oomi l y. " Fi l l ed wi t h f aces

dead and gone. Fi l l ed wi t h f r i ends gone now f or ever . I can' t f or get so

l ong as I l i ve t he ni ght t hey shot Rosy Rosent hal t her e. I t was si x of us

at t he t abl e and Rosy had eat and dr unk a l ot al l eveni ng. When i t was

al most mor ni ng t he wai t er came up t o hi m wi t h a f unny l ook and says

somebody want s t o speak t o hi m out si de. ' Al l r i ght , ' says Rosy and begi ns

t o get up and I pul l ed hi m down i n hi s chai r .

" ' Let t he bast ar ds come i n her e i f t hey want you, Rosy, but don' t you,

so hel p me, move out si de t hi s r oom. '

" I t was f our o' cl ock i n t he mor ni ng t hen, and i f we' d of r ai sed t he bl i nds

we' d of seen dayl i ght . "

" Di d he go?" I asked i nnocent l y.

" Sur e he went , " - - Mr . Wol f shi em' s nose f l ashed at me i ndi gnant l y- - " He

t ur ned ar ound i n t he door and says, ' Don' t l et t hat wai t er t ake away

my cof f ee! ' Then he went out on t he si dewal k and t hey shot hi m

t hr ee t i mes i n hi s f ul l bel l y and dr ove away. "

" Four of t hem wer e el ect r ocut ed, " I sai d, r emember i ng.

" Fi ve wi t h Becker . " Hi s nost r i l s t ur ned t o me i n an i nt er est ed way.

" I under st and you' r e l ooki ng f or a busi ness gonnegt i on. "

The j uxt aposi t i on of t hese t wo r emar ks was st ar t l i ng. Gat sby answer ed

f or me:

" Oh, no, " he excl ai med, " t hi s i sn' t t he man! "

" No?" Mr . Wol f shi em seemed di sappoi nt ed.

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" Thi s i s j ust a f r i end. I t ol d you we' d t al k about t hat some ot her

t i me. "

" I beg your par don, " sai d Mr . Wol f shi em, " I had a wr ong man. "

A succul ent hash ar r i ved, and Mr . Wol f shi em, f or get t i ng t he mor e

sent i ment al at mospher e of t he ol d Met r opol e, began t o eat wi t h

f er oci ous del i cacy. Hi s eyes, meanwhi l e, r oved ver y sl owl y al l ar ound t he

r oom- - he compl et ed t he ar c by t ur ni ng t o i nspect t he peopl e di r ect l y

behi nd. I t hi nk t hat , except f or my pr esence, he woul d have t aken one

shor t gl ance beneat h our own t abl e.

" Look her e, ol d spor t , " sai d Gat sby, l eani ng t owar d me, " I ' m af r ai d I

made you a l i t t l e angr y t hi s mor ni ng i n t he car . "

Ther e was t he smi l e agai n, but t hi s t i me I hel d out agai nst i t .

" I don' t l i ke myst er i es, " I answer ed. " And I don' t under st and why you

won' t come out f r ankl y and t el l me what you want . Why has i t al l got t o

come t hr ough Mi ss Baker ?"

" Oh, i t ' s not hi ng under hand, " he assur ed me. " Mi ss Baker ' s a gr eat

spor t swoman, you know, and she' d never do anyt hi ng t hat wasn' t al l r i ght . "

Suddenl y he l ooked at hi s wat ch, j umped up and hur r i ed f r om t he r oom

l eavi ng me wi t h Mr . Wol f shi em at t he t abl e.

" He has t o t el ephone, " sai d Mr . Wol f shi em, f ol l owi ng hi m wi t h hi s eyes.

" Fi ne f el l ow, i sn' t he? Handsome t o l ook at and a per f ect gent l eman. "

" Yes. "

" He' s an Oggsf or d man. "

" Oh! "

" He went t o Oggsf or d Col l ege i n Engl and. You know Oggsf or d Col l ege?"

" I ' ve hear d of i t . "

" I t ' s one of t he most f amous col l eges i n t he wor l d. "

" Have you known Gat sby f or a l ong t i me?" I i nqui r ed.

" Sever al year s, " he answer ed i n a gr at i f i ed way. " I made t he pl easur e of

hi s acquai nt ance j ust af t er t he war . But I knew I had di scover ed a man of

f i ne br eedi ng af t er I t al ked wi t h hi m an hour . I sai d t o mysel f : ' Ther e' s

t he ki nd of man you' d l i ke t o t ake home and i nt r oduce t o your mot her and

si st er . ' " He paused. " I see you' r e l ooki ng at my cuf f but t ons. "

I hadn' t been l ooki ng at t hem, but I di d now. They wer e composed of

oddl y f ami l i ar pi eces of i vor y.

" Fi nest speci mens of human mol ar s, " he i nf or med me.

" Wel l ! " I i nspect ed t hem. " That ' s a ver y i nt er est i ng i dea. "

" Yeah. " He f l i pped hi s sl eeves up under hi s coat . " Yeah, Gat sby' s ver y

car ef ul about women. He woul d never so much as l ook at a f r i end' s wi f e. "

When t he subj ect of t hi s i nst i nct i ve t r ust r et ur ned t o t he t abl e and sat

down Mr . Wol f shi em dr ank hi s cof f ee wi t h a j er k and got t o hi s f eet .

Page 39 of 100

" I have enj oyed my l unch, " he sai d, " and I ' m goi ng t o r un of f f r om you

t wo young men bef or e I out st ay my wel come. "

" Don' t hur r y, Meyer , " sai d Gat sby, wi t hout ent husi asm. Mr . Wol f shi em

r ai sed hi s hand i n a sor t of benedi ct i on.

" You' r e ver y pol i t e but I bel ong t o anot her gener at i on, " he announced

sol emnl y. " You si t her e and di scuss your spor t s and your young l adi es and

your - - - - " He suppl i ed an i magi nar y noun wi t h anot her wave of hi s

hand- - " As f or me, I am f i f t y year s ol d, and I won' t i mpose mysel f

on you any l onger . "

As he shook hands and t ur ned away hi s t r agi c nose was t r embl i ng.

I wonder ed i f I had sai d anyt hi ng t o of f end hi m.

" He becomes ver y sent i ment al somet i mes, " expl ai ned Gat sby. " Thi s i s one of

hi s sent i ment al days. He' s qui t e a char act er ar ound New Yor k - - a deni zen of

Br oadway. "

" Who i s he anyhow- - an act or ?"

" No. "

" A dent i st ?"

" Meyer Wol f shi em? No, he' s a gambl er . " Gat sby hesi t at ed, t hen added

cool l y: " He' s t he man who f i xed t he Wor l d' s Ser i es back i n 1919. "

" Fi xed t he Wor l d' s Ser i es?" I r epeat ed.

The i dea st agger ed me. I r emember ed of cour se t hat t he Wor l d' s Ser i es

had been f i xed i n 1919 but i f I had t hought of i t at al l I woul d have

t hought of i t as a t hi ng t hat mer el y HAPPENED, t he end of some

i nevi t abl e chai n. I t never occur r ed t o me t hat one man coul d st ar t t o

pl ay wi t h t he f ai t h of f i f t y mi l l i on peopl e- - wi t h t he si ngl e- mi ndedness

of a bur gl ar bl owi ng a saf e.

" How di d he happen t o do t hat ?" I asked af t er a mi nut e.

" He j ust saw t he oppor t uni t y. "

" Why i sn' t he i n j ai l ?"

" They can' t get hi m, ol d spor t . He' s a smar t man. "

I i nsi st ed on payi ng t he check. As t he wai t er br ought my change I caught

si ght of Tom Buchanan acr oss t he cr owded r oom.

" Come al ong wi t h me f or a mi nut e, " I sai d. " I ' ve got t o say hel l o

t o someone. "

When he saw us Tom j umped up and t ook hal f a dozen st eps i n our

di r ect i on.

" Wher e' ve you been?" he demanded eager l y. " Dai sy' s f ur i ous because you

haven' t cal l ed up. "

" Thi s i s Mr . Gat sby, Mr . Buchanan. "

They shook hands br i ef l y and a st r ai ned, unf ami l i ar l ook of embar r assment

came over Gat sby' s f ace.

" How' ve you been, anyhow?" demanded Tom of me. " How' d you happen t o come

up t hi s f ar t o eat ?"

Page 40 of 100

" I ' ve been havi ng l unch wi t h Mr . Gat sby. "

I t ur ned t owar d Mr . Gat sby, but he was no l onger t her e.

One Oct ober day i n ni net een- sevent een- - - -

( sai d Jor dan Baker t hat af t er noon, si t t i ng up ver y st r ai ght on a st r ai ght

chai r i n t he t ea- gar den at t he Pl aza Hot el )

- - I was wal ki ng al ong f r om one pl ace t o anot her hal f on t he si dewal ks and

hal f on t he l awns. I was happi er on t he l awns because I had on shoes f r om

Engl and wi t h r ubber nobs on t he sol es t hat bi t i nt o t he sof t gr ound.

I had on a new pl ai d ski r t al so t hat bl ew a l i t t l e i n t he wi nd and

whenever t hi s happened t he r ed, whi t e and bl ue banner s i n f r ont of al l

t he houses st r et ched out st i f f and sai d TUT- TUT- TUT- TUT i n a di sappr ovi ng

way.

The l ar gest of t he banner s and t he l ar gest of t he l awns bel onged t o

Dai sy Fay' s house. She was j ust ei ght een, t wo year s ol der t han me, and

by f ar t he most popul ar of al l t he young gi r l s i n Loui svi l l e. She

dr essed i n whi t e, and had a l i t t l e whi t e r oadst er and al l day l ong

t he t el ephone r ang i n her house and exci t ed young of f i cer s f r om Camp

Tayl or demanded t he pr i vi l ege of monopol i zi ng her t hat ni ght , " anyways,

f or an hour ! "

When I came opposi t e her house t hat mor ni ng her whi t e r oadst er was besi de

t he cur b, and she was si t t i ng i n i t wi t h a l i eut enant I had never seen

bef or e. They wer e so engr ossed i n each ot her t hat she di dn' t see me unt i l

I was f i ve f eet away.

" Hel l o Jor dan, " she cal l ed unexpect edl y. " Pl ease come her e. "

I was f l at t er ed t hat she want ed t o speak t o me, because of al l t he ol der

gi r l s I admi r ed her most . She asked me i f I was goi ng t o t he Red Cr oss and

make bandages. I was. Wel l , t hen, woul d I t el l t hem t hat she coul dn' t come

t hat day? The of f i cer l ooked at Dai sy whi l e she was speaki ng, i n a way

t hat ever y young gi r l want s t o be l ooked at somet i me, and because i t

seemed r omant i c t o me I have r emember ed t he i nci dent ever si nce. Hi s name

was Jay Gat sby and I di dn' t l ay eyes on hi m agai n f or over f our

year s- - even af t er I ' d met hi m on Long I sl and I di dn' t r eal i ze i t was t he

same man.

That was ni net een- sevent een. By t he next year I had a f ew beaux mysel f ,

and I began t o pl ay i n t our nament s, so I di dn' t see Dai sy ver y of t en.

She went wi t h a sl i ght l y ol der cr owd- - when she went wi t h anyone at al l .

Wi l d r umor s wer e ci r cul at i ng about her - - how her mot her had f ound her

packi ng her bag one wi nt er ni ght t o go t o New Yor k and say goodbye t o a

sol di er who was goi ng over seas. She was ef f ect ual l y pr event ed, but she

wasn' t on speaki ng t er ms wi t h her f ami l y f or sever al weeks. Af t er

t hat she di dn' t pl ay ar ound wi t h t he sol di er s any mor e but onl y

wi t h a f ew f l at - f oot ed, shor t - si ght ed young men i n t own who coul dn' t

get i nt o t he ar my at al l .

By t he next aut umn she was gay agai n, gay as ever . She had a debut

af t er t he Ar mi st i ce, and i n Febr uar y she was pr esumabl y engaged t o a

man f r om New Or l eans. I n June she mar r i ed Tom Buchanan of Chi cago wi t h

mor e pomp and ci r cumst ance t han Loui svi l l e ever knew bef or e. He came

down wi t h a hundr ed peopl e i n f our pr i vat e car s and hi r ed a whol e

f l oor of t he Seel bach Hot el , and t he day bef or e t he weddi ng he gave her

a st r i ng of pear l s val ued at t hr ee hundr ed and f i f t y t housand dol l ar s.

I was br i desmai d. I came i nt o her r oom hal f an hour bef or e t he br i dal

di nner , and f ound her l yi ng on her bed as l ovel y as t he June ni ght i n

her f l ower ed dr ess- - and as dr unk as a monkey. She had a bot t l e of

Page 41 of 100

saut er ne i n one hand and a l et t er i n t he ot her .

" ' Gr at ul at e me, " she mut t er ed. " Never had a dr i nk bef or e but oh, how I do

enj oy i t . "

" What ' s t he mat t er , Dai sy?"

I was scar ed, I can t el l you; I ' d never seen a gi r l l i ke t hat bef or e.

" Her e, dear i s. " She gr oped ar ound i n a wast e- basket she had wi t h her

on t he bed and pul l ed out t he st r i ng of pear l s. " Take ' em downst ai r s and

gi ve ' em back t o whoever t hey bel ong t o. Tel l ' em al l Dai sy' s change' her

mi ne. Say ' Dai sy' s change' her mi ne! ' . "

She began t o cr y- - she cr i ed and cr i ed. I r ushed out and f ound her

mot her ' s mai d and we l ocked t he door and got her i nt o a col d bat h. She

woul dn' t l et go of t he l et t er . She t ook i t i nt o t he t ub wi t h her and

squeezed i t up i nt o a wet bal l , and onl y l et me l eave i t i n t he

soap di sh when she saw t hat i t was comi ng t o pi eces l i ke snow.

But she di dn' t say anot her wor d. We gave her spi r i t s of ammoni a and put

i ce on her f or ehead and hooked her back i nt o her dr ess and hal f an

hour l at er when we wal ked out of t he r oom t he pear l s wer e ar ound her

neck and t he i nci dent was over . Next day at f i ve o' cl ock she mar r i ed Tom

Buchanan wi t hout so much as a shi ver and st ar t ed of f on a t hr ee mont hs'

t r i p t o t he Sout h Seas.

I saw t hem i n Sant a Bar bar a when t hey came back and I t hought I ' d

never seen a gi r l so mad about her husband. I f he l ef t t he r oom f or a

mi nut e she' d l ook ar ound uneasi l y and say " Wher e' s Tom gone?" and

wear t he most abst r act ed expr essi on unt i l she saw hi m comi ng i n t he

door . She used t o si t on t he sand wi t h hi s head i n her l ap by t he hour

r ubbi ng her f i nger s over hi s eyes and l ooki ng at hi m wi t h unf at homabl e

del i ght . I t was t ouchi ng t o see t hem t oget her - - i t made you l augh i n a

hushed, f asci nat ed way. That was i n August . A week af t er I l ef t Sant a

Bar bar a Tom r an i nt o a wagon on t he Vent ur a r oad one ni ght and r i pped

a f r ont wheel of f hi s car . The gi r l who was wi t h hi m got i nt o t he

paper s t oo because her ar m was br oken- - she was one of t he chamber mai ds

i n t he Sant a Bar bar a Hot el .

The next Apr i l Dai sy had her l i t t l e gi r l and t hey went t o Fr ance f or a

year . I saw t hem one spr i ng i n Cannes and l at er i n Deauvi l l e and t hen

t hey came back t o Chi cago t o set t l e down. Dai sy was popul ar i n Chi cago,

as you know. They moved wi t h a f ast cr owd, al l of t hem young and r i ch

and wi l d, but she came out wi t h an absol ut el y per f ect r eput at i on.

Per haps because she doesn' t dr i nk. I t ' s a gr eat advant age not t o dr i nk

among har d- dr i nki ng peopl e. You can hol d your t ongue and, mor eover ,

you can t i me any l i t t l e i r r egul ar i t y of your own so t hat ever ybody el se

i s so bl i nd t hat t hey don' t see or car e. Per haps Dai sy never went i n

f or amour at al l - - and yet t her e' s somet hi ng i n t hat voi ce of her s. . . .

Wel l , about si x weeks ago, she hear d t he name Gat sby f or t he f i r st t i me

i n year s. I t was when I asked you- - do you r emember ?- - i f you knew Gat sby

i n West Egg. Af t er you had gone home she came i nt o my r oom and woke me

up, and sai d " What Gat sby?" and when I descr i bed hi m- - I was hal f

asl eep- - she sai d i n t he st r angest voi ce t hat i t must be t he man she used

t o know. I t wasn' t unt i l t hen t hat I connect ed t hi s Gat sby wi t h t he

of f i cer i n her whi t e car .

When Jor dan Baker had f i ni shed t el l i ng al l t hi s we had l ef t t he Pl aza

f or hal f an hour and wer e dr i vi ng i n a Vi ct or i a t hr ough Cent r al Par k.

The sun had gone down behi nd t he t al l apar t ment s of t he movi e st ar s i n

t he West Fi f t i es and t he cl ear voi ces of gi r l s, al r eady gat her ed l i ke

Page 42 of 100

cr i cket s on t he gr ass, r ose t hr ough t he hot t wi l i ght :

" I ' m t he Shei k of Ar aby,

Your l ove bel ongs t o me.

At ni ght when you' r e ar e asl eep,

I nt o your t ent I ' l l cr eep- - - - "

" I t was a st r ange coi nci dence, " I sai d.

" But i t wasn' t a coi nci dence at al l . "

" Why not ?"

" Gat sby bought t hat house so t hat Dai sy woul d be j ust acr oss t he bay. "

Then i t had not been mer el y t he st ar s t o whi ch he had aspi r ed

on t hat June ni ght . He came al i ve t o me, del i ver ed suddenl y f r om t he

womb of hi s pur posel ess spl endor .

" He want s t o know- - " cont i nued Jor dan " - - i f you' l l i nvi t e Dai sy t o your

house some af t er noon and t hen l et hi m come over . "

The modest y of t he demand shook me. He had wai t ed f i ve year s and bought a

mansi on wher e he di spensed st ar l i ght t o casual mot hs so t hat he coul d

" come over " some af t er noon t o a st r anger ' s gar den.

" Di d I have t o know al l t hi s bef or e he coul d ask such a l i t t l e t hi ng?"

" He' s af r ai d. He' s wai t ed so l ong. He t hought you mi ght be of f ended.

You see he' s a r egul ar t ough under neat h i t al l . "

Somet hi ng wor r i ed me.

" Why di dn' t he ask you t o ar r ange a meet i ng?"

" He want s her t o see hi s house, " she expl ai ned. " And your house i s r i ght

next door . "

" Oh! "

" I t hi nk he hal f expect ed her t o wander i nt o one of hi s par t i es,

some ni ght , " went on Jor dan, " but she never di d. Then he began aski ng

peopl e casual l y i f t hey knew her , and I was t he f i r st one he f ound.

I t was t hat ni ght he sent f or me at hi s dance, and you shoul d have

hear d t he el abor at e way he wor ked up t o i t . Of cour se, I i mmedi at el y

suggest ed a l uncheon i n New Yor k- - and I t hought he' d go mad:

" ' I don' t want t o do anyt hi ng out of t he way! ' he kept sayi ng. ' I want t o

see her r i ght next door . '

" When I sai d you wer e a par t i cul ar f r i end of Tom' s he st ar t ed t o abandon

t he whol e i dea. He doesn' t know ver y much about Tom, t hough he says he' s

r ead a Chi cago paper f or year s j ust on t he chance of cat chi ng a gl i mpse

of Dai sy' s name. "

I t was dar k now, and as we di pped under a l i t t l e br i dge I put my ar m

ar ound Jor dan' s gol den shoul der and dr ew her t owar d me and asked her t o

di nner . Suddenl y I wasn' t t hi nki ng of Dai sy and Gat sby any mor e but of

t hi s cl ean, har d, l i mi t ed per son who deal t i n uni ver sal skept i ci sm and

who l eaned back j aunt i l y j ust wi t hi n t he ci r cl e of my ar m. A phr ase began

t o beat i n my ear s wi t h a sor t of heady exci t ement : " Ther e ar e onl y t he

pur sued, t he pur sui ng, t he busy and t he t i r ed. "

Page 43 of 100

" And Dai sy ought t o have somet hi ng i n her l i f e, " mur mur ed Jor dan t o me.

" Does she want t o see Gat sby?"

" She' s not t o know about i t . Gat sby doesn' t want her t o know. You' r e

j ust supposed t o i nvi t e her t o t ea. "

We passed a bar r i er of dar k t r ees, and t hen t he f acade of Fi f t y - ni nt h

St r eet , a bl ock of del i cat e pal e l i ght , beamed down i nt o t he par k.

Unl i ke Gat sby and Tom Buchanan I had no gi r l whose di sembodi ed f ace

f l oat ed al ong t he dar k cor ni ces and bl i ndi ng si gns and so I dr ew up t he

gi r l besi de me, t i ght eni ng my ar ms. Her wan, scor nf ul mout h smi l ed and so

I dr ew her up agai n, cl oser , t hi s t i me t o my f ace.

Chapt er 5

When I came home t o West Egg t hat ni ght I was af r ai d f or a moment t hat

my house was on f i r e. Two o' cl ock and t he whol e cor ner of t he peni nsul a

was bl azi ng wi t h l i ght whi ch f el l unr eal on t he shr ubber y and made t hi n

el ongat i ng gl i nt s upon t he r oadsi de wi r es. Tur ni ng a cor ner I saw t hat i t

was Gat sby' s house, l i t f r om t ower t o cel l ar .

At f i r st I t hought i t was anot her par t y, a wi l d r out t hat had r esol ved

i t sel f i nt o " hi de- and- go- seek" or " sar di nes- i n- t he- box" wi t h al l t he

house t hr own open t o t he game. But t her e wasn' t a sound. Onl y wi nd i n

t he t r ees whi ch bl ew t he wi r es and made t he l i ght s go of f and on agai n

as i f t he house had wi nked i nt o t he dar kness. As my t axi gr oaned away I

saw Gat sby wal ki ng t owar d me acr oss hi s l awn.

" Your pl ace l ooks l i ke t he wor l d' s f ai r , " I sai d.

" Does i t ?" He t ur ned hi s eyes t owar d i t absent l y. " I have been gl anci ng

i nt o some of t he r ooms. Let ' s go t o Coney I sl and, ol d spor t . I n my car . "

" I t ' s t oo l at e. "

" Wel l , suppose we t ake a pl unge i n t he swi mmi ng pool ? I haven' t made use

of i t al l summer . "

" I ' ve got t o go t o bed. "

" Al l r i ght . "

He wai t ed, l ooki ng at me wi t h suppr essed eager ness.

" I t al ked wi t h Mi ss Baker , " I sai d af t er a moment . " I ' m goi ng t o cal l up

Dai sy t omor r ow and i nvi t e her over her e t o t ea. "

" Oh, t hat ' s al l r i ght , " he sai d car el essl y. " I don' t want t o put you t o

any t r oubl e. "

" What day woul d sui t you?"

" What day woul d sui t YOU?" he cor r ect ed me qui ckl y. " I don' t want t o put

you t o any t r oubl e, you see. "

" How about t he day af t er t omor r ow?" He consi der ed f or a moment . Then,

wi t h r el uct ance:

Page 44 of 100

" I want t o get t he gr ass cut , " he sai d.

We bot h l ooked at t he gr ass- - t her e was a shar p l i ne wher e my r agged l awn

ended and t he dar ker , wel l - kept expanse of hi s began. I suspect ed t hat

he meant my gr ass.

" Ther e' s anot her l i t t l e t hi ng, " he sai d uncer t ai nl y, and hesi t at ed.

" Woul d you r at her put i t of f f or a f ew days?" I asked.

" Oh, i t i sn' t about t hat . At l east - - - - " He f umbl ed wi t h a ser i es of

begi nni ngs. " Why, I t hought - - why, l ook her e, ol d spor t , you don' t make

much money, do you?"

" Not ver y much. "

Thi s seemed t o r eassur e hi m and he cont i nued mor e conf i dent l y.

" I t hought you di dn' t , i f you' l l par don my - - you see, I car r y on a

l i t t l e busi ness on t he si de, a sor t of si del i ne, you under st and. And I

t hought t hat i f you don' t make ver y much- - You' r e sel l i ng bonds, ar en' t

you, ol d spor t ?"

" Tr yi ng t o. "

" Wel l , t hi s woul d i nt er est you. I t woul dn' t t ake up much of your

t i me and you mi ght pi ck up a ni ce bi t of money. I t happens t o be

a r at her conf i dent i al sor t of t hi ng. "

I r eal i ze now t hat under di f f er ent ci r cumst ances t hat conver sat i on mi ght

have been one of t he cr i ses of my l i f e. But , because t he of f er was

obvi ousl y and t act l essl y f or a ser vi ce t o be r ender ed, I had no choi ce

except t o cut hi m of f t her e.

" I ' ve got my hands f ul l , " I sai d. " I ' m much obl i ged but I coul dn' t t ake

on any mor e wor k. "

" You woul dn' t have t o do any busi ness wi t h Wol f shi em. " Evi dent l y he

t hought t hat I was shyi ng away f r om t he " gonnegt i on" ment i oned at l unch,

but I assur ed hi m he was wr ong. He wai t ed a moment l onger , hopi ng I ' d

begi n a conver sat i on, but I was t oo absor bed t o be r esponsi ve, so he went

unwi l l i ngl y home.

The eveni ng had made me l i ght - headed and happy; I t hi nk I wal ked i nt o a

deep sl eep as I ent er ed my f r ont door . So I di dn' t know whet her or not

Gat sby went t o Coney I sl and or f or how many hour s he " gl anced i nt o

r ooms" whi l e hi s house bl azed gaudi l y on. I cal l ed up Dai sy f r om t he

of f i ce next mor ni ng and i nvi t ed her t o come t o t ea.

" Don' t br i ng Tom, " I war ned her .

" What ?"

" Don' t br i ng Tom. "

" Who i s ' Tom' ?" she asked i nnocent l y.

The day agr eed upon was pour i ng r ai n. At el even o' cl ock a man i n a

r ai ncoat dr aggi ng a l awn- mower t apped at my f r ont door and sai d t hat

Mr . Gat sby had sent hi m over t o cut my gr ass. Thi s r emi nded me t hat I

had f or got t en t o t el l my Fi nn t o come back so I dr ove i nt o West Egg

Vi l l age t o sear ch f or her among soggy whi t e- washed al l eys and t o buy

some cups and l emons and f l ower s.

Page 45 of 100

The f l ower s wer e unnecessar y, f or at t wo o' cl ock a gr eenhouse ar r i ved

f r om Gat sby' s, wi t h i nnumer abl e r ecept acl es t o cont ai n i t . An hour

l at er t he f r ont door opened ner vousl y, and Gat sby i n a whi t e f l annel

sui t , si l ver shi r t and gol d- col or ed t i e hur r i ed i n. He was pal e and

t her e wer e dar k si gns of sl eepl essness beneat h hi s eyes.

" I s ever yt hi ng al l r i ght ?" he asked i mmedi at el y.

" The gr ass l ooks f i ne, i f t hat ' s what you mean. "

" What gr ass?" he i nqui r ed bl ankl y. " Oh, t he gr ass i n t he yar d. " He l ooked

out t he wi ndow at i t , but j udgi ng f r om hi s expr essi on I don' t bel i eve

he saw a t hi ng.

" Looks ver y good, " he r emar ked vaguel y. " One of t he paper s sai d t hey

t hought t he r ai n woul d st op about f our . I t hi nk i t was ' The Jour nal . ' Have

you got ever yt hi ng you need i n t he shape of - - of t ea?"

I t ook hi m i nt o t he pant r y wher e he l ooked a l i t t l e r epr oachf ul l y at t he

Fi nn. Toget her we scr ut i ni zed t he t wel ve l emon cakes f r om t he del i cat essen

shop.

" Wi l l t hey do?" I asked.

" Of cour se, of cour se! They' r e f i ne! " and he added hol l owl y, " . . . ol d

spor t . "

The r ai n cool ed about hal f - past t hr ee t o a damp mi st t hr ough whi ch

occasi onal t hi n dr ops swam l i ke dew. Gat sby l ooked wi t h vacant eyes

t hr ough a copy of Cl ay' s " Economi cs, " st ar t i ng at t he Fi nni sh t r ead t hat

shook t he ki t chen f l oor and peer i ng t owar d t he bl ear ed wi ndows f r om t i me

t o t i me as i f a ser i es of i nvi si bl e but al ar mi ng happeni ngs wer e t aki ng

pl ace out si de. Fi nal l y he got up and i nf or med me i n an uncer t ai n voi ce

t hat he was goi ng home.

" Why' s t hat ?"

" Nobody' s comi ng t o t ea. I t ' s t oo l at e! " He l ooked at hi s wat ch as i f

t her e was some pr essi ng demand on hi s t i me el sewher e. " I can' t wai t

al l day. "

" Don' t be si l l y; i t ' s j ust t wo mi nut es t o f our . "

He sat down, mi ser abl y, as i f I had pushed hi m, and si mul t aneousl y t her e

was t he sound of a mot or t ur ni ng i nt o my l ane. We bot h j umped up and,

a l i t t l e har r owed mysel f , I went out i nt o t he yar d.

Under t he dr i ppi ng bar e l i l ac t r ees a l ar ge open car was comi ng up t he

dr i ve. I t st opped. Dai sy' s f ace, t i pped si deways beneat h a

t hr ee- cor ner ed l avender hat , l ooked out at me wi t h a br i ght ecst at i c

smi l e.

" I s t hi s absol ut el y wher e you l i ve, my dear est one?"

The exhi l ar at i ng r i ppl e of her voi ce was a wi l d t oni c i n t he r ai n. I had

t o f ol l ow t he sound of i t f or a moment , up and down, wi t h my ear al one

bef or e any wor ds came t hr ough. A damp st r eak of hai r l ay l i ke a dash of

bl ue pai nt acr oss her cheek and her hand was wet wi t h gl i st eni ng dr ops as

I t ook i t t o hel p her f r om t he car .

" Ar e you i n l ove wi t h me, " she sai d l ow i n my ear . " Or why di d I have

t o come al one?"

Page 46 of 100

" That ' s t he secr et of Cast l e Rackr ent . Tel l your chauf f eur t o go f ar

away and spend an hour . "

" Come back i n an hour , Fer di e. " Then i n a gr ave mur mur , " Hi s name i s

Fer di e. "

" Does t he gasol i ne af f ect hi s nose?"

" I don' t t hi nk so, " she sai d i nnocent l y. " Why?"

We went i n. To my over whel mi ng sur pr i se t he l i vi ng r oom was deser t ed.

" Wel l , t hat ' s f unny! " I excl ai med.

" What ' s f unny?"

She t ur ned her head as t her e was a l i ght , di gni f i ed knocki ng at t he f r ont

door . I went out and opened i t . Gat sby, pal e as deat h, wi t h hi s hands

pl unged l i ke wei ght s i n hi s coat pocket s, was st andi ng i n a puddl e of

wat er gl ar i ng t r agi cal l y i nt o my eyes.

Wi t h hi s hands st i l l i n hi s coat pocket s he st al ked by me i nt o t he

hal l , t ur ned shar pl y as i f he wer e on a wi r e and di sappear ed i nt o t he

l i vi ng r oom. I t wasn' t a bi t f unny. Awar e of t he l oud beat i ng of my own

hear t I pul l ed t he door t o agai nst t he i ncr easi ng r ai n.

For hal f a mi nut e t her e wasn' t a sound. Then f r om t he l i vi ng r oom I

hear d a sor t of choki ng mur mur and par t of a l augh f ol l owed by Dai sy' s

voi ce on a cl ear ar t i f i ci al not e.

" I cer t ai nl y am awf ul l y gl ad t o see you agai n. "

A pause; i t endur ed hor r i bl y. I had not hi ng t o do i n t he hal l so I went

i nt o t he r oom.

Gat sby, hi s hands st i l l i n hi s pocket s, was r ecl i ni ng agai nst t he

mant el pi ece i n a st r ai ned count er f ei t of per f ect ease, even of bor edom.

Hi s head l eaned back so f ar t hat i t r est ed agai nst t he f ace of a

def unct mant el pi ece cl ock and f r om t hi s posi t i on hi s di st r aught eyes

st ar ed down at Dai sy who was si t t i ng f r i ght ened but gr acef ul on t he

edge of a st i f f chai r .

" We' ve met bef or e, " mut t er ed Gat sby. Hi s eyes gl anced moment ar i l y at

me and hi s l i ps par t ed wi t h an abor t i ve at t empt at a l augh. Lucki l y

t he cl ock t ook t hi s moment t o t i l t danger ousl y at t he pr essur e of hi s

head, wher eupon he t ur ned and caught i t wi t h t r embl i ng f i nger s and set

i t back i n pl ace. Then he sat down, r i gi dl y, hi s el bow on t he ar m of t he

sof a and hi s chi n i n hi s hand.

" I ' m sor r y about t he cl ock, " he sai d.

My own f ace had now assumed a deep t r opi cal bur n. I coul dn' t must er up

a si ngl e commonpl ace out of t he t housand i n my head.

" I t ' s an ol d cl ock, " I t ol d t hem i di ot i cal l y.

I t hi nk we al l bel i eved f or a moment t hat i t had smashed i n pi eces on

t he f l oor .

" We haven' t met f or many year s, " sai d Dai sy, her voi ce as mat t er - of - f act

as i t coul d ever be.

" Fi ve year s next November . "

Page 47 of 100

The aut omat i c qual i t y of Gat sby' s answer set us al l back at l east anot her

mi nut e. I had t hem bot h on t hei r f eet wi t h t he desper at e suggest i on t hat

t hey hel p me make t ea i n t he ki t chen when t he demoni ac Fi nn br ought i t i n

on a t r ay.

Ami d t he wel come conf usi on of cups and cakes a cer t ai n physi cal decency

est abl i shed i t sel f . Gat sby got hi msel f i nt o a shadow and whi l e Dai sy

and I t al ked l ooked consci ent i ousl y f r om one t o t he ot her of us wi t h

t ense unhappy eyes. However , as cal mness wasn' t an end i n i t sel f I

made an excuse at t he f i r st possi bl e moment and got t o my f eet .

" Wher e ar e you goi ng?" demanded Gat sby i n i mmedi at e al ar m.

" I ' l l be back. "

" I ' ve got t o speak t o you about somet hi ng bef or e you go. "

He f ol l owed me wi l dl y i nt o t he ki t chen, cl osed t he door and whi sper ed:

" Oh, God! " i n a mi ser abl e way.

" What ' s t he mat t er ?"

" Thi s i s a t er r i bl e mi st ake, " he sai d, shaki ng hi s head f r om si de t o

si de, " a t er r i bl e, t er r i bl e mi st ake. "

" You' r e j ust embar r assed, t hat ' s al l , " and l ucki l y I added: " Dai sy' s

embar r assed t oo. "

" She' s embar r assed?" he r epeat ed i ncr edul ousl y.

" Just as much as you ar e. "

" Don' t t al k so l oud. "

" You' r e act i ng l i ke a l i t t l e boy, " I br oke out i mpat i ent l y. " Not onl y

t hat but you' r e r ude. Dai sy' s si t t i ng i n t her e al l al one. "

He r ai sed hi s hand t o st op my wor ds, l ooked at me wi t h unf or get t abl e

r epr oach and openi ng t he door caut i ousl y went back i nt o t he ot her r oom.

I wal ked out t he back way- - j ust as Gat sby had when he had made hi s

ner vous ci r cui t of t he house hal f an hour bef or e- - and r an f or a huge

bl ack knot t ed t r ee whose massed l eaves made a f abr i c agai nst t he r ai n.

Once mor e i t was pour i ng and my i r r egul ar l awn, wel l - shaved by

Gat sby' s gar dener , abounded i n smal l muddy swamps and pr ehi st or i c

mar shes. Ther e was not hi ng t o l ook at f r om under t he t r ee except

Gat sby' s enor mous house, so I st ar ed at i t , l i ke Kant at hi s chur ch

st eepl e, f or hal f an hour . A br ewer had bui l t i t ear l y i n t he " per i od"

cr aze, a decade bef or e, and t her e was a st or y t hat he' d agr eed t o pay

f i ve year s' t axes on al l t he nei ghbor i ng cot t ages i f t he owner s woul d

have t hei r r oof s t hat ched wi t h st r aw. Per haps t hei r r ef usal t ook t he

hear t out of hi s pl an t o Found a Fami l y- - he went i nt o an i mmedi at e

decl i ne. Hi s chi l dr en sol d hi s house wi t h t he bl ack wr eat h st i l l on t he

door . Amer i cans, whi l e occasi onal l y wi l l i ng t o be ser f s, have al ways

been obst i nat e about bei ng peasant r y.

Af t er hal f an hour t he sun shone agai n and t he gr ocer ' s aut omobi l e

r ounded Gat sby' s dr i ve wi t h t he r aw mat er i al f or hi s ser vant s' di nner - - I

f el t sur e he woul dn' t eat a spoonf ul . A mai d began openi ng t he upper

wi ndows of hi s house, appear ed moment ar i l y i n each, and, l eani ng f r om a

l ar ge cent r al bay, spat medi t at i vel y i nt o t he gar den. I t was t i me I

went back. Whi l e t he r ai n cont i nued i t had seemed l i ke t he mur mur of

t hei r voi ces, r i si ng and swel l i ng a l i t t l e, now and t hen, wi t h gust s of

Page 48 of 100

emot i on. But i n t he new si l ence I f el t t hat si l ence had f al l en wi t hi n

t he house t oo.

I went i n- - af t er maki ng ever y possi bl e noi se i n t he ki t chen shor t of

pushi ng over t he st ove- - but I don' t bel i eve t hey hear d a sound. They

wer e si t t i ng at ei t her end of t he couch l ooki ng at each ot her as i f

some quest i on had been asked or was i n t he ai r , and ever y vest i ge of

embar r assment was gone. Dai sy' s f ace was smear ed wi t h t ear s and when I

came i n she j umped up and began wi pi ng at i t wi t h her handker chi ef bef or e

a mi r r or . But t her e was a change i n Gat sby t hat was si mpl y conf oundi ng.

He l i t er al l y gl owed; wi t hout a wor d or a gest ur e of exul t at i on a new

wel l - bei ng r adi at ed f r om hi m and f i l l ed t he l i t t l e r oom.

" Oh, hel l o, ol d spor t , " he sai d, as i f he hadn' t seen me f or year s. I

t hought f or a moment he was goi ng t o shake hands.

" I t ' s st opped r ai ni ng. "

" Has i t ?" When he r eal i zed what I was t al ki ng about , t hat t her e wer e

t wi nkl e- bel l s of sunshi ne i n t he r oom, he smi l ed l i ke a weat her man,

l i ke an ecst at i c pat r on of r ecur r ent l i ght , and r epeat ed t he news t o

Dai sy. " What do you t hi nk of t hat ? I t ' s st opped r ai ni ng. "

" I ' m gl ad, Jay. " Her t hr oat , f ul l of achi ng, gr i evi ng beaut y, t ol d onl y

of her unexpect ed j oy.

" I want you and Dai sy t o come over t o my house, " he sai d, " I ' d l i ke t o

show her ar ound. "

" You' r e sur e you want me t o come?"

" Absol ut el y, ol d spor t . "

Dai sy went upst ai r s t o wash her f ace- - t oo l at e I t hought wi t h humi l i at i on

of my t owel s- - whi l e Gat sby and I wai t ed on t he l awn.

" My house l ooks wel l , doesn' t i t ?" he demanded. " See how t he whol e

f r ont of i t cat ches t he l i ght . "

I agr eed t hat i t was spl endi d.

" Yes. " Hi s eyes went over i t , ever y ar ched door and squar e t ower . " I t t ook

me j ust t hr ee year s t o ear n t he money t hat bought i t . "

" I t hought you i nher i t ed your money. "

" I di d, ol d spor t , " he sai d aut omat i cal l y, " but I l ost most of i t i n

t he bi g pani c- - t he pani c of t he war . "

I t hi nk he har dl y knew what he was sayi ng, f or when I asked hi m what

busi ness he was i n he answer ed " That ' s my af f ai r , " bef or e he r eal i zed

t hat i t wasn' t t he appr opr i at e r epl y.

" Oh, I ' ve been i n sever al t hi ngs, " he cor r ect ed hi msel f . " I was i n t he

dr ug busi ness and t hen I was i n t he oi l busi ness. But I ' m not i n ei t her

one now. " He l ooked at me wi t h mor e at t ent i on. " Do you mean you' ve been

t hi nki ng over what I pr oposed t he ot her ni ght ?"

Bef or e I coul d answer , Dai sy came out of t he house and t wo r ows of br ass

but t ons on her dr ess gl eamed i n t he sunl i ght .

" That huge pl ace THERE?" she cr i ed poi nt i ng.

" Do you l i ke i t ?"

Page 49 of 100

" I l ove i t , but I don' t see how you l i ve t her e al l al one. "

" I keep i t al ways f ul l of i nt er est i ng peopl e, ni ght and day. Peopl e who

do i nt er est i ng t hi ngs. Cel ebr at ed peopl e. "

I nst ead of t aki ng t he shor t cut al ong t he Sound we went down t he r oad and

ent er ed by t he bi g post er n. Wi t h enchant i ng mur mur s Dai sy admi r ed t hi s

aspect or t hat of t he f eudal si l houet t e agai nst t he sky, admi r ed t he

gar dens, t he spar kl i ng odor of j onqui l s and t he f r ot hy odor of hawt hor n

and pl um bl ossoms and t he pal e gol d odor of ki ss- me- at - t he- gat e.

I t was st r ange t o r each t he mar bl e st eps and f i nd no st i r of br i ght

dr esses i n and out t he door , and hear no sound but bi r d voi ces i n t he

t r ees.

And i nsi de as we wander ed t hr ough Mar i e Ant oi net t e musi c r ooms and

Rest or at i on sal ons I f el t t hat t her e wer e guest s conceal ed behi nd

ever y couch and t abl e, under or der s t o be br eat hl essl y si l ent unt i l we

had passed t hr ough. As Gat sby cl osed t he door of " t he Mer t on Col l ege

Li br ar y" I coul d have swor n I hear d t he owl - eyed man br eak i nt o

ghost l y l aught er .

We went upst ai r s, t hr ough per i od bedr ooms swat hed i n r ose and l avender

si l k and vi vi d wi t h new f l ower s, t hr ough dr essi ng r ooms and pool r ooms,

and bat hr ooms wi t h sunken bat hs- - i nt r udi ng i nt o one chamber wher e a

di shevel l ed man i n paj amas was doi ng l i ver exer ci ses on t he f l oor . I t

was Mr . Kl i pspr i nger , t he " boar der . " I had seen hi m wander i ng hungr i l y

about t he beach t hat mor ni ng. Fi nal l y we came t o Gat sby' s own apar t ment ,

a bedr oom and a bat h and an Adam st udy, wher e we sat down and dr ank a

gl ass of some Char t r euse he t ook f r om a cupboar d i n t he wal l .

He hadn' t once ceased l ooki ng at Dai sy and I t hi nk he r eval ued

ever yt hi ng i n hi s house accor di ng t o t he measur e of r esponse i t dr ew

f r om her wel l - l oved eyes. Somet i mes, t oo, he st ar ed ar ound at hi s

possessi ons i n a dazed way as t hough i n her act ual and ast oundi ng

pr esence none of i t was any l onger r eal . Once he near l y t oppl ed down a

f l i ght of st ai r s.

Hi s bedr oom was t he si mpl est r oom of al l - - except wher e t he dr esser was

gar ni shed wi t h a t oi l et set of pur e dul l gol d. Dai sy t ook t he br ush

wi t h del i ght and smoot hed her hai r , wher eupon Gat sby sat down and

shaded hi s eyes and began t o l augh.

" I t ' s t he f unni est t hi ng, ol d spor t , " he sai d hi l ar i ousl y. " I can' t - - when

I t r y t o- - - - "

He had passed vi si bl y t hr ough t wo st at es and was ent er i ng upon a t hi r d.

Af t er hi s embar r assment and hi s unr easoni ng j oy he was consumed wi t h

wonder at her pr esence. He had been f ul l of t he i dea so l ong, dr eamed i t

r i ght t hr ough t o t he end, wai t ed wi t h hi s t eet h set , so t o speak, at an

i nconcei vabl e pi t ch of i nt ensi t y. Now, i n t he r eact i on, he was r unni ng

down l i ke an over wound cl ock.

Recover i ng hi msel f i n a mi nut e he opened f or us t wo hul ki ng pat ent

cabi net s whi ch hel d hi s massed sui t s and dr essi ng- gowns and t i es, and

hi s shi r t s, pi l ed l i ke br i cks i n st acks a dozen hi gh.

" I ' ve got a man i n Engl and who buys me cl ot hes. He sends over a sel ect i on

of t hi ngs at t he begi nni ng of each season, spr i ng and f al l . "

He t ook out a pi l e of shi r t s and began t hr owi ng t hem, one by one

bef or e us, shi r t s of sheer l i nen and t hi ck si l k and f i ne f l annel

whi ch l ost t hei r f ol ds as t hey f el l and cover ed t he t abl e i n

many- col or ed di sar r ay. Whi l e we admi r ed he br ought mor e and t he sof t

Page 50 of 100

r i ch heap mount ed hi gher - - shi r t s wi t h st r i pes and scr ol l s and pl ai ds i n

cor al and appl e- gr een and l avender and f ai nt or ange wi t h monogr ams of

I ndi an bl ue. Suddenl y wi t h a st r ai ned sound, Dai sy bent her head i nt o

t he shi r t s and began t o cr y st or mi l y.

" They' r e such beaut i f ul shi r t s, " she sobbed, her voi ce muf f l ed i n t he

t hi ck f ol ds. " I t makes me sad because I ' ve never seen such- - such beaut i f ul

shi r t s bef or e. "

Af t er t he house, we wer e t o see t he gr ounds and t he swi mmi ng pool , and t he

hydr opl ane and t he mi dsummer f l ower s- - but out si de Gat sby' s wi ndow i t

began t o r ai n agai n so we st ood i n a r ow l ooki ng at t he cor r ugat ed

sur f ace of t he Sound.

" I f i t wasn' t f or t he mi st we coul d see your home acr oss t he bay, " sai d

Gat sby. " You al ways have a gr een l i ght t hat bur ns al l ni ght at t he end of

your dock. "

Dai sy put her ar m t hr ough hi s abr upt l y but he seemed absor bed

i n what he had j ust sai d. Possi bl y i t had occur r ed t o hi m t hat t he

col ossal si gni f i cance of t hat l i ght had now vani shed f or ever . Compar ed

t o t he gr eat di st ance t hat had separ at ed hi m f r om Dai sy i t had seemed

ver y near t o her , al most t ouchi ng her . I t had seemed as cl ose as a st ar

t o t he moon. Now i t was agai n a gr een l i ght on a dock. Hi s count of

enchant ed obj ect s had di mi ni shed by one.

I began t o wal k about t he r oom, exami ni ng var i ous i ndef i ni t e obj ect s i n

t he hal f dar kness. A l ar ge phot ogr aph of an el der l y man i n yacht i ng

cost ume at t r act ed me, hung on t he wal l over hi s desk.

" Who' s t hi s?"

" That ? That ' s Mr . Dan Cody, ol d spor t . "

The name sounded f ai nt l y f ami l i ar .

" He' s dead now. He used t o be my best f r i end year s ago. "

Ther e was a smal l pi ct ur e of Gat sby, al so i n yacht i ng cost ume, on t he

bur eau- - Gat sby wi t h hi s head t hr own back def i ant l y- - t aken appar ent l y

when he was about ei ght een.

" I ador e i t ! " excl ai med Dai sy. " The pompadour ! You never t ol d me you had

a pompadour - - or a yacht . "

" Look at t hi s, " sai d Gat sby qui ckl y. " Her e' s a l ot of cl i ppi ngs - - about

you. "

They st ood si de by si de exami ni ng i t . I was goi ng t o ask t o see t he r ubi es

when t he phone r ang and Gat sby t ook up t he r ecei ver .

" Yes. . . . Wel l , I can' t t al k now. . . . I can' t t al k now, ol d

spor t . . . . I sai d a SMALL t own. . . . He must know what a smal l t own

i s. . . . Wel l , he' s no use t o us i f Det r oi t i s hi s i dea of a smal l

t own. . . . "

He r ang of f .

" Come her e QUI CK! " cr i ed Dai sy at t he wi ndow.

The r ai n was st i l l f al l i ng, but t he dar kness had par t ed i n t he west ,

and t her e was a pi nk and gol den bi l l ow of f oamy cl ouds above t he sea.

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" Look at t hat , " she whi sper ed, and t hen af t er a moment : " I ' d l i ke t o

j ust get one of t hose pi nk cl ouds and put you i n i t and push you

ar ound. "

I t r i ed t o go t hen, but t hey woul dn' t hear of i t ; per haps my pr esence

made t hem f eel mor e sat i sf act or i l y al one.

" I know what we' l l do, " sai d Gat sby, " we' l l have Kl i pspr i nger pl ay t he

pi ano. "

He went out of t he r oom cal l i ng " Ewi ng! " and r et ur ned i n a f ew

mi nut es accompani ed by an embar r assed, sl i ght l y wor n young man wi t h

shel l - r i mmed gl asses and scant y bl onde hai r . He was now decent l y cl ot hed

i n a " spor t shi r t " open at t he neck, sneaker s and duck t r ouser s of a

nebul ous hue.

" Di d we i nt er r upt your exer ci ses?" i nqui r ed Dai sy pol i t el y.

" I was asl eep, " cr i ed Mr . Kl i pspr i nger , i n a spasm of embar r assment .

" That i s, I ' d BEEN asl eep. Then I got up. . . . "

" Kl i pspr i nger pl ays t he pi ano, " sai d Gat sby, cut t i ng hi m of f . " Don' t you,

Ewi ng, ol d spor t ?"

" I don' t pl ay wel l . I don' t - - I har dl y pl ay at al l . I ' m al l out of

pr ac- - - - "

" We' l l go downst ai r s, " i nt er r upt ed Gat sby. He f l i pped a swi t ch. The

gr ey wi ndows di sappear ed as t he house gl owed f ul l of l i ght .

I n t he musi c r oom Gat sby t ur ned on a sol i t ar y l amp besi de t he pi ano. He

l i t Dai sy' s ci gar et t e f r om a t r embl i ng mat ch, and sat down wi t h her on

a couch f ar acr oss t he r oom wher e t her e was no l i ght save what t he

gl eami ng f l oor bounced i n f r om t he hal l .

When Kl i pspr i nger had pl ayed " The Love Nest " he t ur ned ar ound on t he

bench and sear ched unhappi l y f or Gat sby i n t he gl oom.

" I ' m al l out of pr act i ce, you see. I t ol d you I coul dn' t pl ay. I ' m al l

out of pr ac- - - - "

" Don' t t al k so much, ol d spor t , " commanded Gat sby. " Pl ay! "

I N THE MORNI NG,

I N THE EVENI NG,

AI N' T WE GOT FUN- - - -

Out si de t he wi nd was l oud and t her e was a f ai nt f l ow of t hunder al ong t he

Sound. Al l t he l i ght s wer e goi ng on i n West Egg now; t he el ect r i c t r ai ns,

men- car r yi ng, wer e pl ungi ng home t hr ough t he r ai n f r om New Yor k. I t was

t he hour of a pr of ound human change, and exci t ement was gener at i ng on

t he ai r .

ONE THI NG' S SURE AND NOTHI NG' S SURER

THE RI CH GET RI CHER AND THE POOR GET- - CHI LDREN.

I N THE MEANTI ME,

I N BETWEEN TI ME- - - -

As I went over t o say goodbye I saw t hat t he expr essi on of bewi l der ment

had come back i nt o Gat sby' s f ace, as t hough a f ai nt doubt had occur r ed t o

hi m as t o t he qual i t y of hi s pr esent happi ness. Al most f i ve

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year s! Ther e must have been moment s even t hat af t er noon when

Dai sy t umbl ed shor t of hi s dr eams- - not t hr ough her own f aul t but

because of t he col ossal vi t al i t y of hi s i l l usi on. I t had gone beyond

her , beyond ever yt hi ng. He had t hr own hi msel f i nt o i t wi t h a cr eat i ve

passi on, addi ng t o i t al l t he t i me, decki ng i t out wi t h ever y br i ght

f eat her t hat dr i f t ed hi s way. No amount of f i r e or f r eshness can

chal l enge what a man wi l l st or e up i n hi s ghost l y hear t .

As I wat ched hi m he adj ust ed hi msel f a l i t t l e, vi si bl y. Hi s hand t ook

hol d of her s and as she sai d somet hi ng l ow i n hi s ear he t ur ned t owar d

her wi t h a r ush of emot i on. I t hi nk t hat voi ce hel d hi m most wi t h i t s

f l uct uat i ng, f ever i sh war mt h because i t coul dn' t be over - dr eamed- - t hat

voi ce was a deat hl ess song.

They had f or got t en me, but Dai sy gl anced up and hel d out her hand;

Gat sby di dn' t know me now at al l . I l ooked once mor e at t hem and t hey

l ooked back at me, r emot el y, possessed by i nt ense l i f e. Then I went out

of t he r oom and down t he mar bl e st eps i nt o t he r ai n, l eavi ng t hem t her e

t oget her .

Chapt er 6

About t hi s t i me an ambi t i ous young r epor t er f r om New Yor k ar r i ved one

mor ni ng at Gat sby' s door and asked hi m i f he had anyt hi ng t o say.

" Anyt hi ng t o say about what ?" i nqui r ed Gat sby pol i t el y.

" Why, - - any st at ement t o gi ve out . "

I t t r anspi r ed af t er a conf used f i ve mi nut es t hat t he man had hear d

Gat sby' s name ar ound hi s of f i ce i n a connect i on whi ch he ei t her

woul dn' t r eveal or di dn' t f ul l y under st and. Thi s was hi s day of f

and wi t h l audabl e i ni t i at i ve he had hur r i ed out " t o see. "

I t was a r andom shot , and yet t he r epor t er ' s i nst i nct was r i ght . Gat sby' s

not or i et y, spr ead about by t he hundr eds who had accept ed hi s

hospi t al i t y and so become aut hor i t i es on hi s past , had i ncr eased

al l summer unt i l he f el l j ust shor t of bei ng news. Cont empor ar y

l egends such as t he " under gr ound pi pe- l i ne t o Canada" at t ached

t hemsel ves t o hi m, and t her e was one per si st ent st or y t hat he

di dn' t l i ve i n a house at al l , but i n a boat t hat l ooked l i ke a house

and was moved secr et l y up and down t he Long I sl and shor e. Just why

t hese i nvent i ons wer e a sour ce of sat i sf act i on t o James Gat z of Nor t h

Dakot a, i sn' t easy t o say.

James Gat z- - t hat was r eal l y, or at l east l egal l y, hi s name. He had

changed i t at t he age of sevent een and at t he speci f i c moment t hat

wi t nessed t he begi nni ng of hi s car eer - - when he saw Dan Cody' s yacht dr op

anchor over t he most i nsi di ous f l at on Lake Super i or . I t was James Gat z

who had been l oaf i ng al ong t he beach t hat af t er noon i n a t or n gr een

j er sey and a pai r of canvas pant s, but i t was al r eady Jay Gat sby who

bor r owed a r ow- boat , pul l ed out t o t he TUOLOMEE and i nf or med Cody t hat

a wi nd mi ght cat ch hi m and br eak hi m up i n hal f an hour .

I suppose he' d had t he name r eady f or a l ong t i me, even t hen. Hi s

par ent s wer e shi f t l ess and unsuccessf ul f ar m peopl e- - hi s i magi nat i on had

never r eal l y accept ed t hem as hi s par ent s at al l . The t r ut h was t hat

Jay Gat sby, of West Egg, Long I sl and, spr ang f r om hi s Pl at oni c

concept i on of hi msel f . He was a son of God- - a phr ase whi ch, i f i t means

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anyt hi ng, means j ust t hat - - and he must be about Hi s Fat her ' s Busi ness,

t he ser vi ce of a vast , vul gar and mer et r i ci ous beaut y. So he i nvent ed

j ust t he sor t of Jay Gat sby t hat a sevent een- year - ol d boy woul d be

l i kel y t o i nvent , and t o t hi s concept i on he was f ai t hf ul t o t he end.

For over a year he had been beat i ng hi s way al ong t he sout h shor e of

Lake Super i or as a cl am di gger and a sal mon f i sher or i n any ot her

capaci t y t hat br ought hi m f ood and bed. Hi s br own, har deni ng body l i ved

nat ur al l y t hr ough t he hal f f i er ce, hal f l azy wor k of t he br aci ng days.

He knew women ear l y and si nce t hey spoi l ed hi m he became cont empt uous

of t hem, of young vi r gi ns because t hey wer e i gnor ant , of t he ot her s

because t hey wer e hyst er i cal about t hi ngs whi ch i n hi s over whel mi ng

sel f - absor pt i on he t ook f or gr ant ed.

But hi s hear t was i n a const ant , t ur bul ent r i ot . The most gr ot esque

and f ant ast i c concei t s haunt ed hi m i n hi s bed at ni ght . A uni ver se

of i nef f abl e gaudi ness spun i t sel f out i n hi s br ai n whi l e t he

cl ock t i cked on t he wash- st and and t he moon soaked wi t h wet

l i ght hi s t angl ed cl ot hes upon t he f l oor . Each ni ght he added t o t he

pat t er n of hi s f anci es unt i l dr owsi ness cl osed down upon some vi vi d

scene wi t h an obl i vi ous embr ace. For a whi l e t hese r ever i es pr ovi ded an

out l et f or hi s i magi nat i on; t hey wer e a sat i sf act or y hi nt of t he

unr eal i t y of r eal i t y, a pr omi se t hat t he r ock of t he wor l d was f ounded

secur el y on a f ai r y' s wi ng.

An i nst i nct t owar d hi s f ut ur e gl or y had l ed hi m, some mont hs bef or e, t o

t he smal l Lut her an col l ege of St . Ol af i n sout her n Mi nnesot a. He st ayed

t her e t wo weeks, di smayed at i t s f er oci ous i ndi f f er ence t o t he dr ums of

hi s dest i ny, t o dest i ny i t sel f , and despi si ng t he j ani t or ' s wor k wi t h

whi ch he was t o pay hi s way t hr ough. Then he dr i f t ed back t o Lake

Super i or , and he was st i l l sear chi ng f or somet hi ng t o do on t he day

t hat Dan Cody' s yacht dr opped anchor i n t he shal l ows al ong shor e.

Cody was f i f t y year s ol d t hen, a pr oduct of t he Nevada si l ver f i el ds,

of t he Yukon, of ever y r ush f or met al si nce Sevent y - f i ve. The

t r ansact i ons i n Mont ana copper t hat made hi m many t i mes a mi l l i onai r e

f ound hi m physi cal l y r obust but on t he ver ge of sof t - mi ndedness, and,

suspect i ng t hi s an i nf i ni t e number of women t r i ed t o separ at e hi m f r om

hi s money. The none t oo savor y r ami f i cat i ons by whi ch El l a Kaye, t he

newspaper woman, pl ayed Madame de Mai nt enon t o hi s weakness and sent hi m

t o sea i n a yacht , wer e common knowl edge t o t he t ur gi d j our nal i sm

of 1902. He had been coast i ng al ong al l t oo hospi t abl e shor es f or f i ve

year s when he t ur ned up as James Gat z' s dest i ny at Li t t l e Gi r l Bay.

To t he young Gat z, r est i ng on hi s oar s and l ooki ng up at t he r ai l ed

deck, t he yacht r epr esent ed al l t he beaut y and gl amor i n t he wor l d. I

suppose he smi l ed at Cody- - he had pr obabl y di scover ed t hat peopl e l i ked

hi m when he smi l ed. At any r at e Cody asked hi m a f ew quest i ons ( one of

t hem el i ci t ed t he br and new name) and f ound t hat he was qui ck, and

ext r avagant l y ambi t i ous. A f ew days l at er he t ook hi m t o Dul ut h and

bought hi m a bl ue coat , si x pai r of whi t e duck t r ouser s and a yacht i ng

cap. And when t he TUOLOMEE l ef t f or t he West I ndi es and t he Bar bar y

Coast Gat sby l ef t t oo.

He was empl oyed i n a vague per sonal capaci t y- - whi l e he r emai ned wi t h

Cody he was i n t ur n st ewar d, mat e, ski pper , secr et ar y, and even j ai l or ,

f or Dan Cody sober knew what l avi sh doi ngs Dan Cody dr unk mi ght soon be

about and he pr ovi ded f or such cont i ngenci es by r eposi ng mor e and mor e

t r ust i n Gat sby. The ar r angement l ast ed f i ve year s dur i ng whi ch t he

boat went t hr ee t i mes ar ound t he cont i nent . I t mi ght have l ast ed

i ndef i ni t el y except f or t he f act t hat El l a Kaye came on boar d one ni ght

i n Bost on and a week l at er Dan Cody i nhospi t abl y di ed.

I r emember t he por t r ai t of hi m up i n Gat sby' s bedr oom, a gr ey, f l or i d

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man wi t h a har d empt y f ace- - t he pi oneer debauchee who dur i ng one phase

of Amer i can l i f e br ought back t o t he east er n seaboar d t he savage

vi ol ence of t he f r ont i er br ot hel and sal oon. I t was i ndi r ect l y due t o

Cody t hat Gat sby dr ank so l i t t l e. Somet i mes i n t he cour se of gay par t i es

women used t o r ub champagne i nt o hi s hai r ; f or hi msel f he f or med t he

habi t of l et t i ng l i quor al one.

And i t was f r om Cody t hat he i nher i t ed money- - a l egacy of t went y- f i ve

t housand dol l ar s. He di dn' t get i t . He never under st ood t he l egal

devi ce t hat was used agai nst hi m but what r emai ned of t he mi l l i ons

went i nt act t o El l a Kaye. He was l ef t wi t h hi s si ngul ar l y appr opr i at e

educat i on; t he vague cont our of Jay Gat sby had f i l l ed out t o t he

subst ant i al i t y of a man.

He t ol d me al l t hi s ver y much l at er , but I ' ve put i t down her e wi t h t he

i dea of expl odi ng t hose f i r st wi l d r umor s about hi s ant ecedent s, whi ch

wer en' t even f ai nt l y t r ue. Mor eover he t ol d i t t o me at a t i me of

conf usi on, when I had r eached t he poi nt of bel i evi ng ever yt hi ng and

not hi ng about hi m. So I t ake advant age of t hi s shor t hal t , whi l e

Gat sby, so t o speak, caught hi s br eat h, t o cl ear t hi s set of

mi sconcept i ons away.

I t was a hal t , t oo, i n my associ at i on wi t h hi s af f ai r s. For

sever al weeks I di dn' t see hi m or hear hi s voi ce on t he phone- - most l y

I was i n New Yor k, t r ot t i ng ar ound wi t h Jor dan and t r yi ng t o

i ngr at i at e mysel f wi t h her seni l e aunt - - but f i nal l y I went over t o

hi s house one Sunday af t er noon. I hadn' t been t her e t wo mi nut es when

somebody br ought Tom Buchanan i n f or a dr i nk. I was st ar t l ed,

nat ur al l y, but t he r eal l y sur pr i si ng t hi ng was t hat i t hadn' t happened

bef or e.

They wer e a par t y of t hr ee on hor seback- - Tom and a man named Sl oane and

a pr et t y woman i n a br own r i di ng habi t who had been t her e pr evi ousl y.

" I ' m del i ght ed t o see you, " sai d Gat sby st andi ng on hi s por ch.

" I ' m del i ght ed t hat you dr opped i n. "

As t hough t hey car ed!

" Si t r i ght down. Have a ci gar et t e or a ci gar . " He wal ked ar ound t he r oom

qui ckl y, r i ngi ng bel l s. " I ' l l have somet hi ng t o dr i nk f or you i n j ust

a mi nut e. "

He was pr of oundl y af f ect ed by t he f act t hat Tom was t her e. But he woul d be

uneasy anyhow unt i l he had gi ven t hem somet hi ng, r eal i zi ng i n a vague

way t hat t hat was al l t hey came f or . Mr . Sl oane want ed not hi ng. A

l emonade? No, t hanks. A l i t t l e champagne? Not hi ng at al l ,

t hanks. . . . I ' m sor r y- - - -

" Di d you have a ni ce r i de?"

" Ver y good r oads ar ound her e. "

" I suppose t he aut omobi l es- - - - "

" Yeah. "

Moved by an i r r esi st i bl e i mpul se, Gat sby t ur ned t o Tom who had accept ed

t he i nt r oduct i on as a st r anger .

" I bel i eve we' ve met somewher e bef or e, Mr . Buchanan. "

" Oh, yes, " sai d Tom, gr uf f l y pol i t e but obvi ousl y not r emember i ng.

Page 55 of 100

" So we di d. I r emember ver y wel l . "

" About t wo weeks ago. "

" That ' s r i ght . You wer e wi t h Ni ck her e. "

" I know your wi f e, " cont i nued Gat sby, al most aggr essi vel y.

" That so?"

Tom t ur ned t o me.

" You l i ve near her e, Ni ck?"

" Next door . "

" That so?"

Mr . Sl oane di dn' t ent er i nt o t he conver sat i on but l ounged back haught i l y

i n hi s chai r ; t he woman sai d not hi ng ei t her - - unt i l unexpect edl y, af t er

t wo hi ghbal l s, she became cor di al .

" We' l l al l come over t o your next par t y, Mr . Gat sby, " she suggest ed.

" What do you say?"

" Cer t ai nl y. I ' d be del i ght ed t o have you. "

" Be ver ' ni ce, " sai d Mr . Sl oane, wi t hout gr at i t ude. " Wel l - - t hi nk ought t o

be st ar t i ng home. "

" Pl ease don' t hur r y, " Gat sby ur ged t hem. He had cont r ol of hi msel f now

and he want ed t o see mor e of Tom. " Why don' t you- - why don' t you st ay f or

supper ? I woul dn' t be sur pr i sed i f some ot her peopl e dr opped i n f r om

New Yor k. "

" You come t o supper wi t h ME, " sai d t he l ady ent husi ast i cal l y.

" Bot h of you. "

Thi s i ncl uded me. Mr . Sl oane got t o hi s f eet .

" Come al ong, " he sai d- - but t o her onl y.

" I mean i t , " she i nsi st ed. " I ' d l ove t o have you. Lot s of r oom. "

Gat sby l ooked at me quest i oni ngl y. He want ed t o go and he di dn' t see

t hat Mr . Sl oane had det er mi ned he shoul dn' t .

" I ' m af r ai d I won' t be abl e t o, " I sai d.

" Wel l , you come, " she ur ged, concent r at i ng on Gat sby.

Mr . Sl oane mur mur ed somet hi ng cl ose t o her ear .

" We won' t be l at e i f we st ar t now, " she i nsi st ed al oud.

" I haven' t got a hor se, " sai d Gat sby. " I used t o r i de i n t he ar my but

I ' ve never bought a hor se. I ' l l have t o f ol l ow you i n my car . Excuse me

f or j ust a mi nut e. "

The r est of us wal ked out on t he por ch, wher e Sl oane and t he l ady began

an i mpassi oned conver sat i on asi de.

" My God, I bel i eve t he man' s comi ng, " sai d Tom. " Doesn' t he know she

doesn' t want hi m?"

Page 56 of 100

" She says she does want hi m. "

" She has a bi g di nner par t y and he won' t know a soul t her e. " He f r owned.

" I wonder wher e i n t he devi l he met Dai sy. By God, I may be

ol d- f ashi oned i n my i deas, but women r un ar ound t oo much t hese days t o

sui t me. They meet al l ki nds of cr azy f i sh. "

Suddenl y Mr . Sl oane and t he l ady wal ked down t he st eps and mount ed

t hei r hor ses.

" Come on, " sai d Mr . Sl oane t o Tom, " we' r e l at e. We' ve got t o go. " And t hen

t o me: " Tel l hi m we coul dn' t wai t , wi l l you?"

Tom and I shook hands, t he r est of us exchanged a cool nod and

t hey t r ot t ed qui ckl y down t he dr i ve, di sappear i ng under t he August

f ol i age j ust as Gat sby wi t h hat and l i ght over coat i n hand came out

t he f r ont door .

Tom was evi dent l y per t ur bed at Dai sy' s r unni ng ar ound al one, f or on t he

f ol l owi ng Sat ur day ni ght he came wi t h her t o Gat sby' s par t y. Per haps

hi s pr esence gave t he eveni ng i t s pecul i ar qual i t y of oppr essi veness - - i t

st ands out i n my memor y f r om Gat sby' s ot her par t i es t hat summer . Ther e

wer e t he same peopl e, or at l east t he same sor t of peopl e, t he same

pr of usi on of champagne, t he same many- col or ed, many- keyed commot i on,

but I f el t an unpl easant ness i n t he ai r , a per vadi ng har shness t hat

hadn' t been t her e bef or e. Or per haps I had mer el y gr own used t o i t ,

gr own t o accept West Egg as a wor l d compl et e i n i t sel f , wi t h i t s own

st andar ds and i t s own gr eat f i gur es, second t o not hi ng because i t had

no consci ousness of bei ng so, and now I was l ooki ng at i t agai n,

t hr ough Dai sy' s eyes. I t i s i nvar i abl y saddeni ng t o l ook t hr ough new

eyes at t hi ngs upon whi ch you have expended your own power s of

adj ust ment .

They ar r i ved at t wi l i ght and as we st r ol l ed out among t he spar kl i ng

hundr eds Dai sy' s voi ce was pl ayi ng mur mur ous t r i cks i n her t hr oat .

" These t hi ngs exci t e me SO, " she whi sper ed. " I f you want t o ki ss me

any t i me dur i ng t he eveni ng, Ni ck, j ust l et me know and I ' l l be gl ad

t o ar r ange i t f or you. Just ment i on my name. Or pr esent a gr een car d.

I ' m gi vi ng out gr een- - - - "

" Look ar ound, " suggest ed Gat sby.

" I ' m l ooki ng ar ound. I ' m havi ng a mar vel ous- - - - "

" You must see t he f aces of many peopl e you' ve hear d about . "

Tom' s ar r ogant eyes r oamed t he cr owd.

" We don' t go ar ound ver y much, " he sai d. " I n f act I was j ust t hi nki ng

I don' t know a soul her e. "

" Per haps you know t hat l ady. " Gat sby i ndi cat ed a gor geous, scar cel y human

or chi d of a woman who sat i n st at e under a whi t e pl um t r ee. Tom and Dai sy

st ar ed, wi t h t hat pecul i ar l y unr eal f eel i ng t hat accompani es t he

r ecogni t i on of a hi t her t o ghost l y cel ebr i t y of t he movi es.

" She' s l ovel y, " sai d Dai sy.

" The man bendi ng over her i s her di r ect or . "

He t ook t hem cer emoni ousl y f r om gr oup t o gr oup:

Page 57 of 100

" Mr s. Buchanan . . . and Mr . Buchanan- - - - " Af t er an i nst ant ' s hesi t at i on

he added: " t he pol o pl ayer . "

" Oh no, " obj ect ed Tom qui ckl y, " Not me. "

But evi dent l y t he sound of i t pl eased Gat sby f or Tom r emai ned " t he pol o

pl ayer " f or t he r est of t he eveni ng.

" I ' ve never met so many cel ebr i t i es! " Dai sy excl ai med. " I l i ked t hat

man- - what was hi s name?- - wi t h t he sor t of bl ue nose. "

Gat sby i dent i f i ed hi m, addi ng t hat he was a smal l pr oducer .

" Wel l , I l i ked hi m anyhow. "

" I ' d a l i t t l e r at her not be t he pol o pl ayer , " sai d Tom pl easant l y, " I ' d

r at her l ook at al l t hese f amous peopl e i n- - i n obl i vi on. "

Dai sy and Gat sby danced. I r emember bei ng sur pr i sed by hi s gr acef ul ,

conser vat i ve f ox- t r ot - - I had never seen hi m dance bef or e. Then t hey

saunt er ed over t o my house and sat on t he st eps f or hal f an hour whi l e

at her r equest I r emai ned wat chf ul l y i n t he gar den: " I n case t her e' s a

f i r e or a f l ood, " she expl ai ned, " or any act of God. "

Tom appear ed f r om hi s obl i vi on as we wer e si t t i ng down t o supper t oget her .

" Do you mi nd i f I eat wi t h some peopl e over her e?" he sai d. " A f el l ow' s

get t i ng of f some f unny st uf f . "

" Go ahead, " answer ed Dai sy geni al l y, " And i f you want t o t ake down any

addr esses her e' s my l i t t l e gol d penci l . . . . " She l ooked ar ound af t er

a moment and t ol d me t he gi r l was " common but pr et t y, " and I knew t hat

except f or t he hal f hour she' d been al one wi t h Gat sby she wasn' t havi ng

a good t i me.

We wer e at a par t i cul ar l y t i psy t abl e. That was my f aul t - - Gat sby had

been cal l ed t o t he phone and I ' d enj oyed t hese same peopl e onl y t wo

weeks bef or e. But what had amused me t hen t ur ned sept i c on t he ai r now.

" How do you f eel , Mi ss Baedeker ?"

The gi r l addr essed was t r yi ng, unsuccessf ul l y, t o sl ump agai nst my

shoul der . At t hi s i nqui r y she sat up and opened her eyes.

" Wha?"

A massi ve and l et har gi c woman, who had been ur gi ng Dai sy t o pl ay gol f

wi t h her at t he l ocal cl ub t omor r ow, spoke i n Mi ss Baedeker ' s def ence:

" Oh, she' s al l r i ght now. When she' s had f i ve or si x cockt ai l s she al ways

st ar t s scr eami ng l i ke t hat . I t el l her she ought t o l eave i t al one. "

" I do l eave i t al one, " af f i r med t he accused hol l owl y.

" We hear d you yel l i ng, so I sai d t o Doc Ci vet her e: ' Ther e' s somebody

t hat needs your hel p, Doc. ' "

" She' s much obl i ged, I ' m sur e, " sai d anot her f r i end, wi t hout gr at i t ude.

" But you got her dr ess al l wet when you st uck her head i n t he pool . "

" Anyt hi ng I hat e i s t o get my head st uck i n a pool , " mumbl ed Mi ss

Baedeker . " They al most dr owned me once over i n New Jer sey. "

" Then you ought t o l eave i t al one, " count er ed Doct or Ci vet .

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" Speak f or your sel f ! " cr i ed Mi ss Baedeker vi ol ent l y. " Your hand shakes.

I woul dn' t l et you oper at e on me! "

I t was l i ke t hat . Al most t he l ast t hi ng I r emember was st andi ng wi t h

Dai sy and wat chi ng t he movi ng pi ct ur e di r ect or and hi s St ar . They wer e

st i l l under t he whi t e pl um t r ee and t hei r f aces wer e t ouchi ng except

f or a pal e t hi n r ay of moonl i ght bet ween. I t occur r ed t o me t hat he

had been ver y sl owl y bendi ng t owar d her al l eveni ng t o at t ai n t hi s

pr oxi mi t y, and even whi l e I wat ched I saw hi m st oop one ul t i mat e degr ee

and ki ss at her cheek.

" I l i ke her , " sai d Dai sy, " I t hi nk she' s l ovel y. "

But t he r est of f ended her - - and i nar guabl y, because i t wasn' t a gest ur e but

an emot i on. She was appal l ed by West Egg, t hi s unpr ecedent ed " pl ace"

t hat Br oadway had begot t en upon a Long I sl and f i shi ng vi l l age- - appal l ed

by i t s r aw vi gor t hat chaf ed under t he ol d euphemi sms and by t he t oo

obt r usi ve f at e t hat her ded i t s i nhabi t ant s al ong a shor t cut f r om not hi ng

t o not hi ng. She saw somet hi ng awf ul i n t he ver y si mpl i ci t y she f ai l ed

t o under st and.

I sat on t he f r ont st eps wi t h t hem whi l e t hey wai t ed f or t hei r car . I t

was dar k her e i n f r ont : onl y t he br i ght door sent t en squar e f eet of

l i ght vol l eyi ng out i nt o t he sof t bl ack mor ni ng. Somet i mes a shadow

moved agai nst a dr essi ng- r oom bl i nd above, gave way t o anot her shadow,

an i ndef i ni t e pr ocessi on of shadows, who r ouged and powder ed i n an

i nvi si bl e gl ass.

" Who i s t hi s Gat sby anyhow?" demanded Tom suddenl y. " Some bi g boot l egger ?"

" Wher e' d you hear t hat ?" I i nqui r ed.

" I di dn' t hear i t . I i magi ned i t . A l ot of t hese newl y r i ch peopl e ar e

j ust bi g boot l egger s, you know. "

" Not Gat sby, " I sai d shor t l y.

He was si l ent f or a moment . The pebbl es of t he dr i ve cr unched under hi s

f eet .

" Wel l , he cer t ai nl y must have st r ai ned hi msel f t o get t hi s menager i e

t oget her . "

A br eeze st i r r ed t he gr ey haze of Dai sy' s f ur col l ar .

" At l east t hey' r e mor e i nt er est i ng t han t he peopl e we know, " she sai d

wi t h an ef f or t .

" You di dn' t l ook so i nt er est ed. "

" Wel l , I was. "

Tom l aughed and t ur ned t o me.

" Di d you not i ce Dai sy' s f ace when t hat gi r l asked her t o put her under

a col d shower ?"

Dai sy began t o si ng wi t h t he musi c i n a husky, r hyt hmi c whi sper ,

br i ngi ng out a meani ng i n each wor d t hat i t had never had

bef or e and woul d never have agai n. When t he mel ody r ose, her voi ce

br oke up sweet l y, f ol l owi ng i t , i n a way cont r al t o voi ces have, and

each change t i pped out a l i t t l e of her war m human magi c upon t he ai r .

" Lot s of peopl e come who haven' t been i nvi t ed, " she sai d suddenl y.

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" That gi r l hadn' t been i nvi t ed. They si mpl y f or ce t hei r way i n and he' s

t oo pol i t e t o obj ect . "

" I ' d l i ke t o know who he i s and what he does, " i nsi st ed Tom. " And I t hi nk

I ' l l make a poi nt of f i ndi ng out . "

" I can t el l you r i ght now, " she answer ed. " He owned some dr ug st or es,

a l ot of dr ug st or es. He bui l t t hem up hi msel f . "

The di l at or y l i mousi ne came r ol l i ng up t he dr i ve.

" Good ni ght , Ni ck, " sai d Dai sy.

Her gl ance l ef t me and sought t he l i ght ed t op of t he st eps wher e

" Thr ee o' Cl ock i n t he Mor ni ng, " a neat , sad l i t t l e wal t z of t hat year ,

was dr i f t i ng out t he open door . Af t er al l , i n t he ver y casual ness of

Gat sby' s par t y t her e wer e r omant i c possi bi l i t i es t ot al l y absent f r om

her wor l d. What was i t up t her e i n t he song t hat seemed t o be cal l i ng

her back i nsi de? What woul d happen now i n t he di m i ncal cul abl e hour s?

Per haps some unbel i evabl e guest woul d ar r i ve, a per son i nf i ni t el y r ar e

and t o be mar vel l ed at , some aut hent i cal l y r adi ant young gi r l who wi t h

one f r esh gl ance at Gat sby, one moment of magi cal encount er , woul d bl ot

out t hose f i ve year s of unwaver i ng devot i on.

I st ayed l at e t hat ni ght . Gat sby asked me t o wai t unt i l he was f r ee

and I l i nger ed i n t he gar den unt i l t he i nevi t abl e swi mmi ng par t y had r un

up, chi l l ed and exal t ed, f r om t he bl ack beach, unt i l t he l i ght s wer e

ext i ngui shed i n t he guest r ooms over head. When he came down t he st eps at

l ast t he t anned ski n was dr awn unusual l y t i ght on hi s f ace, and hi s eyes

wer e br i ght and t i r ed.

" She di dn' t l i ke i t , " he sai d i mmedi at el y.

" Of cour se she di d. "

" She di dn' t l i ke i t , " he i nsi st ed. " She di dn' t have a good t i me. "

He was si l ent and I guessed at hi s unut t er abl e depr essi on.

" I f eel f ar away f r om her , " he sai d. " I t ' s har d t o make her under st and. "

" You mean about t he dance?"

" The dance?" He di smi ssed al l t he dances he had gi ven wi t h a snap of

hi s f i nger s. " Ol d spor t , t he dance i s uni mpor t ant . "

He want ed not hi ng l ess of Dai sy t han t hat she shoul d go t o Tom and say:

" I never l oved you. " Af t er she had obl i t er at ed t hr ee year s wi t h t hat

sent ence t hey coul d deci de upon t he mor e pr act i cal measur es t o be t aken.

One of t hem was t hat , af t er she was f r ee, t hey wer e t o go back t o

Loui svi l l e and be mar r i ed f r om her house- - j ust as i f i t wer e f i ve

year s ago.

" And she doesn' t under st and, " he sai d. " She used t o be abl e t o

under st and. We' d si t f or hour s- - - - "

He br oke of f and began t o wal k up and down a desol at e pat h of f r ui t r i nds

and di scar ded f avor s and cr ushed f l ower s.

" I woul dn' t ask t oo much of her , " I vent ur ed. " You can' t r epeat t he past . "

" Can' t r epeat t he past ?" he cr i ed i ncr edul ousl y. " Why of cour se you can! "

Page 60 of 100

He l ooked ar ound hi m wi l dl y, as i f t he past wer e l ur ki ng her e i n t he

shadow of hi s house, j ust out of r each of hi s hand.

" I ' m goi ng t o f i x ever yt hi ng j ust t he way i t was bef or e, " he sai d,

noddi ng det er mi nedl y. " She' l l see. "

He t al ked a l ot about t he past and I gat her ed t hat he want ed t o r ecover

somet hi ng, some i dea of hi msel f per haps, t hat had gone i nt o l ovi ng Dai sy.

Hi s l i f e had been conf used and di sor der ed si nce t hen, but i f he coul d

once r et ur n t o a cer t ai n st ar t i ng pl ace and go over i t al l sl owl y, he

coul d f i nd out what t hat t hi ng was. . . .

. . . One aut umn ni ght , f i ve year s bef or e, t hey had been wal ki ng down

t he st r eet when t he l eaves wer e f al l i ng, and t hey came t o a pl ace wher e

t her e wer e no t r ees and t he si dewal k was whi t e wi t h moonl i ght .

They st opped her e and t ur ned t owar d each ot her . Now i t was a cool ni ght

wi t h t hat myst er i ous exci t ement i n i t whi ch comes at t he t wo changes of

t he year . The qui et l i ght s i n t he houses wer e hummi ng out i nt o t he

dar kness and t her e was a st i r and bust l e among t he st ar s. Out of t he

cor ner of hi s eye Gat sby saw t hat t he bl ocks of t he si dewal k r eal l y

f or med a l adder and mount ed t o a secr et pl ace above t he t r ees - - he coul d

cl i mb t o i t , i f he cl i mbed al one, and once t her e he coul d suck on t he

pap of l i f e, gul p down t he i ncompar abl e mi l k of wonder .

Hi s hear t beat f ast er and f ast er as Dai sy' s whi t e f ace came up t o hi s

own. He knew t hat when he ki ssed t hi s gi r l , and f or ever wed hi s

unut t er abl e vi si ons t o her per i shabl e br eat h, hi s mi nd woul d never r omp

agai n l i ke t he mi nd of God. So he wai t ed, l i st eni ng f or a moment l onger

t o t he t uni ng f or k t hat had been st r uck upon a st ar . Then he ki ssed

her . At hi s l i ps' t ouch she bl ossomed f or hi m l i ke a f l ower and t he

i ncar nat i on was compl et e.

Thr ough al l he sai d, even t hr ough hi s appal l i ng sent i ment al i t y, I was

r emi nded of somet hi ng- - an el usi ve r hyt hm, a f r agment of l ost wor ds, t hat

I had hear d somewher e a l ong t i me ago. For a moment a phr ase t r i ed t o

t ake shape i n my mout h and my l i ps par t ed l i ke a dumb man' s, as t hough

t her e was mor e st r uggl i ng upon t hem t han a wi sp of st ar t l ed ai r . But

t hey made no sound and what I had al most r emember ed was

uncommuni cabl e f or ever .

Chapt er 7

I t was when cur i osi t y about Gat sby was at i t s hi ghest t hat t he l i ght s

i n hi s house f ai l ed t o go on one Sat ur day ni ght - - and, as obscur el y as i t

had begun, hi s car eer as Tr i mal chi o was over .

Onl y gr adual l y di d I become awar e t hat t he aut omobi l es whi ch t ur ned

expect ant l y i nt o hi s dr i ve st ayed f or j ust a mi nut e and t hen dr ove

sul ki l y away. Wonder i ng i f he wer e si ck I went over t o f i nd out - - an

unf ami l i ar but l er wi t h a vi l l ai nous f ace squi nt ed at me suspi ci ousl y

f r om t he door .

" I s Mr . Gat sby si ck?"

" Nope. " Af t er a pause he added " si r " i n a di l at or y, gr udgi ng way.

" I hadn' t seen hi m ar ound, and I was r at her wor r i ed. Tel l hi m Mr . Car r away

came over . "

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" Who?" he demanded r udel y.

" Car r away. "

" Car r away. Al l r i ght , I ' l l t el l hi m. " Abr upt l y he sl ammed t he door .

My Fi nn i nf or med me t hat Gat sby had di smi ssed ever y ser vant i n hi s

house a week ago and r epl aced t hem wi t h hal f a dozen ot her s, who never

went i nt o West Egg Vi l l age t o be br i bed by t he t r adesmen, but or der ed

moder at e suppl i es over t he t el ephone. The gr ocer y boy r epor t ed t hat t he

ki t chen l ooked l i ke a pi gst y, and t he gener al opi ni on i n t he vi l l age was

t hat t he new peopl e wer en' t ser vant s at al l .

Next day Gat sby cal l ed me on t he phone.

" Goi ng away?" I i nqui r ed.

" No, ol d spor t . "

" I hear you f i r ed al l your ser vant s. "

" I want ed somebody who woul dn' t gossi p. Dai sy comes over qui t e of t en- - i n

t he af t er noons. "

So t he whol e car avansar y had f al l en i n l i ke a car d house at t he

di sappr oval i n her eyes.

" They' r e some peopl e Wol f shi em want ed t o do somet hi ng f or . They' r e al l

br ot her s and si st er s. They used t o r un a smal l hot el . "

" I see. "

He was cal l i ng up at Dai sy' s r equest - - woul d I come t o l unch at

her house t omor r ow? Mi ss Baker woul d be t her e. Hal f an hour l at er

Dai sy her sel f t el ephoned and seemed r el i eved t o f i nd t hat I was comi ng.

Somet hi ng was up. And yet I coul dn' t bel i eve t hat t hey woul d choose

t hi s occasi on f or a scene- - especi al l y f or t he r at her har r owi ng scene

t hat Gat sby had out l i ned i n t he gar den.

The next day was br oi l i ng, al most t he l ast , cer t ai nl y t he war mest , of

t he summer . As my t r ai n emer ged f r om t he t unnel i nt o sunl i ght , onl y t he

hot whi st l es of t he Nat i onal Bi scui t Company br oke t he si mmer i ng hush

at noon. The st r aw seat s of t he car hover ed on t he edge of combust i on;

t he woman next t o me per spi r ed del i cat el y f or a whi l e i nt o her whi t e

shi r t wai st , and t hen, as her newspaper dampened under her f i nger s,

l apsed despai r i ngl y i nt o deep heat wi t h a desol at e cr y. Her pocket - book

sl apped t o t he f l oor .

" Oh, my! " she gasped.

I pi cked i t up wi t h a wear y bend and handed i t back t o her , hol di ng i t

at ar m' s l engt h and by t he ext r eme t i p of t he cor ner s t o i ndi cat e t hat

I had no desi gns upon i t - - but ever y one near by, i ncl udi ng t he woman,

suspect ed me j ust t he same.

" Hot ! " sai d t he conduct or t o f ami l i ar f aces. " Some weat her ! Hot ! Hot ! Hot !

I s i t hot enough f or you? I s i t hot ? I s i t . . . ?"

My commut at i on t i cket came back t o me wi t h a dar k st ai n f r om hi s hand.

That any one shoul d car e i n t hi s heat whose f l ushed l i ps he ki ssed,

whose head made damp t he paj ama pocket over hi s hear t !

. . . Thr ough t he hal l of t he Buchanans' house bl ew a f ai nt wi nd,

car r yi ng t he sound of t he t el ephone bel l out t o Gat sby and me as we

Page 62 of 100

wai t ed at t he door .

" The mast er ' s body! " r oar ed t he but l er i nt o t he mout hpi ece. " I ' m sor r y,

madame, but we can' t f ur ni sh i t - - i t ' s f ar t oo hot t o t ouch t hi s noon! "

What he r eal l y sai d was: " Yes . . . yes . . . I ' l l see. "

He set down t he r ecei ver and came t owar d us, gl i st eni ng sl i ght l y, t o t ake

our st i f f st r aw hat s.

" Madame expect s you i n t he sal on! " he cr i ed, needl essl y i ndi cat i ng t he

di r ect i on. I n t hi s heat ever y ext r a gest ur e was an af f r ont t o t he

common st or e of l i f e.

The r oom, shadowed wel l wi t h awni ngs, was dar k and cool . Dai sy and

Jor dan l ay upon an enor mous couch, l i ke si l ver i dol s, wei ghi ng down

t hei r own whi t e dr esses agai nst t he si ngi ng br eeze of t he f ans.

" We can' t move, " t hey sai d t oget her .

Jor dan' s f i nger s, powder ed whi t e over t hei r t an, r est ed f or a moment i n

mi ne.

" And Mr . Thomas Buchanan, t he at hl et e?" I i nqui r ed.

Si mul t aneousl y I hear d hi s voi ce, gr uf f , muf f l ed, husky, at t he hal l

t el ephone.

Gat sby st ood i n t he cent er of t he cr i mson car pet and gazed ar ound wi t h

f asci nat ed eyes. Dai sy wat ched hi m and l aughed, her sweet , exci t i ng

l augh; a t i ny gust of powder r ose f r om her bosom i nt o t he ai r .

" The r umor i s, " whi sper ed Jor dan, " t hat t hat ' s Tom' s gi r l on t he

t el ephone. "

We wer e si l ent . The voi ce i n t he hal l r ose hi gh wi t h annoyance.

" Ver y wel l , t hen, I won' t sel l you t he car at al l . . . . I ' m

under no obl i gat i ons t o you at al l . . . . And as f or your bot her i ng me

about i t at l unch t i me I won' t st and t hat at al l ! "

" Hol di ng down t he r ecei ver , " sai d Dai sy cyni cal l y.

" No, he' s not , " I assur ed her . " I t ' s a bona f i de deal . I happen t o

know about i t . "

Tom f l ung open t he door , bl ocked out i t s space f or a moment wi t h hi s

t hi ck body, and hur r i ed i nt o t he r oom.

" Mr . Gat sby! " He put out hi s br oad, f l at hand wi t h wel l - conceal ed

di sl i ke. " I ' m gl ad t o see you, si r . . . . Ni ck. . . . "

" Make us a col d dr i nk, " cr i ed Dai sy.

As he l ef t t he r oom agai n she got up and went over t o Gat sby and pul l ed

hi s f ace down ki ssi ng hi m on t he mout h.

" You know I l ove you, " she mur mur ed.

" You f or get t her e' s a l ady pr esent , " sai d Jor dan.

Dai sy l ooked ar ound doubt f ul l y.

" You ki ss Ni ck t oo. "

Page 63 of 100

" What a l ow, vul gar gi r l ! "

" I don' t car e! " cr i ed Dai sy and began t o cl og on t he br i ck f i r epl ace.

Then she r emember ed t he heat and sat down gui l t i l y on t he couch j ust as

a f r eshl y l aunder ed nur se l eadi ng a l i t t l e gi r l came i nt o t he r oom.

" Bl es- sed pr e- ci ous, " she cr ooned, hol di ng out her ar ms. " Come t o your

own mot her t hat l oves you. "

The chi l d, r el i nqui shed by t he nur se, r ushed acr oss t he r oom and r oot ed

shyl y i nt o her mot her ' s dr ess.

" The Bl es- sed pr e- ci ous! Di d mot her get powder on your ol d yel l owy

hai r ? St and up now, and say How- de- do. "

Gat sby and I i n t ur n l eaned down and t ook t he smal l r el uct ant hand.

Af t er war d he kept l ooki ng at t he chi l d wi t h sur pr i se. I don' t t hi nk he had

ever r eal l y bel i eved i n i t s exi st ence bef or e.

" I got dr essed bef or e l uncheon, " sai d t he chi l d, t ur ni ng eager l y t o

Dai sy.

" That ' s because your mot her want ed t o show you of f . " Her f ace bent i nt o

t he si ngl e wr i nkl e of t he smal l whi t e neck. " You dr eam, you. You absol ut e

l i t t l e dr eam. "

" Yes, " admi t t ed t he chi l d cal ml y. " Aunt Jor dan' s got on a whi t e

dr ess t oo. "

" How do you l i ke mot her ' s f r i ends?" Dai sy t ur ned her ar ound so t hat she

f aced Gat sby. " Do you t hi nk t hey' r e pr et t y?"

" Wher e' s Daddy?"

" She doesn' t l ook l i ke her f at her , " expl ai ned Dai sy. " She l ooks l i ke me.

She' s got my hai r and shape of t he f ace. "

Dai sy sat back upon t he couch. The nur se t ook a st ep f or war d and hel d

out her hand.

" Come, Pammy. "

" Goodbye, sweet hear t ! "

Wi t h a r el uct ant backwar d gl ance t he wel l - di sci pl i ned chi l d hel d t o her

nur se' s hand and was pul l ed out t he door , j ust as Tom came back,

pr ecedi ng f our gi n r i ckeys t hat cl i cked f ul l of i ce.

Gat sby t ook up hi s dr i nk.

" They cer t ai nl y l ook cool , " he sai d, wi t h vi si bl e t ensi on.

We dr ank i n l ong gr eedy swal l ows.

" I r ead somewher e t hat t he sun' s get t i ng hot t er ever y year , " sai d Tom

geni al l y. " I t seems t hat pr et t y soon t he ear t h' s goi ng t o f al l i nt o t he

sun- - or wai t a mi nut e- - i t ' s j ust t he opposi t e- - t he sun' s get t i ng col der

ever y year .

" Come out si de, " he suggest ed t o Gat sby, " I ' d l i ke you t o have a l ook at

t he pl ace. "

I went wi t h t hem out t o t he ver anda. On t he gr een Sound, st agnant i n t he

heat , one smal l sai l cr awl ed sl owl y t owar d t he f r esher sea. Gat sby' s eyes

Page 64 of 100

f ol l owed i t moment ar i l y; he r ai sed hi s hand and poi nt ed acr oss t he bay.

" I ' m r i ght acr oss f r om you. "

" So you ar e. "

Our eyes l i f t ed over t he r osebeds and t he hot l awn and t he weedy r ef use

of t he dog days al ong shor e. Sl owl y t he whi t e wi ngs of t he boat moved

agai nst t he bl ue cool l i mi t of t he sky. Ahead l ay t he scal l oped ocean and

t he aboundi ng bl essed i sl es.

" Ther e' s spor t f or you, " sai d Tom, noddi ng. " I ' d l i ke t o be out t her e

wi t h hi m f or about an hour . "

We had l uncheon i n t he di ni ng- r oom, dar kened, t oo, agai nst t he heat ,

and dr ank down ner vous gayet y wi t h t he col d al e.

" What ' l l we do wi t h our sel ves t hi s af t er noon, " cr i ed Dai sy, " and t he

day af t er t hat , and t he next t hi r t y year s?"

" Don' t be mor bi d, " Jor dan sai d. " Li f e st ar t s al l over agai n when i t get s

cr i sp i n t he f al l . "

" But i t ' s so hot , " i nsi st ed Dai sy, on t he ver ge of t ear s, " And

ever yt hi ng' s so conf used. Let ' s al l go t o t own! "

Her voi ce st r uggl ed on t hr ough t he heat , beat i ng agai nst i t , moul di ng i t s

sensel essness i nt o f or ms.

" I ' ve hear d of maki ng a gar age out of a st abl e, " Tom was sayi ng t o

Gat sby, " but I ' m t he f i r st man who ever made a st abl e out of a gar age. "

" Who want s t o go t o t own?" demanded Dai sy i nsi st ent l y. Gat sby' s eyes

f l oat ed t owar d her . " Ah, " she cr i ed, " you l ook so cool . "

Thei r eyes met , and t hey st ar ed t oget her at each ot her , al one i n space.

Wi t h an ef f or t she gl anced down at t he t abl e.

" You al ways l ook so cool , " she r epeat ed.

She had t ol d hi m t hat she l oved hi m, and Tom Buchanan saw. He was

ast ounded. Hi s mout h opened a l i t t l e and he l ooked at Gat sby and t hen

back at Dai sy as i f he had j ust r ecogni zed her as some one he knew a

l ong t i me ago.

" You r esembl e t he adver t i sement of t he man, " she went on i nnocent l y.

" You know t he adver t i sement of t he man- - - - "

" Al l r i ght , " br oke i n Tom qui ckl y, " I ' m per f ect l y wi l l i ng t o go t o

t own. Come on- - we' r e al l goi ng t o t own. "

He got up, hi s eyes st i l l f l ashi ng bet ween Gat sby and hi s wi f e.

No one moved.

" Come on! " Hi s t emper cr acked a l i t t l e. " What ' s t he mat t er , anyhow?

I f we' r e goi ng t o t own l et ' s st ar t . "

Hi s hand, t r embl i ng wi t h hi s ef f or t at sel f cont r ol , bor e t o hi s l i ps t he

l ast of hi s gl ass of al e. Dai sy' s voi ce got us t o our f eet and out on

t o t he bl azi ng gr avel dr i ve.

" Ar e we j ust goi ng t o go?" she obj ect ed. " Li ke t hi s? Ar en' t we goi ng t o

l et any one smoke a ci gar et t e f i r st ?"

Page 65 of 100

" Ever ybody smoked al l t hr ough l unch. "

" Oh, l et ' s have f un, " she begged hi m. " I t ' s t oo hot t o f uss. "

He di dn' t answer .

" Have i t your own way, " she sai d. " Come on, Jor dan. "

They went upst ai r s t o get r eady whi l e we t hr ee men st ood t her e shuf f l i ng

t he hot pebbl es wi t h our f eet . A si l ver cur ve of t he moon hover ed al r eady

i n t he west er n sky. Gat sby st ar t ed t o speak, changed hi s mi nd, but not

bef or e Tom wheel ed and f aced hi m expect ant l y.

" Have you got your st abl es her e?" asked Gat sby wi t h an ef f or t .

" About a quar t er of a mi l e down t he r oad. "

" Oh. "

A pause.

" I don' t see t he i dea of goi ng t o t own, " br oke out Tom savagel y.

" Women get t hese not i ons i n t hei r heads- - - - "

" Shal l we t ake anyt hi ng t o dr i nk?" cal l ed Dai sy f r om an upper wi ndow.

" I ' l l get some whi skey, " answer ed Tom. He went i nsi de.

Gat sby t ur ned t o me r i gi dl y:

" I can' t say anyt hi ng i n hi s house, ol d spor t . "

" She' s got an i ndi scr eet voi ce, " I r emar ked. " I t ' s f ul l of - - - - "

I hesi t at ed.

" Her voi ce i s f ul l of money, " he sai d suddenl y.

That was i t . I ' d never under st ood bef or e. I t was f ul l of money - - t hat was

t he i nexhaust i bl e char m t hat r ose and f el l i n i t , t he j i ngl e of i t , t he

cymbal s' song of i t . . . . Hi gh i n a whi t e pal ace t he ki ng' s daught er ,

t he gol den gi r l . . . .

Tom came out of t he house wr appi ng a quar t bot t l e i n a t owel , f ol l owed

by Dai sy and Jor dan wear i ng smal l t i ght hat s of met al l i c cl ot h and

car r yi ng l i ght capes over t hei r ar ms.

" Shal l we al l go i n my car ?" suggest ed Gat sby. He f el t t he hot , gr een

l eat her of t he seat . " I ought t o have l ef t i t i n t he shade. "

" I s i t st andar d shi f t ?" demanded Tom.

" Yes. "

" Wel l , you t ake my coup

and l et me dr i ve your car t o t own. "

The suggest i on was di st ast ef ul t o Gat sby.

" I don' t t hi nk t her e' s much gas, " he obj ect ed.

" Pl ent y of gas, " sai d Tom boi st er ousl y. He l ooked at t he gauge.

" And i f i t r uns out I can st op at a dr ug st or e. You can buy anyt hi ng at a

dr ug st or e nowadays. "

Page 66 of 100

A pause f ol l owed t hi s appar ent l y poi nt l ess r emar k. Dai sy l ooked at Tom

f r owni ng and an i ndef i nabl e expr essi on, at once def i ni t el y unf ami l i ar

and vaguel y r ecogni zabl e, as i f I had onl y hear d i t descr i bed i n wor ds,

passed over Gat sby' s f ace.

" Come on, Dai sy, " sai d Tom, pr essi ng her wi t h hi s hand t owar d Gat sby' s

car . " I ' l l t ake you i n t hi s ci r cus wagon. "

He opened t he door but she moved out f r om t he ci r cl e of hi s ar m.

" You t ake Ni ck and Jor dan. We' l l f ol l ow you i n t he coup . "

She wal ked cl ose t o Gat sby, t ouchi ng hi s coat wi t h her hand. Jor dan and

Tom and I got i nt o t he f r ont seat of Gat sby' s car , Tom pushed t he

unf ami l i ar gear s t ent at i vel y and we shot of f i nt o t he oppr essi ve heat

l eavi ng t hem out of si ght behi nd.

" Di d you see t hat ?" demanded Tom.

" See what ?"

He l ooked at me keenl y, r eal i zi ng t hat Jor dan and I must have known al l

al ong.

" You t hi nk I ' m pr et t y dumb, don' t you?" he suggest ed. " Per haps I am, but

I have a- - al most a second si ght , somet i mes, t hat t el l s me what t o do.

Maybe you don' t bel i eve t hat , but sci ence- - - - "

He paused. The i mmedi at e cont i ngency over t ook hi m, pul l ed hi m back f r om

t he edge of t he t heor et i cal abyss.

" I ' ve made a smal l i nvest i gat i on of t hi s f el l ow, " he cont i nued. " I coul d

have gone deeper i f I ' d known- - - - "

" Do you mean you' ve been t o a medi um?" i nqui r ed Jor dan humor ousl y.

" What ?" Conf used, he st ar ed at us as we l aughed. " A medi um?"

" About Gat sby. "

" About Gat sby! No, I haven' t . I sai d I ' d been maki ng a smal l

i nvest i gat i on of hi s past . "

" And you f ound he was an Oxf or d man, " sai d Jor dan hel pf ul l y.

" An Oxf or d man! " He was i ncr edul ous. " Li ke hel l he i s! He wear s a

pi nk sui t . "

" Never t hel ess he' s an Oxf or d man. "

" Oxf or d, New Mexi co, " snor t ed Tom cont empt uousl y, " or somet hi ng l i ke

t hat . "

" Li st en, Tom. I f you' r e such a snob, why di d you i nvi t e hi m t o l unch?"

demanded Jor dan cr ossl y.

" Dai sy i nvi t ed hi m; she knew hi m bef or e we wer e mar r i ed- - God knows

wher e! "

We wer e al l i r r i t abl e now wi t h t he f adi ng al e and, awar e of i t ,

we dr ove f or a whi l e i n si l ence. Then as Doct or T. J. Eckl ebur g' s f aded

eyes came i nt o si ght down t he r oad, I r emember ed Gat sby' s caut i on about

gasol i ne.

Page 67 of 100

" We' ve got enough t o get us t o t own, " sai d Tom.

" But t her e' s a gar age r i ght her e, " obj ect ed Jor dan. " I don' t want t o get

st al l ed i n t hi s baki ng heat . "

Tom t hr ew on bot h br akes i mpat i ent l y and we sl i d t o an abr upt

dust y st op under Wi l son' s si gn. Af t er a moment t he pr opr i et or emer ged

f r om t he i nt er i or of hi s est abl i shment and gazed hol l ow- eyed at t he car .

" Let ' s have some gas! " cr i ed Tom r oughl y. " What do you t hi nk we st opped

f or - - t o admi r e t he vi ew?"

" I ' m si ck, " sai d Wi l son wi t hout movi ng. " I been si ck al l day. "

" What ' s t he mat t er ?"

" I ' m al l r un down. "

" Wel l , shal l I hel p mysel f ?" Tom demanded. " You sounded wel l enough

on t he phone. "

Wi t h an ef f or t Wi l son l ef t t he shade and suppor t of t he door way and,

br eat hi ng har d, unscr ewed t he cap of t he t ank. I n t he sunl i ght hi s f ace

was gr een.

" I di dn' t mean t o i nt er r upt your l unch, " he sai d. " But I need money

pr et t y bad and I was wonder i ng what you wer e goi ng t o do wi t h your

ol d car . "

" How do you l i ke t hi s one?" i nqui r ed Tom. " I bought i t l ast week. "

" I t ' s a ni ce yel l ow one, " sai d Wi l son, as he st r ai ned at t he handl e.

" Li ke t o buy i t ?"

" Bi g chance, " Wi l son smi l ed f ai nt l y. " No, but I coul d make some money

on t he ot her . "

" What do you want money f or , al l of a sudden?"

" I ' ve been her e t oo l ong. I want t o get away. My wi f e and I want t o

go west . "

" Your wi f e does! " excl ai med Tom, st ar t l ed.

" She' s been t al ki ng about i t f or t en year s. " He r est ed f or a moment

agai nst t he pump, shadi ng hi s eyes. " And now she' s goi ng whet her she want s

t o or not . I ' m goi ng t o get her away. "

The coup

f l ashed by us wi t h a f l ur r y of dust and t he f l ash of a

wavi ng hand.

" What do I owe you?" demanded Tom har shl y.

" I j ust got wi sed up t o somet hi ng f unny t he l ast t wo days, " r emar ked

Wi l son. " That ' s why I want t o get away. That ' s why I been bot her i ng you

about t he car . "

" What do I owe you?"

" Dol l ar t went y. "

The r el ent l ess beat i ng heat was begi nni ng t o conf use me and I had

a bad moment t her e bef or e I r eal i zed t hat so f ar hi s suspi ci ons

Page 68 of 100

hadn' t al i ght ed on Tom. He had di scover ed t hat Myr t l e had some

sor t of l i f e apar t f r om hi m i n anot her wor l d and t he shock had

made hi m physi cal l y si ck. I st ar ed at hi m and t hen at Tom, who had made

a par al l el di scover y l ess t han an hour bef or e- - and i t occur r ed t o me

t hat t her e was no di f f er ence bet ween men, i n i nt el l i gence or r ace, so

pr of ound as t he di f f er ence bet ween t he si ck and t he wel l . Wi l son was so

si ck t hat he l ooked gui l t y, unf or gi vabl y gui l t y - - as i f he had j ust got

some poor gi r l wi t h chi l d.

" I ' l l l et you have t hat car , " sai d Tom. " I ' l l send i t over t omor r ow

af t er noon. "

That l ocal i t y was al ways vaguel y di squi et i ng, even i n t he br oad

gl ar e of af t er noon, and now I t ur ned my head as t hough I had been

war ned of somet hi ng behi nd. Over t he ashheaps t he gi ant eyes of

Doct or T. J. Eckl ebur g kept t hei r vi gi l but I per cei ved, af t er

a moment , t hat ot her eyes wer e r egar di ng us wi t h pecul i ar i nt ensi t y

f r om l ess t han t went y f eet away.

I n one of t he wi ndows over t he gar age t he cur t ai ns had been moved asi de

a l i t t l e and Myr t l e Wi l son was peer i ng down at t he car . So engr ossed

was she t hat she had no consci ousness of bei ng obser ved and one

emot i on af t er anot her cr ept i nt o her f ace l i ke obj ect s i nt o a sl owl y

devel opi ng pi ct ur e. Her expr essi on was cur i ousl y f ami l i ar - - i t was an

expr essi on I had of t en seen on women' s f aces but on Myr t l e Wi l son' s

f ace i t seemed pur posel ess and i nexpl i cabl e unt i l I r eal i zed t hat her

eyes, wi de wi t h j eal ous t er r or , wer e f i xed not on Tom, but on Jor dan

Baker , whom she t ook t o be hi s wi f e.

Ther e i s no conf usi on l i ke t he conf usi on of a si mpl e mi nd, and as we

dr ove away Tom was f eel i ng t he hot whi ps of pani c. Hi s wi f e and hi s

mi st r ess, unt i l an hour ago secur e and i nvi ol at e, wer e sl i ppi ng

pr eci pi t at el y f r om hi s cont r ol . I nst i nct made hi m st ep on t he

accel er at or wi t h t he doubl e pur pose of over t aki ng Dai sy and l eavi ng

Wi l son behi nd, and we sped al ong t owar d Ast or i a at f i f t y mi l es an hour ,

unt i l , among t he spi der y gi r der s of t he el evat ed, we came i n si ght of

t he easygoi ng bl ue coup .

" Those bi g movi es ar ound Fi f t i et h St r eet ar e cool , " suggest ed Jor dan.

" I l ove New Yor k on summer af t er noons when ever y one' s away. Ther e' s

somet hi ng ver y sensuous about i t - - over r i pe, as i f al l sor t s of f unny

f r ui t s wer e goi ng t o f al l i nt o your hands. "

The wor d " sensuous" had t he ef f ect of f ur t her di squi et i ng Tom but bef or e

he coul d i nvent a pr ot est t he coup

came t o a st op and Dai sy si gnal l ed us

t o dr aw up al ongsi de.

" Wher e ar e we goi ng?" she cr i ed.

" How about t he movi es?"

" I t ' s so hot , " she compl ai ned. " You go. We' l l r i de ar ound and meet you

af t er . " Wi t h an ef f or t her wi t r ose f ai nt l y, " We' l l meet you on some

cor ner . I ' l l be t he man smoki ng t wo ci gar et t es. "

" We can' t ar gue about i t her e, " Tom sai d i mpat i ent l y as a t r uck gave

out a cur si ng whi st l e behi nd us. " You f ol l ow me t o t he sout h si de of

Cent r al Par k, i n f r ont of t he Pl aza. "

Sever al t i mes he t ur ned hi s head and l ooked back f or t hei r car ,

and i f t he t r af f i c del ayed t hem he sl owed up unt i l t hey came i nt o

si ght . I t hi nk he was af r ai d t hey woul d dar t down a si de st r eet and out

of hi s l i f e f or ever .

Page 69 of 100

But t hey di dn' t . And we al l t ook t he l ess expl i cabl e st ep of engagi ng

t he par l or of a sui t e i n t he Pl aza Hot el .

The pr ol onged and t umul t uous ar gument t hat ended by her di ng us i nt o

t hat r oom el udes me, t hough I have a shar p physi cal memor y t hat , i n t he

cour se of i t , my under wear kept cl i mbi ng l i ke a damp snake ar ound my

l egs and i nt er mi t t ent beads of sweat r aced cool acr oss my back. The

not i on or i gi nat ed wi t h Dai sy' s suggest i on t hat we hi r e f i ve bat hr ooms

and t ake col d bat hs, and t hen assumed mor e t angi bl e f or m as " a pl ace t o

have a mi nt j ul ep. " Each of us sai d over and over t hat i t was a " cr azy

i dea" - - we al l t al ked at once t o a baf f l ed cl er k and t hought , or

pr et ended t o t hi nk, t hat we wer e bei ng ver y f unny. . . .

The r oom was l ar ge and st i f l i ng, and, t hough i t was al r eady f our

o' cl ock, openi ng t he wi ndows admi t t ed onl y a gust of hot shr ubber y f r om

t he Par k. Dai sy went t o t he mi r r or and st ood wi t h her back t o us,

f i xi ng her hai r .

" I t ' s a swel l sui t e, " whi sper ed Jor dan r espect f ul l y and ever y one

l aughed.

" Open anot her wi ndow, " commanded Dai sy, wi t hout t ur ni ng ar ound.

" Ther e ar en' t any mor e. "

" Wel l , we' d bet t er t el ephone f or an axe- - - - "

" The t hi ng t o do i s t o f or get about t he heat , " sai d Tom i mpat i ent l y.

" You make i t t en t i mes wor se by cr abbi ng about i t . "

He unr ol l ed t he bot t l e of whi skey f r om t he t owel and put i t on t he t abl e.

" Why not l et her al one, ol d spor t ?" r emar ked Gat sby. " You' r e t he one t hat

want ed t o come t o t own. "

Ther e was a moment of si l ence. The t el ephone book sl i pped f r om i t s nai l

and spl ashed t o t he f l oor , wher eupon Jor dan whi sper ed " Excuse me" - - but

t hi s t i me no one l aughed.

" I ' l l pi ck i t up, " I of f er ed.

" I ' ve got i t . " Gat sby exami ned t he par t ed st r i ng, mut t er ed " Hum! " i n an

i nt er est ed way, and t ossed t he book on a chai r .

" That ' s a gr eat expr essi on of your s, i sn' t i t ?" sai d Tom shar pl y.

" What i s?"

" Al l t hi s ' ol d spor t ' busi ness. Wher e' d you pi ck t hat up?"

" Now see her e, Tom, " sai d Dai sy, t ur ni ng ar ound f r om t he mi r r or , " i f

you' r e goi ng t o make per sonal r emar ks I won' t st ay her e a mi nut e. Cal l

up and or der some i ce f or t he mi nt j ul ep. "

As Tom t ook up t he r ecei ver t he compr essed heat expl oded i nt o sound and

we wer e l i st eni ng t o t he por t ent ous chor ds of Mendel ssohn' s Weddi ng Mar ch

f r om t he bal l r oom bel ow.

" I magi ne mar r yi ng anybody i n t hi s heat ! " cr i ed Jor dan di smal l y.

" St i l l - - I was mar r i ed i n t he mi ddl e of June, " Dai sy r emember ed,

" Loui svi l l e i n June! Somebody f ai nt ed. Who was i t f ai nt ed, Tom?"

Page 70 of 100

" Bi l oxi , " he answer ed shor t l y.

" A man named Bi l oxi . ' Bl ocks' Bi l oxi , and he made boxes - - t hat ' s a

f act - - and he was f r om Bi l oxi , Tennessee. "

" They car r i ed hi m i nt o my house, " appended Jor dan, " because we l i ved

j ust t wo door s f r om t he chur ch. And he st ayed t hr ee weeks, unt i l Daddy

t ol d hi m he had t o get out . The day af t er he l ef t Daddy di ed. " Af t er a

moment she added as i f she mi ght have sounded i r r ever ent , " Ther e

wasn' t any connect i on. "

" I used t o know a Bi l l Bi l oxi f r om Memphi s, " I r emar ked.

" That was hi s cousi n. I knew hi s whol e f ami l y hi st or y bef or e he l ef t .

He gave me an al umi num put t er t hat I use t oday. "

The musi c had di ed down as t he cer emony began and now a l ong cheer f l oat ed

i n at t he wi ndow, f ol l owed by i nt er mi t t ent cr i es of " Yea- - ea- - ea! "

and f i nal l y by a bur st of j azz as t he danci ng began.

" We' r e get t i ng ol d, " sai d Dai sy. " I f we wer e young we' d r i se and dance. "

" Remember Bi l oxi , " Jor dan war ned her . " Wher e' d you know hi m, Tom?"

" Bi l oxi ?" He concent r at ed wi t h an ef f or t . " I di dn' t know hi m. He was a

f r i end of Dai sy' s. "

" He was not , " she deni ed. " I ' d never seen hi m bef or e. He came down i n

t he pr i vat e car . "

" Wel l , he sai d he knew you. He sai d he was r ai sed i n Loui svi l l e.

Asa Bi r d br ought hi m ar ound at t he l ast mi nut e and asked i f we had r oom

f or hi m. "

Jor dan smi l ed.

" He was pr obabl y bummi ng hi s way home. He t ol d me he was pr esi dent of

your cl ass at Yal e. "

Tom and I l ooked at each ot her bl ankl y.

" Bi l Oxi ?"

" Fi r st pl ace, we di dn' t have any pr esi dent - - - - "

Gat sby' s f oot beat a shor t , r est l ess t at t oo and Tom eyed hi m suddenl y.

" By t he way, Mr . Gat sby, I under st and you' r e an Oxf or d man. "

" Not exact l y. "

" Oh, yes, I under st and you went t o Oxf or d. "

" Yes- - I went t her e. "

A pause. Then Tom' s voi ce, i ncr edul ous and i nsul t i ng:

" You must have gone t her e about t he t i me Bi l oxi went t o New Haven. "

Anot her pause. A wai t er knocked and came i n wi t h cr ushed mi nt and i ce but

t he si l ence was unbr oken by hi s " Thank you" and t he sof t cl osi ng of t he

door . Thi s t r emendous det ai l was t o be cl ear ed up at l ast .

" I t ol d you I went t her e, " sai d Gat sby.

Page 71 of 100

" I hear d you, but I ' d l i ke t o know when. "

" I t was i n ni net een- ni net een, I onl y st ayed f i ve mont hs. That ' s why I

can' t r eal l y cal l mysel f an Oxf or d man. "

Tom gl anced ar ound t o see i f we mi r r or ed hi s unbel i ef . But we wer e al l

l ooki ng at Gat sby.

" I t was an oppor t uni t y t hey gave t o some of t he of f i cer s af t er t he

Ar mi st i ce, " he cont i nued. " We coul d go t o any of t he uni ver si t i es i n

Engl and or Fr ance. "

I want ed t o get up and sl ap hi m on t he back. I had one of t hose r enewal s

of compl et e f ai t h i n hi m t hat I ' d exper i enced bef or e.

Dai sy r ose, smi l i ng f ai nt l y, and went t o t he t abl e.

" Open t he whi skey, Tom, " she or der ed. " And I ' l l make you a mi nt j ul ep.

Then you won' t seem so st upi d t o your sel f . . . . Look at t he mi nt ! "

" Wai t a mi nut e, " snapped Tom, " I want t o ask Mr . Gat sby one mor e

quest i on. "

" Go on, " Gat sby sai d pol i t el y.

" What ki nd of a r ow ar e you t r yi ng t o cause i n my house anyhow?"

They wer e out i n t he open at l ast and Gat sby was cont ent .

" He i sn' t causi ng a r ow. " Dai sy l ooked desper at el y f r om one t o t he

ot her . " You' r e causi ng a r ow. Pl ease have a l i t t l e sel f cont r ol . "

" Sel f cont r ol ! " r epeat ed Tom i ncr edul ousl y. " I suppose t he l at est t hi ng

i s t o si t back and l et Mr . Nobody f r om Nowher e make l ove t o your wi f e.

Wel l , i f t hat ' s t he i dea you can count me out . . . . Nowadays peopl e begi n

by sneer i ng at f ami l y l i f e and f ami l y i nst i t ut i ons and next t hey' l l

t hr ow ever yt hi ng over boar d and have i nt er mar r i age bet ween bl ack

and whi t e. "

Fl ushed wi t h hi s i mpassi oned gi bber i sh he saw hi msel f st andi ng al one on

t he l ast bar r i er of ci vi l i zat i on.

" We' r e al l whi t e her e, " mur mur ed Jor dan.

" I know I ' m not ver y popul ar . I don' t gi ve bi g par t i es. I suppose

you' ve got t o make your house i nt o a pi gst y i n or der t o have any

f r i ends- - i n t he moder n wor l d. "

Angr y as I was, as we al l wer e, I was t empt ed t o l augh whenever he opened

hi s mout h. The t r ansi t i on f r om l i ber t i ne t o pr i g was so compl et e.

" I ' ve got somet hi ng t o t el l YOU, ol d spor t , - - - - " began Gat sby. But Dai sy

guessed at hi s i nt ent i on.

" Pl ease don' t ! " she i nt er r upt ed hel pl essl y. " Pl ease l et ' s al l go home.

Why don' t we al l go home?"

" That ' s a good i dea. " I got up. " Come on, Tom. Nobody want s a dr i nk. "

" I want t o know what Mr . Gat sby has t o t el l me. "

" Your wi f e doesn' t l ove you, " sai d Gat sby. " She' s never l oved you.

She l oves me. "

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" You must be cr azy! " excl ai med Tom aut omat i cal l y.

Gat sby spr ang t o hi s f eet , vi vi d wi t h exci t ement .

" She never l oved you, do you hear ?" he cr i ed. " She onl y mar r i ed you

because I was poor and she was t i r ed of wai t i ng f or me. I t was a t er r i bl e

mi st ake, but i n her hear t she never l oved any one except me! "

At t hi s poi nt Jor dan and I t r i ed t o go but Tom and Gat sby i nsi st ed wi t h

compet i t i ve f i r mness t hat we r emai n- - as t hough nei t her of t hem had

anyt hi ng t o conceal and i t woul d be a pr i vi l ege t o par t ake vi car i ousl y

of t hei r emot i ons.

" Si t down Dai sy. " Tom' s voi ce gr oped unsuccessf ul l y f or t he pat er nal

not e. " What ' s been goi ng on? I want t o hear al l about i t . "

" I t ol d you what ' s been goi ng on, " sai d Gat sby. " Goi ng on f or f i ve

year s- - and you di dn' t know. "

Tom t ur ned t o Dai sy shar pl y.

" You' ve been seei ng t hi s f el l ow f or f i ve year s?"

" Not seei ng, " sai d Gat sby. " No, we coul dn' t meet . But bot h of us l oved

each ot her al l t hat t i me, ol d spor t , and you di dn' t know. I used t o l augh

somet i mes- - " but t her e was no l aught er i n hi s eyes, " t o t hi nk t hat you

di dn' t know. "

" Oh- - t hat ' s al l . " Tom t apped hi s t hi ck f i nger s t oget her l i ke a cl er gyman

and l eaned back i n hi s chai r .

" You' r e cr azy! " he expl oded. " I can' t speak about what happened f i ve year s

ago, because I di dn' t know Dai sy t hen- - and I ' l l be damned i f I see how you

got wi t hi n a mi l e of her unl ess you br ought t he gr ocer i es t o t he back

door . But al l t he r est of t hat ' s a God Damned l i e. Dai sy l oved me when

she mar r i ed me and she l oves me now. "

" No, " sai d Gat sby, shaki ng hi s head.

" She does, t hough. The t r oubl e i s t hat somet i mes she get s f ool i sh i deas

i n her head and doesn' t know what she' s doi ng. " He nodded sagel y. " And

what ' s mor e, I l ove Dai sy t oo. Once i n a whi l e I go of f on a spr ee

and make a f ool of mysel f , but I al ways come back, and i n my hear t I

l ove her al l t he t i me. "

" You' r e r evol t i ng, " sai d Dai sy. She t ur ned t o me, and her voi ce,

dr oppi ng an oct ave l ower , f i l l ed t he r oom wi t h t hr i l l i ng scor n: " Do you

know why we l ef t Chi cago? I ' m sur pr i sed t hat t hey di dn' t t r eat you t o

t he st or y of t hat l i t t l e spr ee. "

Gat sby wal ked over and st ood besi de her .

" Dai sy, t hat ' s al l over now, " he sai d ear nest l y. " I t doesn' t mat t er any

mor e. Just t el l hi m t he t r ut h- - t hat you never l oved hi m- - and i t ' s al l

wi ped out f or ever . "

She l ooked at hi m bl i ndl y. " Why, - - how coul d I l ove hi m- - possi bl y?"

" You never l oved hi m. "

She hesi t at ed. Her eyes f el l on Jor dan and me wi t h a sor t of appeal ,

as t hough she r eal i zed at l ast what she was doi ng- - and as t hough she had

never , al l al ong, i nt ended doi ng anyt hi ng at al l . But i t was done now.

Page 73 of 100

I t was t oo l at e.

" I never l oved hi m, " she sai d, wi t h per cept i bl e r el uct ance.

" Not at Kapi ol ani ?" demanded Tom suddenl y.

" No. "

Fr om t he bal l r oom beneat h, muf f l ed and suf f ocat i ng chor ds wer e dr i f t i ng up

on hot waves of ai r .

" Not t hat day I car r i ed you down f r om t he Punch Bowl t o keep your shoes

dr y?" Ther e was a husky t ender ness i n hi s t one. " . . . Dai sy?"

" Pl ease don' t . " Her voi ce was col d, but t he r ancour was gone f r om i t .

She l ooked at Gat sby. " Ther e, Jay, " she sai d- - but her hand as she t r i ed

t o l i ght a ci gar et t e was t r embl i ng. Suddenl y she t hr ew t he ci gar et t e and

t he bur ni ng mat ch on t he car pet .

" Oh, you want t oo much! " she cr i ed t o Gat sby. " I l ove you now- - i sn' t t hat

enough? I can' t hel p what ' s past . " She began t o sob hel pl essl y.

" I di d l ove hi m once- - but I l oved you t oo. "

Gat sby' s eyes opened and cl osed.

" You l oved me TOO?" he r epeat ed.

" Even t hat ' s a l i e, " sai d Tom savagel y. " She di dn' t know you wer e al i ve.

Why, - - t her e' r e t hi ngs bet ween Dai sy and me t hat you' l l never know,

t hi ngs t hat nei t her of us can ever f or get . "

The wor ds seemed t o bi t e physi cal l y i nt o Gat sby.

" I want t o speak t o Dai sy al one, " he i nsi st ed. " She' s al l exci t ed now- - - - "

" Even al one I can' t say I never l oved Tom, " she admi t t ed i n a pi t i f ul

voi ce. " I t woul dn' t be t r ue. "

" Of cour se i t woul dn' t , " agr eed Tom.

She t ur ned t o her husband.

" As i f i t mat t er ed t o you, " she sai d.

" Of cour se i t mat t er s. I ' m goi ng t o t ake bet t er car e of you f r om now on. "

" You don' t under st and, " sai d Gat sby, wi t h a t ouch of pani c. " You' r e not

goi ng t o t ake car e of her any mor e. "

" I ' m not ?" Tom opened hi s eyes wi de and l aughed. He coul d af f or d t o

cont r ol hi msel f now. " Why' s t hat ?"

" Dai sy' s l eavi ng you. "

" Nonsense. "

" I am, t hough, " she sai d wi t h a vi si bl e ef f or t .

" She' s not l eavi ng me! " Tom' s wor ds suddenl y l eaned down over Gat sby.

" Cer t ai nl y not f or a common swi ndl er who' d have t o st eal t he r i ng he

put on her f i nger . "

" I won' t st and t hi s! " cr i ed Dai sy. " Oh, pl ease l et ' s get out . "

Page 74 of 100

" Who ar e you, anyhow?" br oke out Tom. " You' r e one of t hat bunch t hat

hangs ar ound wi t h Meyer Wol f shi em- - t hat much I happen t o know. I ' ve made

a l i t t l e i nvest i gat i on i nt o your af f ai r s- - and I ' l l car r y i t f ur t her

t omor r ow. "

" You can sui t your sel f about t hat , ol d spor t . " sai d Gat sby st eadi l y.

" I f ound out what your ' dr ug st or es' wer e. " He t ur ned t o us and spoke

r api dl y. " He and t hi s Wol f shi em bought up a l ot of si de- st r eet dr ug st or es

her e and i n Chi cago and sol d gr ai n al cohol over t he count er . That ' s one of

hi s l i t t l e st unt s. I pi cked hi m f or a boot l egger t he f i r st t i me I saw

hi m and I wasn' t f ar wr ong. "

" What about i t ?" sai d Gat sby pol i t el y. " I guess your f r i end Wal t er Chase

wasn' t t oo pr oud t o come i n on i t . "

" And you l ef t hi m i n t he l ur ch, di dn' t you? You l et hi m go t o j ai l f or

a mont h over i n New Jer sey. God! You ought t o hear Wal t er on t he subj ect

of YOU. "

" He came t o us dead br oke. He was ver y gl ad t o pi ck up some money, ol d

spor t . "

" Don' t you cal l me ' ol d spor t ' ! " cr i ed Tom. Gat sby sai d not hi ng.

" Wal t er coul d have you up on t he bet t i ng l aws t oo, but Wol f shi em scar ed

hi m i nt o shut t i ng hi s mout h. "

That unf ami l i ar yet r ecogni zabl e l ook was back agai n i n Gat sby' s f ace.

" That dr ug st or e busi ness was j ust smal l change, " cont i nued Tom sl owl y,

" but you' ve got somet hi ng on now t hat Wal t er ' s af r ai d t o t el l me

about . "

I gl anced at Dai sy who was st ar i ng t er r i f i ed bet ween Gat sby

and her husband and at Jor dan who had begun t o bal ance an i nvi si bl e

but absor bi ng obj ect on t he t i p of her chi n. Then I t ur ned back t o

Gat sby- - and was st ar t l ed at hi s expr essi on. He l ooked- - and t hi s i s sai d

i n al l cont empt f or t he babbl ed sl ander of hi s gar den- - as i f he had

" ki l l ed a man. " For a moment t he set of hi s f ace coul d be descr i bed i n

j ust t hat f ant ast i c way.

I t passed, and he began t o t al k exci t edl y t o Dai sy, denyi ng ever yt hi ng,

def endi ng hi s name agai nst accusat i ons t hat had not been made. But wi t h

ever y wor d she was dr awi ng f ur t her and f ur t her i nt o her sel f , so he gave

t hat up and onl y t he dead dr eam f ought on as t he af t er noon sl i pped

away, t r yi ng t o t ouch what was no l onger t angi bl e, st r uggl i ng

unhappi l y, undespai r i ngl y, t owar d t hat l ost voi ce acr oss t he r oom.

The voi ce begged agai n t o go.

" PLEASE, Tom! I can' t st and t hi s any mor e. "

Her f r i ght ened eyes t ol d t hat what ever i nt ent i ons, what ever cour age

she had had, wer e def i ni t el y gone.

" You t wo st ar t on home, Dai sy, " sai d Tom. " I n Mr . Gat sby' s car . "

She l ooked at Tom, al ar med now, but he i nsi st ed wi t h magnani mous scor n.

" Go on. He won' t annoy you. I t hi nk he r eal i zes t hat hi s pr esumpt uous

l i t t l e f l i r t at i on i s over . "

They wer e gone, wi t hout a wor d, snapped out , made acci dent al , i sol at ed,

l i ke ghost s even f r om our pi t y.

Page 75 of 100

Af t er a moment Tom got up and began wr appi ng t he unopened bot t l e of

whi skey i n t he t owel .

" Want any of t hi s st uf f ? Jor dan? . . . Ni ck?"

I di dn' t answer .

" Ni ck?" He asked agai n.

" What ?"

" Want any?"

" No . . . I j ust r emember ed t hat t oday' s my bi r t hday. "

I was t hi r t y. Bef or e me st r et ched t he por t ent ous menaci ng r oad of a

new decade.

I t was seven o' cl ock when we got i nt o t he coup

wi t h hi m and st ar t ed

f or Long I sl and. Tom t al ked i ncessant l y, exul t i ng and l aughi ng, but hi s

voi ce was as r emot e f r om Jor dan and me as t he f or ei gn cl amor on t he

si dewal k or t he t umul t of t he el evat ed over head. Human sympat hy

has i t s l i mi t s and we wer e cont ent t o l et al l t hei r t r agi c ar gument s

f ade wi t h t he ci t y l i ght s behi nd. Thi r t y- - t he pr omi se of a decade

of l onel i ness, a t hi nni ng l i st of si ngl e men t o know, a t hi nni ng

br i ef - case of ent husi asm, t hi nni ng hai r . But t her e was Jor dan besi de

me who, unl i ke Dai sy, was t oo wi se ever t o car r y wel l - f or got t en

dr eams f r om age t o age. As we passed over t he dar k br i dge her wan f ace

f el l l azi l y agai nst my coat ' s shoul der and t he f or mi dabl e st r oke of

t hi r t y di ed away wi t h t he r eassur i ng pr essur e of her hand.

So we dr ove on t owar d deat h t hr ough t he cool i ng t wi l i ght .

The young Gr eek, Mi chael i s, who r an t he cof f ee j oi nt besi de t he

ashheaps was t he pr i nci pal wi t ness at t he i nquest . He had sl ept t hr ough

t he heat unt i l af t er f i ve, when he st r ol l ed over t o t he gar age and

f ound Geor ge Wi l son si ck i n hi s of f i ce- - r eal l y si ck, pal e as hi s own

pal e hai r and shaki ng al l over . Mi chael i s advi sed hi m t o go t o bed but

Wi l son r ef used, sayi ng t hat he' d mi ss a l ot of busi ness i f he di d.

Whi l e hi s nei ghbor was t r yi ng t o per suade hi m a vi ol ent r acket br oke

out over head.

" I ' ve got my wi f e l ocked i n up t her e, " expl ai ned Wi l son cal ml y.

" She' s goi ng t o st ay t her e t i l l t he day af t er t omor r ow and t hen we' r e

goi ng t o move away. "

Mi chael i s was ast oni shed; t hey had been nei ghbor s f or f our year s and

Wi l son had never seemed f ai nt l y capabl e of such a st at ement . Gener al l y

he was one of t hese wor n- out men: when he wasn' t wor ki ng he sat on a

chai r i n t he door way and st ar ed at t he peopl e and t he car s t hat passed

al ong t he r oad. When any one spoke t o hi m he i nvar i abl y l aughed i n an

agr eeabl e, col or l ess way. He was hi s wi f e' s man and not hi s own.

So nat ur al l y Mi chael i s t r i ed t o f i nd out what had happened, but Wi l son

woul dn' t say a wor d- - i nst ead he began t o t hr ow cur i ous, suspi ci ous

gl ances at hi s vi si t or and ask hi m what he' d been doi ng at cer t ai n

t i mes on cer t ai n days. Just as t he l at t er was get t i ng uneasy some

wor kmen came past t he door bound f or hi s r est aur ant and Mi chael i s t ook

t he oppor t uni t y t o get away, i nt endi ng t o come back l at er . But he di dn' t .

He supposed he f or got t o, t hat ' s al l . When he came out si de agai n

a l i t t l e af t er seven he was r emi nded of t he conver sat i on because he

hear d Mr s. Wi l son' s voi ce, l oud and scol di ng, downst ai r s i n t he gar age.

Page 76 of 100

" Beat me! " he hear d her cr y. " Thr ow me down and beat me, you di r t y

l i t t l e cowar d! "

A moment l at er she r ushed out i nt o t he dusk, wavi ng her hands and

shout i ng; bef or e he coul d move f r om hi s door t he busi ness was over .

The " deat h car " as t he newspaper s cal l ed i t , di dn' t st op; i t came out

of t he gat her i ng dar kness, waver ed t r agi cal l y f or a moment and t hen

di sappear ed ar ound t he next bend. Mi chael i s wasn' t even sur e of i t s

col or - - he t ol d t he f i r st pol i ceman t hat i t was l i ght gr een. The ot her

car , t he one goi ng t owar d New Yor k, came t o r est a hundr ed yar ds

beyond, and i t s dr i ver hur r i ed back t o wher e Myr t l e Wi l son, her l i f e

vi ol ent l y ext i ngui shed, knel t i n t he r oad and mi ngl ed her t hi ck, dar k

bl ood wi t h t he dust .

Mi chael i s and t hi s man r eached her f i r st but when t hey had t or n open

her shi r t wai st st i l l damp wi t h per spi r at i on, t hey saw t hat her l ef t

br east was swi ngi ng l oose l i ke a f l ap and t her e was no need t o l i st en

f or t he hear t beneat h. The mout h was wi de open and r i pped at t he

cor ner s as t hough she had choked a l i t t l e i n gi vi ng up t he t r emendous

vi t al i t y she had st or ed so l ong.

We saw t he t hr ee or f our aut omobi l es and t he cr owd when we wer e st i l l

some di st ance away.

" Wr eck! " sai d Tom. " That ' s good. Wi l son' l l have a l i t t l e busi ness

at l ast . "

He sl owed down, but st i l l wi t hout any i nt ent i on of st oppi ng unt i l ,

as we came near er , t he hushed i nt ent f aces of t he peopl e at t he gar age

door made hi m aut omat i cal l y put on t he br akes.

" We' l l t ake a l ook, " he sai d doubt f ul l y, " j ust a l ook. "

I became awar e now of a hol l ow, wai l i ng sound whi ch i ssued i ncessant l y

f r om t he gar age, a sound whi ch as we got out of t he coup

and wal ked

t owar d t he door r esol ved i t sel f i nt o t he wor ds " Oh, my God! " ut t er ed over

and over i n a gaspi ng moan.

" Ther e' s some bad t r oubl e her e, " sai d Tom exci t edl y.

He r eached up on t i pt oes and peer ed over a ci r cl e of heads i nt o t he

gar age whi ch was l i t onl y by a yel l ow l i ght i n a swi ngi ng wi r e basket

over head. Then he made a har sh sound i n hi s t hr oat and wi t h a vi ol ent

t hr ust i ng movement of hi s power f ul ar ms pushed hi s way t hr ough.

The ci r cl e cl osed up agai n wi t h a r unni ng mur mur of expost ul at i on; i t

was a mi nut e bef or e I coul d see anyt hi ng at al l . Then new ar r i val s

di sar r anged t he l i ne and Jor dan and I wer e pushed suddenl y i nsi de.

Myr t l e Wi l son' s body wr apped i n a bl anket and t hen i n anot her

bl anket as t hough she suf f er ed f r om a chi l l i n t he hot ni ght l ay on a

wor k t abl e by t he wal l and Tom, wi t h hi s back t o us, was bendi ng over

i t , mot i onl ess. Next t o hi m st ood a mot or cycl e pol i ceman t aki ng down

names wi t h much sweat and cor r ect i on i n a l i t t l e book. At f i r st I

coul dn' t f i nd t he sour ce of t he hi gh, gr oani ng wor ds t hat echoed

cl amor ousl y t hr ough t he bar e gar age- - t hen I saw Wi l son st andi ng on t he

r ai sed t hr eshol d of hi s of f i ce, swayi ng back and f or t h and hol di ng t o

t he door post s wi t h bot h hands. Some man was t al ki ng t o hi m i n a l ow

voi ce and at t empt i ng f r om t i me t o t i me t o l ay a hand on hi s shoul der ,

but Wi l son nei t her hear d nor saw. Hi s eyes woul d dr op sl owl y f r om t he

swi ngi ng l i ght t o t he l aden t abl e by t he wal l and t hen j er k back t o

Page 77 of 100

t he l i ght agai n and he gave out i ncessant l y hi s hi gh hor r i bl e cal l .

" O, my Ga- od! O, my Ga- od! Oh, Ga- od! Oh, my Ga- od! "

Pr esent l y Tom l i f t ed hi s head wi t h a j er k and af t er st ar i ng ar ound t he

gar age wi t h gl azed eyes addr essed a mumbl ed i ncoher ent r emar k t o t he

pol i ceman.

" M- a- v- - " t he pol i ceman was sayi ng, " - - o- - - - "

" No, - - r - - " cor r ect ed t he man, " M- a- v- r - o- - - - "

" Li st en t o me! " mut t er ed Tom f i er cel y.

" r - - " sai d t he pol i ceman, " o- - - - "

" g- - - - "

" g- - " He l ooked up as Tom' s br oad hand f el l shar pl y on hi s shoul der .

" What you want , f el l a?"

" What happened- - t hat ' s what I want t o know! "

" Aut o hi t her . I ns' ant l y ki l l ed. "

" I nst ant l y ki l l ed, " r epeat ed Tom, st ar i ng.

" She r an out i na r oad. Son- of - a- bi t ch di dn' t even st opus car . "

" Ther e was t wo car s, " sai d Mi chael i s, " one comi n' , one goi n' , see?"

" Goi ng wher e?" asked t he pol i ceman keenl y.

" One goi n' each way. Wel l , she- - " Hi s hand r ose t owar d t he bl anket s but

st opped hal f way and f el l t o hi s si de, " - - she r an out t her e an' t he one

comi n' f r om N' Yor k knock r i ght i nt o her goi n' t hi r t y or f or t y mi l es an

hour . "

" What ' s t he name of t hi s pl ace her e?" demanded t he of f i cer .

" Hasn' t got any name. "

A pal e, wel l - dr essed Negr o st epped near .

" I t was a yel l ow car , " he sai d, " bi g yel l ow car . New. "

" See t he acci dent ?" asked t he pol i ceman.

" No, but t he car passed me down t he r oad, goi ng f ast er ' n f or t y. Goi ng

f i f t y, si xt y. "

" Come her e and l et ' s have your name. Look out now. I want t o get hi s

name. "

Some wor ds of t hi s conver sat i on must have r eached Wi l son swayi ng

i n t he of f i ce door , f or suddenl y a new t heme f ound voi ce among

hi s gaspi ng cr i es.

" You don' t have t o t el l me what ki nd of car i t was! I know what ki nd of

car i t was! "

Wat chi ng Tom I saw t he wad of muscl e back of hi s shoul der t i ght en

under hi s coat . He wal ked qui ckl y over t o Wi l son and st andi ng

i n f r ont of hi m sei zed hi m f i r ml y by t he upper ar ms.

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" You' ve got t o pul l your sel f t oget her , " he sai d wi t h soot hi ng

gr uf f ness.

Wi l son' s eyes f el l upon Tom; he st ar t ed up on hi s t i pt oes and t hen

woul d have col l apsed t o hi s knees had not Tom hel d hi m upr i ght .

" Li st en, " sai d Tom, shaki ng hi m a l i t t l e. " I j ust got her e a mi nut e ago,

f r om New Yor k. I was br i ngi ng you t hat coup

we' ve been t al ki ng about .

That yel l ow car I was dr i vi ng t hi s af t er noon wasn' t mi ne, do you hear ? I

haven' t seen i t al l af t er noon. "

Onl y t he Negr o and I wer e near enough t o hear what he sai d but t he

pol i ceman caught somet hi ng i n t he t one and l ooked over wi t h t r ucul ent

eyes.

" What ' s al l t hat ?" he demanded.

" I ' m a f r i end of hi s. " Tom t ur ned hi s head but kept hi s hands f i r m on

Wi l son' s body. " He says he knows t he car t hat di d i t . . . . I t was a yel l ow

car . "

Some di m i mpul se moved t he pol i ceman t o l ook suspi ci ousl y at Tom.

" And what col or ' s your car ?"

" I t ' s a bl ue car , a coup . "

" We' ve come st r ai ght f r om New Yor k, " I sai d.

Some one who had been dr i vi ng a l i t t l e behi nd us conf i r med t hi s and

t he pol i ceman t ur ned away.

" Now, i f you' l l l et me have t hat name agai n cor r ect - - - - "

Pi cki ng up Wi l son l i ke a dol l Tom car r i ed hi m i nt o t he of f i ce,

set hi m down i n a chai r and came back.

" I f somebody' l l come her e and si t wi t h hi m! " he snapped

aut hor i t at i vel y. He wat ched whi l e t he t wo men st andi ng cl osest gl anced

at each ot her and went unwi l l i ngl y i nt o t he r oom. Then Tom shut t he

door on t hem and came down t he si ngl e st ep, hi s eyes avoi di ng t he

t abl e. As he passed cl ose t o me he whi sper ed " Let ' s get out . "

Sel f consci ousl y, wi t h hi s aut hor i t at i ve ar ms br eaki ng t he way, we

pushed t hr ough t he st i l l gat her i ng cr owd, passi ng a hur r i ed doct or ,

case i n hand, who had been sent f or i n wi l d hope hal f an hour ago.

Tom dr ove sl owl y unt i l we wer e beyond t he bend- - t hen hi s f oot came down

har d and t he coup

r aced al ong t hr ough t he ni ght . I n a l i t t l e whi l e I

hear d a l ow husky sob and saw t hat t he t ear s wer e over f l owi ng down hi s

f ace.

" The God Damn cowar d! " he whi mper ed. " He di dn' t even st op hi s car . "

The Buchanans' house f l oat ed suddenl y t owar d us t hr ough t he dar k r ust l i ng

t r ees. Tom st opped besi de t he por ch and l ooked up at t he second f l oor

wher e t wo wi ndows bl oomed wi t h l i ght among t he vi nes.

" Dai sy' s home, " he sai d. As we got out of t he car he gl anced at me and

f r owned sl i ght l y.

" I ought t o have dr opped you i n West Egg, Ni ck. Ther e' s not hi ng we can

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do t oni ght . "

A change had come over hi m and he spoke gr avel y, and wi t h deci si on.

As we wal ked acr oss t he moonl i ght gr avel t o t he por ch he di sposed of

t he si t uat i on i n a f ew br i sk phr ases.

" I ' l l t el ephone f or a t axi t o t ake you home, and whi l e you' r e wai t i ng

you and Jor dan bet t er go i n t he ki t chen and have t hem get you some

supper - - i f you want any. " He opened t he door . " Come i n. "

" No t hanks. But I ' d be gl ad i f you' d or der me t he t axi . I ' l l wai t

out si de. "

Jor dan put her hand on my ar m.

" Won' t you come i n, Ni ck?"

" No t hanks. "

I was f eel i ng a l i t t l e si ck and I want ed t o be al one. But Jor dan l i nger ed

f or a moment mor e.

" I t ' s onl y hal f past ni ne, " she sai d.

I ' d be damned i f I ' d go i n; I ' d had enough of al l of t hem f or one day

and suddenl y t hat i ncl uded Jor dan t oo. She must have seen somet hi ng of

t hi s i n my expr essi on f or she t ur ned abr upt l y away and r an up t he

por ch st eps i nt o t he house. I sat down f or a f ew mi nut es wi t h my head

i n my hands, unt i l I hear d t he phone t aken up i nsi de and t he but l er ' s

voi ce cal l i ng a t axi . Then I wal ked sl owl y down t he dr i ve away f r om t he

house i nt endi ng t o wai t by t he gat e.

I hadn' t gone t went y yar ds when I hear d my name and Gat sby st epped f r om

bet ween t wo bushes i nt o t he pat h. I must have f el t pr et t y wei r d by t hat

t i me because I coul d t hi nk of not hi ng except t he l umi nosi t y of hi s

pi nk sui t under t he moon.

" What ar e you doi ng?" I i nqui r ed.

" Just st andi ng her e, ol d spor t . "

Somehow, t hat seemed a despi cabl e occupat i on. For al l I knew he was goi ng

t o r ob t he house i n a moment ; I woul dn' t have been sur pr i sed t o see

si ni st er f aces, t he f aces of " Wol f shi em' s peopl e, " behi nd hi m i n t he

dar k shr ubber y.

" Di d you see any t r oubl e on t he r oad?" he asked af t er a mi nut e.

" Yes. "

He hesi t at ed.

" Was she ki l l ed?"

" Yes. "

" I t hought so; I t ol d Dai sy I t hought so. I t ' s bet t er t hat t he shock

shoul d al l come at once. She st ood i t pr et t y wel l . "

He spoke as i f Dai sy' s r eact i on was t he onl y t hi ng t hat mat t er ed.

" I got t o West Egg by a si de r oad, " he went on, " and l ef t t he car i n my

gar age. I don' t t hi nk anybody saw us but of cour se I can' t be sur e. "

Page 80 of 100

I di sl i ked hi m so much by t hi s t i me t hat I di dn' t f i nd i t necessar y t o

t el l hi m he was wr ong.

" Who was t he woman?" he i nqui r ed.

" Her name was Wi l son. Her husband owns t he gar age. How t he devi l di d i t

happen?"

" Wel l , I t r i ed t o swi ng t he wheel - - - - " He br oke of f , and suddenl y I

guessed at t he t r ut h.

" Was Dai sy dr i vi ng?"

" Yes, " he sai d af t er a moment , " but of cour se I ' l l say I was. You see,

when we l ef t New Yor k she was ver y ner vous and she t hought i t woul d

st eady her t o dr i ve- - and t hi s woman r ushed out at us j ust as we wer e

passi ng a car comi ng t he ot her way. I t al l happened i n a mi nut e but i t

seemed t o me t hat she want ed t o speak t o us, t hought we wer e somebody

she knew. Wel l , f i r st Dai sy t ur ned away f r om t he woman t owar d t he ot her

car , and t hen she l ost her ner ve and t ur ned back. The second my hand

r eached t he wheel I f el t t he shock- - i t must have ki l l ed her i nst ant l y. "

" I t r i pped her open- - - - "

" Don' t t el l me, ol d spor t . " He wi nced. " Anyhow- - Dai sy st epped on i t .

I t r i ed t o make her st op, but she coul dn' t so I pul l ed on t he emer gency

br ake. Then she f el l over i nt o my l ap and I dr ove on.

" She' l l be al l r i ght t omor r ow, " he sai d pr esent l y. " I ' m j ust goi ng t o

wai t her e and see i f he t r i es t o bot her her about t hat unpl easant ness

t hi s af t er noon. She' s l ocked her sel f i nt o her r oom and i f he t r i es any

br ut al i t y she' s goi ng t o t ur n t he l i ght out and on agai n. "

" He won' t t ouch her , " I sai d. " He' s not t hi nki ng about her . "

" I don' t t r ust hi m, ol d spor t . "

" How l ong ar e you goi ng t o wai t ?"

" Al l ni ght i f necessar y. Anyhow t i l l t hey al l go t o bed. "

A new poi nt of vi ew occur r ed t o me. Suppose Tom f ound out t hat Dai sy had

been dr i vi ng. He mi ght t hi nk he saw a connect i on i n i t - - he mi ght t hi nk

anyt hi ng. I l ooked at t he house: t her e wer e t wo or t hr ee br i ght wi ndows

downst ai r s and t he pi nk gl ow f r om Dai sy' s r oom on t he second f l oor .

" You wai t her e, " I sai d. " I ' l l see i f t her e' s any si gn of a commot i on. "

I wal ked back al ong t he bor der of t he l awn, t r aver sed t he gr avel sof t l y

and t i pt oed up t he ver anda st eps. The dr awi ng- r oom cur t ai ns wer e open,

and I saw t hat t he r oom was empt y. Cr ossi ng t he por ch wher e we had di ned

t hat June ni ght t hr ee mont hs bef or e I came t o a smal l r ect angl e of l i ght

whi ch I guessed was t he pant r y wi ndow. The bl i nd was dr awn but I f ound

a r i f t at t he si l l .

Dai sy and Tom wer e si t t i ng opposi t e each ot her at t he ki t chen t abl e

wi t h a pl at e of col d f r i ed chi cken bet ween t hem and t wo bot t l es of

al e. He was t al ki ng i nt ent l y acr oss t he t abl e at her and i n hi s

ear nest ness hi s hand had f al l en upon and cover ed her own. Once i n a

whi l e she l ooked up at hi m and nodded i n agr eement .

They wer en' t happy, and nei t her of t hem had t ouched t he chi cken or t he

al e- - and yet t hey wer en' t unhappy ei t her . Ther e was an unmi st akabl e ai r

of nat ur al i nt i macy about t he pi ct ur e and anybody woul d have sai d t hat

Page 81 of 100

t hey wer e conspi r i ng t oget her .

As I t i pt oed f r om t he por ch I hear d my t axi f eel i ng i t s way al ong t he

dar k r oad t owar d t he house. Gat sby was wai t i ng wher e I had l ef t hi m i n

t he dr i ve.

" I s i t al l qui et up t her e?" he asked anxi ousl y.

" Yes, i t ' s al l qui et . " I hesi t at ed. " You' d bet t er come home and get

some sl eep. "

He shook hi s head.

" I want t o wai t her e t i l l Dai sy goes t o bed. Good ni ght , ol d spor t . "

He put hi s hands i n hi s coat pocket s and t ur ned back eager l y t o hi s

scr ut i ny of t he house, as t hough my pr esence mar r ed t he sacr edness of

t he vi gi l . So I wal ked away and l ef t hi m st andi ng t her e i n t he

moonl i ght - - wat chi ng over not hi ng.

Chapt er 8

I coul dn' t sl eep al l ni ght ; a f og- hor n was gr oani ng i ncessant l y on t he

Sound, and I t ossed hal f - si ck bet ween gr ot esque r eal i t y and savage

f r i ght eni ng dr eams. Towar d dawn I hear d a t axi go up Gat sby' s dr i ve

and i mmedi at el y I j umped out of bed and began t o dr ess - - I f el t t hat I

had somet hi ng t o t el l hi m, somet hi ng t o war n hi m about and mor ni ng

woul d be t oo l at e.

Cr ossi ng hi s l awn I saw t hat hi s f r ont door was st i l l open and he was

l eani ng agai nst a t abl e i n t he hal l , heavy wi t h dej ect i on or sl eep.

" Not hi ng happened, " he sai d wanl y. " I wai t ed, and about f our o' cl ock she

came t o t he wi ndow and st ood t her e f or a mi nut e and t hen t ur ned out

t he l i ght . "

Hi s house had never seemed so enor mous t o me as i t di d t hat ni ght when we

hunt ed t hr ough t he gr eat r ooms f or ci gar et t es. We pushed asi de cur t ai ns

t hat wer e l i ke pavi l i ons and f el t over i nnumer abl e f eet of dar k wal l f or

el ect r i c l i ght swi t ches- - once I t umbl ed wi t h a sor t of spl ash upon t he

keys of a ghost l y pi ano. Ther e was an i nexpl i cabl e amount of dust

ever ywher e and t he r ooms wer e must y as t hough t hey hadn' t been ai r ed f or

many days. I f ound t he humi dor on an unf ami l i ar t abl e wi t h t wo st al e dr y

ci gar et t es i nsi de. Thr owi ng open t he Fr ench wi ndows of t he

dr awi ng- r oom we sat smoki ng out i nt o t he dar kness.

" You ought t o go away, " I sai d. " I t ' s pr et t y cer t ai n t hey' l l t r ace

your car . "

" Go away NOW, ol d spor t ?"

" Go t o At l ant i c Ci t y f or a week, or up t o Mont r eal . "

He woul dn' t consi der i t . He coul dn' t possi bl y l eave Dai sy unt i l he knew

what she was goi ng t o do. He was cl ut chi ng at some l ast hope and I

coul dn' t bear t o shake hi m f r ee.

I t was t hi s ni ght t hat he t ol d me t he st r ange st or y of hi s yout h wi t h

Dan Cody- - t ol d i t t o me because " Jay Gat sby" had br oken up l i ke gl ass

Page 82 of 100

agai nst Tom' s har d mal i ce and t he l ong secr et ext r avaganza was pl ayed

out . I t hi nk t hat he woul d have acknowl edged anyt hi ng, now, wi t hout

r eser ve, but he want ed t o t al k about Dai sy.

She was t he f i r st " ni ce" gi r l he had ever known. I n var i ous unr eveal ed

capaci t i es he had come i n cont act wi t h such peopl e but al ways

wi t h i ndi scer ni bl e bar bed wi r e bet ween. He f ound her exci t i ngl y

desi r abl e. He went t o her house, at f i r st wi t h ot her of f i cer s

f r om Camp Tayl or , t hen al one. I t amazed hi m- - he had never been

i n such a beaut i f ul house bef or e. But what gave i t an ai r of br eat hl ess

i nt ensi t y was t hat Dai sy l i ved t her e- - i t was as casual a t hi ng t o her

as hi s t ent out at camp was t o hi m. Ther e was a r i pe myst er y about i t ,

a hi nt of bedr ooms upst ai r s mor e beaut i f ul and cool t han ot her

bedr ooms, of gay and r adi ant act i vi t i es t aki ng pl ace t hr ough i t s

cor r i dor s and of r omances t hat wer e not must y and l ai d away al r eady i n

l avender but f r esh and br eat hi ng and r edol ent of t hi s year ' s shi ni ng

mot or car s and of dances whose f l ower s wer e scar cel y wi t her ed. I t

exci t ed hi m t oo t hat many men had al r eady l oved Dai sy- - i t i ncr eased

her val ue i n hi s eyes. He f el t t hei r pr esence al l about t he house,

per vadi ng t he ai r wi t h t he shades and echoes of st i l l vi br ant emot i ons.

But he knew t hat he was i n Dai sy' s house by a col ossal acci dent .

However gl or i ous mi ght be hi s f ut ur e as Jay Gat sby, he was at pr esent a

penni l ess young man wi t hout a past , and at any moment t he i nvi si bl e

cl oak of hi s uni f or m mi ght sl i p f r om hi s shoul der s. So he made

t he most of hi s t i me. He t ook what he coul d get , r avenousl y and

unscr upul ousl y- - event ual l y he t ook Dai sy one st i l l Oct ober ni ght ,

t ook her because he had no r eal r i ght t o t ouch her hand.

He mi ght have despi sed hi msel f , f or he had cer t ai nl y t aken her under

f al se pr et enses. I don' t mean t hat he had t r aded on hi s phant om

mi l l i ons, but he had del i ber at el y gi ven Dai sy a sense of secur i t y; he

l et her bel i eve t hat he was a per son f r om much t he same st r at um as

her sel f - - t hat he was f ul l y abl e t o t ake car e of her . As a mat t er of

f act he had no such f aci l i t i es- - he had no comf or t abl e f ami l y st andi ng

behi nd hi m and he was l i abl e at t he whi m of an i mper sonal gover nment

t o be bl own anywher e about t he wor l d.

But he di dn' t despi se hi msel f and i t di dn' t t ur n out as he had

i magi ned. He had i nt ended, pr obabl y, t o t ake what he coul d and go- - but

now he f ound t hat he had commi t t ed hi msel f t o t he f ol l owi ng of a gr ai l .

He knew t hat Dai sy was ext r aor di nar y but he di dn' t r eal i ze j ust how

ext r aor di nar y a " ni ce" gi r l coul d be. She vani shed i nt o her r i ch

house, i nt o her r i ch, f ul l l i f e, l eavi ng Gat sby - - not hi ng. He f el t

mar r i ed t o her , t hat was al l .

When t hey met agai n t wo days l at er i t was Gat sby who was br eat hl ess,

who was somehow bet r ayed. Her por ch was br i ght wi t h t he bought

l uxur y of st ar - shi ne; t he wi cker of t he set t ee squeaked f ashi onabl y

as she t ur ned t owar d hi m and he ki ssed her cur i ous and l ovel y mout h.

She had caught a col d and i t made her voi ce huski er and mor e char mi ng

t han ever and Gat sby was over whel mi ngl y awar e of t he yout h and myst er y

t hat weal t h i mpr i sons and pr eser ves, of t he f r eshness of many cl ot hes

and of Dai sy, gl eami ng l i ke si l ver , saf e and pr oud above t he hot

st r uggl es of t he poor .

" I can' t descr i be t o you how sur pr i sed I was t o f i nd out I l oved her ,

ol d spor t . I even hoped f or a whi l e t hat she' d t hr ow me over , but she

di dn' t , because she was i n l ove wi t h me t oo. She t hought I knew a l ot

because I knew di f f er ent t hi ngs f r om her . . . . Wel l , t her e I was,

way of f my ambi t i ons, get t i ng deeper i n l ove ever y mi nut e, and

al l of a sudden I di dn' t car e. What was t he use of doi ng gr eat

t hi ngs i f I coul d have a bet t er t i me t el l i ng her what I was goi ng

Page 83 of 100

t o do?"

On t he l ast af t er noon bef or e he went abr oad he sat wi t h Dai sy i n

hi s ar ms f or a l ong, si l ent t i me. I t was a col d f al l day wi t h f i r e

i n t he r oom and her cheeks f l ushed. Now and t hen she moved and he

changed hi s ar m a l i t t l e and once he ki ssed her dar k shi ni ng hai r . The

af t er noon had made t hem t r anqui l f or a whi l e as i f t o gi ve t hem a deep

memor y f or t he l ong par t i ng t he next day pr omi sed. They had never been

cl oser i n t hei r mont h of l ove nor communi cat ed mor e pr of oundl y one

wi t h anot her t han when she br ushed si l ent l i ps agai nst hi s coat ' s

shoul der or when he t ouched t he end of her f i nger s, gent l y, as t hough

she wer e asl eep.

He di d ext r aor di nar i l y wel l i n t he war . He was a capt ai n bef or e he went

t o t he f r ont and f ol l owi ng t he Ar gonne bat t l es he got hi s maj or i t y and

t he command of t he di vi si onal machi ne guns. Af t er t he Ar mi st i ce

he t r i ed f r ant i cal l y t o get home but some compl i cat i on or

mi sunder st andi ng sent hi m t o Oxf or d i nst ead. He was wor r i ed now- - t her e

was a qual i t y of ner vous despai r i n Dai sy' s l et t er s. She di dn' t see why

he coul dn' t come. She was f eel i ng t he pr essur e of t he wor l d out si de

and she want ed t o see hi m and f eel hi s pr esence besi de her and be

r eassur ed t hat she was doi ng t he r i ght t hi ng af t er al l .

For Dai sy was young and her ar t i f i ci al wor l d was r edol ent of or chi ds

and pl easant , cheer f ul snobber y and or chest r as whi ch set t he r hyt hm of

t he year , summi ng up t he sadness and suggest i veness of l i f e i n new

t unes. Al l ni ght t he saxophones wai l ed t he hopel ess comment of t he

" Beal e St r eet Bl ues" whi l e a hundr ed pai r s of gol den and si l ver

sl i pper s shuf f l ed t he shi ni ng dust . At t he gr ey t ea hour t her e wer e

al ways r ooms t hat t hr obbed i ncessant l y wi t h t hi s l ow sweet f ever ,

whi l e f r esh f aces dr i f t ed her e and t her e l i ke r ose pet al s bl own by t he

sad hor ns ar ound t he f l oor .

Thr ough t hi s t wi l i ght uni ver se Dai sy began t o move agai n wi t h t he

season; suddenl y she was agai n keepi ng hal f a dozen dat es a day wi t h

hal f a dozen men and dr owsi ng asl eep at dawn wi t h t he beads and

chi f f on of an eveni ng dr ess t angl ed among dyi ng or chi ds on t he f l oor

besi de her bed. And al l t he t i me somet hi ng wi t hi n her was cr yi ng f or a

deci si on. She want ed her l i f e shaped now, i mmedi at el y- - and t he deci si on

must be made by some f or ce- - of l ove, of money, of unquest i onabl e

pr act i cal i t y- - t hat was cl ose at hand.

That f or ce t ook shape i n t he mi ddl e of spr i ng wi t h t he ar r i val of Tom

Buchanan. Ther e was a whol esome bul ki ness about hi s per son and hi s

posi t i on and Dai sy was f l at t er ed. Doubt l ess t her e was a cer t ai n

st r uggl e and a cer t ai n r el i ef . The l et t er r eached Gat sby whi l e he was

st i l l at Oxf or d.

I t was dawn now on Long I sl and and we went about openi ng t he r est of

t he wi ndows downst ai r s, f i l l i ng t he house wi t h gr ey t ur ni ng,

gol d t ur ni ng l i ght . The shadow of a t r ee f el l abr upt l y acr oss t he dew

and ghost l y bi r ds began t o si ng among t he bl ue l eaves. Ther e was a

sl ow pl easant movement i n t he ai r , scar cel y a wi nd, pr omi si ng a cool

l ovel y day.

" I don' t t hi nk she ever l oved hi m. " Gat sby t ur ned ar ound f r om a wi ndow

and l ooked at me chal l engi ngl y. " You must r emember , ol d spor t , she was

ver y exci t ed t hi s af t er noon. He t ol d her t hose t hi ngs i n a way t hat

f r i ght ened her - - t hat made i t l ook as i f I was some ki nd of cheap shar per .

And t he r esul t was she har dl y knew what she was sayi ng. "

He sat down gl oomi l y.

Page 84 of 100

" Of cour se she mi ght have l oved hi m, j ust f or a mi nut e, when t hey wer e

f i r st mar r i ed- - and l oved me mor e even t hen, do you see?"

Suddenl y he came out wi t h a cur i ous r emar k:

" I n any case, " he sai d, " i t was j ust per sonal . "

What coul d you make of t hat , except t o suspect some i nt ensi t y i n

hi s concept i on of t he af f ai r t hat coul dn' t be measur ed?

He came back f r om Fr ance when Tom and Dai sy wer e st i l l on t hei r weddi ng

t r i p, and made a mi ser abl e but i r r esi st i bl e j our ney t o Loui svi l l e

on t he l ast of hi s ar my pay. He st ayed t her e a week, wal ki ng t he

st r eet s wher e t hei r f oot st eps had cl i cked t oget her t hr ough t he

November ni ght and r evi si t i ng t he out - of - t he- way pl aces t o whi ch

t hey had dr i ven i n her whi t e car . Just as Dai sy' s house had al ways

seemed t o hi m mor e myst er i ous and gay t han ot her houses so hi s

i dea of t he ci t y i t sel f , even t hough she was gone f r om i t , was per vaded

wi t h a mel anchol y beaut y.

He l ef t f eel i ng t hat i f he had sear ched har der he mi ght have f ound

her - - t hat he was l eavi ng her behi nd. The day- coach- - he was penni l ess

now- - was hot . He went out t o t he open vest i bul e and sat down on a

f ol di ng- chai r , and t he st at i on sl i d away and t he backs of unf ami l i ar

bui l di ngs moved by. Then out i nt o t he spr i ng f i el ds, wher e a yel l ow

t r ol l ey r aced t hem f or a mi nut e wi t h peopl e i n i t who mi ght once have

seen t he pal e magi c of her f ace al ong t he casual st r eet .

The t r ack cur ved and now i t was goi ng away f r om t he sun whi ch, as i t

sank l ower , seemed t o spr ead i t sel f i n benedi ct i on over t he vani shi ng

ci t y wher e she had dr awn her br eat h. He st r et ched out hi s hand

desper at el y as i f t o snat ch onl y a wi sp of ai r , t o save a f r agment of

t he spot t hat she had made l ovel y f or hi m. But i t was al l goi ng by t oo

f ast now f or hi s bl ur r ed eyes and he knew t hat he had l ost t hat par t of

i t , t he f r eshest and t he best , f or ever .

I t was ni ne o' cl ock when we f i ni shed br eakf ast and went out on t he

por ch. The ni ght had made a shar p di f f er ence i n t he weat her and t her e

was an aut umn f l avor i n t he ai r . The gar dener , t he l ast one of Gat sby' s

f or mer ser vant s, came t o t he f oot of t he st eps.

" I ' m goi ng t o dr ai n t he pool t oday, Mr . Gat sby. Leaves' l l st ar t f al l i ng

pr et t y soon and t hen t her e' s al ways t r oubl e wi t h t he pi pes. "

" Don' t do i t t oday, " Gat sby answer ed. He t ur ned t o me apol oget i cal l y.

" You know, ol d spor t , I ' ve never used t hat pool al l summer ?"

I l ooked at my wat ch and st ood up.

" Twel ve mi nut es t o my t r ai n. "

I di dn' t want t o go t o t he ci t y. I wasn' t wor t h a decent st r oke of wor k

but i t was mor e t han t hat - - I di dn' t want t o l eave Gat sby. I mi ssed t hat

t r ai n, and t hen anot her , bef or e I coul d get mysel f away.

" I ' l l cal l you up, " I sai d f i nal l y.

" Do, ol d spor t . "

" I ' l l cal l you about noon. "

We wal ked sl owl y down t he st eps.

Page 85 of 100

" I suppose Dai sy' l l cal l t oo. " He l ooked at me anxi ousl y as i f he

hoped I ' d cor r obor at e t hi s.

" I suppose so. "

" Wel l - - goodbye. "

We shook hands and I st ar t ed away. Just bef or e I r eached t he hedge I

r emember ed somet hi ng and t ur ned ar ound.

" They' r e a r ot t en cr owd, " I shout ed acr oss t he l awn. " You' r e wor t h t he

whol e damn bunch put t oget her . "

I ' ve al ways been gl ad I sai d t hat . I t was t he onl y compl i ment I ever gave

hi m, because I di sappr oved of hi m f r om begi nni ng t o end. Fi r st he nodded

pol i t el y, and t hen hi s f ace br oke i nt o t hat r adi ant and under st andi ng

smi l e, as i f we' d been i n ecst at i c cahoot s on t hat f act al l t he t i me.

Hi s gor geous pi nk r ag of a sui t made a br i ght spot of col or agai nst t he

whi t e st eps and I t hought of t he ni ght when I f i r st came t o hi s ancest r al

home t hr ee mont hs bef or e. The l awn and dr i ve had been cr owded wi t h t he

f aces of t hose who guessed at hi s cor r upt i on- - and he had st ood on t hose

st eps, conceal i ng hi s i ncor r upt i bl e dr eam, as he waved t hem goodbye.

I t hanked hi m f or hi s hospi t al i t y. We wer e al ways t hanki ng hi m f or

t hat - - I and t he ot her s.

" Goodbye, " I cal l ed. " I enj oyed br eakf ast , Gat sby. "

Up i n t he ci t y I t r i ed f or a whi l e t o l i st t he quot at i ons on an

i nt er mi nabl e amount of st ock, t hen I f el l asl eep i n my swi vel - chai r .

Just bef or e noon t he phone woke me and I st ar t ed up wi t h sweat

br eaki ng out on my f or ehead. I t was Jor dan Baker ; she of t en cal l ed

me up at t hi s hour because t he uncer t ai nt y of her own movement s

bet ween hot el s and cl ubs and pr i vat e houses made her har d t o f i nd

i n any ot her way. Usual l y her voi ce came over t he wi r e as somet hi ng

f r esh and cool as i f a di vot f r om a gr een gol f l i nks had come

sai l i ng i n at t he of f i ce wi ndow but t hi s mor ni ng i t seemed har sh and dr y.

" I ' ve l ef t Dai sy' s house, " she sai d. " I ' m at Hempst ead and I ' m goi ng down

t o Sout hampt on t hi s af t er noon. "

Pr obabl y i t had been t act f ul t o l eave Dai sy' s house, but t he act

annoyed me and her next r emar k made me r i gi d.

" You wer en' t so ni ce t o me l ast ni ght . "

" How coul d i t have mat t er ed t hen?"

Si l ence f or a moment . Then- -

" However - - I want t o see you. "

" I want t o see you t oo. "

" Suppose I don' t go t o Sout hampt on, and come i nt o t own t hi s af t er noon?"

" No- - I don' t t hi nk t hi s af t er noon. "

" Ver y wel l . "

" I t ' s i mpossi bl e t hi s af t er noon. Var i ous- - - - "

Page 86 of 100

We t al ked l i ke t hat f or a whi l e and t hen abr upt l y we wer en' t t al ki ng any

l onger . I don' t know whi ch of us hung up wi t h a shar p cl i ck but I know I

di dn' t car e. I coul dn' t have t al ked t o her acr oss a t ea- t abl e t hat day i f

I never t al ked t o her agai n i n t hi s wor l d.

I cal l ed Gat sby' s house a f ew mi nut es l at er , but t he l i ne was busy. I

t r i ed f our t i mes; f i nal l y an exasper at ed cent r al t ol d me t he wi r e was

bei ng kept open f or l ong di st ance f r om Det r oi t . Taki ng out my

t i me- t abl e I dr ew a smal l ci r cl e ar ound t he t hr ee- f i f t y t r ai n. Then I

l eaned back i n my chai r and t r i ed t o t hi nk. I t was j ust noon.

When I passed t he ashheaps on t he t r ai n t hat mor ni ng I had cr ossed

del i ber at el y t o t he ot her si de of t he car . I suppose t her e' d be a

cur i ous cr owd ar ound t her e al l day wi t h l i t t l e boys sear chi ng f or dar k

spot s i n t he dust and some gar r ul ous man t el l i ng over and over what

had happened unt i l i t became l ess and l ess r eal even t o hi m and he

coul d t el l i t no l onger and Myr t l e Wi l son' s t r agi c achi evement was

f or got t en. Now I want t o go back a l i t t l e and t el l what happened at t he

gar age af t er we l ef t t her e t he ni ght bef or e.

They had di f f i cul t y i n l ocat i ng t he si st er , Cat her i ne. She must

have br oken her r ul e agai nst dr i nki ng t hat ni ght f or when she

ar r i ved she was st upi d wi t h l i quor and unabl e t o under st and t hat t he

ambul ance had al r eady gone t o Fl ushi ng. When t hey convi nced her of

t hi s she i mmedi at el y f ai nt ed as i f t hat was t he i nt ol er abl e par t of

t he af f ai r . Someone ki nd or cur i ous t ook her i n hi s car and dr ove

her i n t he wake of her si st er ' s body.

Unt i l l ong af t er mi dni ght a changi ng cr owd l apped up agai nst t he f r ont

of t he gar age whi l e Geor ge Wi l son r ocked hi msel f back and f or t h on t he

couch i nsi de. For a whi l e t he door of t he of f i ce was open and

ever yone who came i nt o t he gar age gl anced i r r esi st i bl y t hr ough i t .

Fi nal l y someone sai d i t was a shame and cl osed t he door . Mi chael i s and

sever al ot her men wer e wi t h hi m- - f i r st f our or f i ve men, l at er t wo or

t hr ee men. St i l l l at er Mi chael i s had t o ask t he l ast st r anger t o wai t

t her e f i f t een mi nut es l onger whi l e he went back t o hi s own pl ace and made

a pot of cof f ee. Af t er t hat he st ayed t her e al one wi t h Wi l son unt i l dawn.

About t hr ee o' cl ock t he qual i t y of Wi l son' s i ncoher ent mut t er i ng

changed- - he gr ew qui et er and began t o t al k about t he yel l ow car . He

announced t hat he had a way of f i ndi ng out whom t he yel l ow car bel onged

t o, and t hen he bl ur t ed out t hat a coupl e of mont hs ago hi s wi f e had

come f r om t he ci t y wi t h her f ace br ui sed and her nose swol l en.

But when he hear d hi msel f say t hi s, he f l i nched and began t o cr y " Oh,

my God! " agai n i n hi s gr oani ng voi ce. Mi chael i s made a cl umsy at t empt

t o di st r act hi m.

" How l ong have you been mar r i ed, Geor ge? Come on t her e, t r y and si t

st i l l a mi nut e and answer my quest i on. How l ong have you been mar r i ed?"

" Twel ve year s. "

" Ever had any chi l dr en? Come on, Geor ge, si t st i l l - - I asked you a

quest i on. Di d you ever have any chi l dr en?"

The har d br own beet l es kept t huddi ng agai nst t he dul l l i ght and whenever

Mi chael i s hear d a car go t ear i ng al ong t he r oad out si de i t sounded t o hi m

l i ke t he car t hat hadn' t st opped a f ew hour s bef or e. He di dn' t l i ke t o go

i nt o t he gar age because t he wor k bench was st ai ned wher e t he body had

been l yi ng so he moved uncomf or t abl y ar ound t he of f i ce- - he knew ever y

obj ect i n i t bef or e mor ni ng- - and f r om t i me t o t i me sat down besi de Wi l son

t r yi ng t o keep hi m mor e qui et .

Page 87 of 100

" Have you got a chur ch you go t o somet i mes, Geor ge? Maybe even i f you

haven' t been t her e f or a l ong t i me? Maybe I coul d cal l up t he chur ch

and get a pr i est t o come over and he coul d t al k t o you, see?"

" Don' t bel ong t o any. "

" You ought t o have a chur ch, Geor ge, f or t i mes l i ke t hi s. You must have

gone t o chur ch once. Di dn' t you get mar r i ed i n a chur ch? Li st en, Geor ge,

l i st en t o me. Di dn' t you get mar r i ed i n a chur ch?"

" That was a l ong t i me ago. "

The ef f or t of answer i ng br oke t he r hyt hm of hi s r ocki ng- - f or a moment he

was si l ent . Then t he same hal f knowi ng, hal f bewi l der ed l ook came back

i nt o hi s f aded eyes.

" Look i n t he dr awer t her e, " he sai d, poi nt i ng at t he desk.

" Whi ch dr awer ?"

" That dr awer - - t hat one. "

Mi chael i s opened t he dr awer near est hi s hand. Ther e was not hi ng i n i t but

a smal l expensi ve dog l eash made of l eat her and br ai ded si l ver . I t was

appar ent l y new.

" Thi s?" he i nqui r ed, hol di ng i t up.

Wi l son st ar ed and nodded.

" I f ound i t yest er day af t er noon. She t r i ed t o t el l me about i t but I

knew i t was somet hi ng f unny. "

" You mean your wi f e bought i t ?"

" She had i t wr apped i n t i ssue paper on her bur eau. "

Mi chael i s di dn' t see anyt hi ng odd i n t hat and he gave Wi l son a dozen

r easons why hi s wi f e mi ght have bought t he dog l eash. But concei vabl y

Wi l son had hear d some of t hese same expl anat i ons bef or e, f r om Myr t l e,

because he began sayi ng " Oh, my God! " agai n i n a whi sper - - hi s comf or t er

l ef t sever al expl anat i ons i n t he ai r .

" Then he ki l l ed her , " sai d Wi l son. Hi s mout h dr opped open suddenl y.

" Who di d?"

" I have a way of f i ndi ng out . "

" You' r e mor bi d, Geor ge, " sai d hi s f r i end. " Thi s has been a st r ai n t o you

and you don' t know what you' r e sayi ng. You' d bet t er t r y and si t qui et

t i l l mor ni ng. "

" He mur der ed her . "

" I t was an acci dent , Geor ge. "

Wi l son shook hi s head. Hi s eyes nar r owed and hi s mout h wi dened sl i ght l y

wi t h t he ghost of a super i or " Hm! "

" I know, " he sai d def i ni t el y, " I ' m one of t hese t r ust i ng f el l as and I

don' t t hi nk any har m t o NObody, but when I get t o know a t hi ng I know

i t . I t was t he man i n t hat car . She r an out t o speak t o hi m and he

Page 88 of 100

woul dn' t st op. "

Mi chael i s had seen t hi s t oo but i t hadn' t occur r ed t o hi m t hat t her e was

any speci al si gni f i cance i n i t . He bel i eved t hat Mr s. Wi l son had been

r unni ng away f r om her husband, r at her t han t r yi ng t o st op any

par t i cul ar car .

" How coul d she of been l i ke t hat ?"

" She' s a deep one, " sai d Wi l son, as i f t hat answer ed t he quest i on.

" Ah- h- h- - - - "

He began t o r ock agai n and Mi chael i s st ood t wi st i ng t he l eash i n

hi s hand.

" Maybe you got some f r i end t hat I coul d t el ephone f or , Geor ge?"

Thi s was a f or l or n hope- - he was al most sur e t hat Wi l son had no f r i end:

t her e was not enough of hi m f or hi s wi f e. He was gl ad a l i t t l e l at er when

he not i ced a change i n t he r oom, a bl ue qui ckeni ng by t he wi ndow, and

r eal i zed t hat dawn wasn' t f ar of f . About f i ve o' cl ock i t was bl ue enough

out si de t o snap of f t he l i ght .

Wi l son' s gl azed eyes t ur ned out t o t he ashheaps, wher e smal l gr ey

cl ouds t ook on f ant ast i c shape and scur r i ed her e and t her e i n t he f ai nt

dawn wi nd.

" I spoke t o her , " he mut t er ed, af t er a l ong si l ence. " I t ol d her she mi ght

f ool me but she coul dn' t f ool God. I t ook her t o t he wi ndow- - " Wi t h an

ef f or t he got up and wal ked t o t he r ear wi ndow and l eaned wi t h hi s f ace

pr essed agai nst i t , " - - and I sai d ' God knows what you' ve been doi ng,

ever yt hi ng you' ve been doi ng. You may f ool me but you can' t f ool God! ' "

St andi ng behi nd hi m Mi chael i s saw wi t h a shock t hat he was l ooki ng at t he

eyes of Doct or T. J. Eckl ebur g whi ch had j ust emer ged pal e and enor mous

f r om t he di ssol vi ng ni ght .

" God sees ever yt hi ng, " r epeat ed Wi l son.

" That ' s an adver t i sement , " Mi chael i s assur ed hi m. Somet hi ng made hi m t ur n

away f r om t he wi ndow and l ook back i nt o t he r oom. But Wi l son st ood t her e a

l ong t i me, hi s f ace cl ose t o t he wi ndow pane, noddi ng i nt o t he t wi l i ght .

By si x o' cl ock Mi chael i s was wor n out and gr at ef ul f or t he sound of a

car st oppi ng out si de. I t was one of t he wat cher s of t he ni ght bef or e

who had pr omi sed t o come back so he cooked br eakf ast f or t hr ee whi ch

he and t he ot her man at e t oget her . Wi l son was qui et er now and Mi chael i s

went home t o sl eep; when he awoke f our hour s l at er and hur r i ed back t o t he

gar age Wi l son was gone.

Hi s movement s- - he was on f oot al l t he t i me- - wer e af t er war d t r aced t o Por t

Roosevel t and t hen t o Gad' s Hi l l wher e he bought a sandwi ch t hat he

di dn' t eat and a cup of cof f ee. He must have been t i r ed and wal ki ng

sl owl y f or he di dn' t r each Gad' s Hi l l unt i l noon. Thus f ar t her e was

no di f f i cul t y i n account i ng f or hi s t i me- - t her e wer e boys who had seen a

man " act i ng sor t of cr azy" and mot or i st s at whom he st ar ed oddl y f r om

t he si de of t he r oad. Then f or t hr ee hour s he di sappear ed f r om vi ew.

The pol i ce, on t he st r engt h of what he sai d t o Mi chael i s, t hat he " had

a way of f i ndi ng out , " supposed t hat he spent t hat t i me goi ng f r om

gar age t o gar age t her eabout s i nqui r i ng f or a yel l ow car . On t he ot her

hand no gar age man who had seen hi m ever came f or war d- - and per haps he

had an easi er , sur er way of f i ndi ng out what he want ed t o know. By

hal f past t wo he was i n West Egg wher e he asked someone t he way t o

Page 89 of 100

Gat sby' s house. So by t hat t i me he knew Gat sby' s name.

At t wo o' cl ock Gat sby put on hi s bat hi ng sui t and l ef t wor d wi t h t he

but l er t hat i f any one phoned wor d was t o be br ought t o hi m at t he

pool . He st opped at t he gar age f or a pneumat i c mat t r ess t hat had amused

hi s guest s dur i ng t he summer , and t he chauf f eur hel ped hi m pump i t up.

Then he gave i nst r uct i ons t hat t he open car wasn' t t o be t aken out

under any ci r cumst ances- - and t hi s was st r ange because t he f r ont r i ght

f ender needed r epai r .

Gat sby shoul der ed t he mat t r ess and st ar t ed f or t he pool . Once he

st opped and shi f t ed i t a l i t t l e, and t he chauf f eur asked hi m i f he

needed hel p, but he shook hi s head and i n a moment di sappear ed among

t he yel l owi ng t r ees.

No t el ephone message ar r i ved but t he but l er went wi t hout hi s sl eep and

wai t ed f or i t unt i l f our o' cl ock- - unt i l l ong af t er t her e was any one t o

gi ve i t t o i f i t came. I have an i dea t hat Gat sby hi msel f di dn' t

bel i eve i t woul d come and per haps he no l onger car ed. I f t hat was t r ue

he must have f el t t hat he had l ost t he ol d war m wor l d, pai d a hi gh

pr i ce f or l i vi ng t oo l ong wi t h a si ngl e dr eam. He must have l ooked up

at an unf ami l i ar sky t hr ough f r i ght eni ng l eaves and shi ver ed as he

f ound what a gr ot esque t hi ng a r ose i s and how r aw t he sunl i ght was

upon t he scar cel y cr eat ed gr ass. A new wor l d, mat er i al wi t hout bei ng

r eal , wher e poor ghost s, br eat hi ng dr eams l i ke ai r , dr i f t ed

f or t ui t ousl y about . . . l i ke t hat ashen, f ant ast i c f i gur e gl i di ng t owar d

hi m t hr ough t he amor phous t r ees.

The chauf f eur - - he was one of Wol f shi em' s pr ot g s- - hear d t he

shot s- - af t er war d he coul d onl y say t hat he hadn' t t hought anyt hi ng much

about t hem. I dr ove f r om t he st at i on di r ect l y t o Gat sby' s house and my

r ushi ng anxi ousl y up t he f r ont st eps was t he f i r st t hi ng t hat al ar med any

one. But t hey knew t hen, I f i r ml y bel i eve. Wi t h scar cel y a wor d sai d, f our

of us, t he chauf f eur , but l er , gar dener and I , hur r i ed down t o t he pool .

Ther e was a f ai nt , bar el y per cept i bl e movement of t he wat er as t he

f r esh f l ow f r om one end ur ged i t s way t owar d t he dr ai n at t he ot her .

Wi t h l i t t l e r i ppl es t hat wer e har dl y t he shadows of waves, t he l aden

mat t r ess moved i r r egul ar l y down t he pool . A smal l gust of wi nd t hat

scar cel y cor r ugat ed t he sur f ace was enough t o di st ur b i t s acci dent al

cour se wi t h i t s acci dent al bur den. The t ouch of a cl ust er of l eaves

r evol ved i t sl owl y, t r aci ng, l i ke t he l eg of compass, a t hi n r ed ci r cl e

i n t he wat er .

I t was af t er we st ar t ed wi t h Gat sby t owar d t he house t hat t he gar dener

saw Wi l son' s body a l i t t l e way of f i n t he gr ass, and t he hol ocaust was

compl et e.

Chapt er 9

Af t er t wo year s I r emember t he r est of t hat day, and t hat ni ght and t he

next day, onl y as an endl ess dr i l l of pol i ce and phot ogr apher s and

newspaper men i n and out of Gat sby' s f r ont door . A r ope st r et ched

acr oss t he mai n gat e and a pol i ceman by i t kept out t he cur i ous, but

l i t t l e boys soon di scover ed t hat t hey coul d ent er t hr ough my yar d and

t her e wer e al ways a f ew of t hem cl ust er ed open- mout hed about t he pool .

Someone wi t h a posi t i ve manner , per haps a det ect i ve, used t he

expr essi on " mad man" as he bent over Wi l son' s body t hat af t er noon, and

Page 90 of 100

t he advent i t i ous aut hor i t y of hi s voi ce set t he key f or t he newspaper

r epor t s next mor ni ng.

Most of t hose r epor t s wer e a ni ght mar e- - gr ot esque, ci r cumst ant i al ,

eager and unt r ue. When Mi chael i s' s t est i mony at t he i nquest br ought t o

l i ght Wi l son' s suspi ci ons of hi s wi f e I t hought t he whol e t al e woul d

shor t l y be ser ved up i n r acy pasqui nade- - but Cat her i ne, who mi ght have

sai d anyt hi ng, di dn' t say a wor d. She showed a sur pr i si ng amount of

char act er about i t t oo- - l ooked at t he cor oner wi t h det er mi ned eyes under

t hat cor r ect ed br ow of her s and swor e t hat her si st er had never seen

Gat sby, t hat her si st er was compl et el y happy wi t h her husband, t hat her

si st er had been i nt o no mi schi ef what ever . She convi nced her sel f of i t

and cr i ed i nt o her handker chi ef as i f t he ver y suggest i on was mor e

t han she coul d endur e. So Wi l son was r educed t o a man " der anged by

gr i ef " i n or der t hat t he case mi ght r emai n i n i t s si mpl est f or m. And

i t r est ed t her e.

But al l t hi s par t of i t seemed r emot e and unessent i al . I f ound mysel f on

Gat sby' s si de, and al one. Fr om t he moment I t el ephoned news of

t he cat ast r ophe t o West Egg vi l l age, ever y sur mi se about hi m, and

ever y pr act i cal quest i on, was r ef er r ed t o me. At f i r st I was sur pr i sed and

conf used; t hen, as he l ay i n hi s house and di dn' t move or br eat he or

speak hour upon hour i t gr ew upon me t hat I was r esponsi bl e, because no

one el se was i nt er est ed- - i nt er est ed, I mean, wi t h t hat i nt ense per sonal

i nt er est t o whi ch ever y one has some vague r i ght at t he end.

I cal l ed up Dai sy hal f an hour af t er we f ound hi m, cal l ed her

i nst i nct i vel y and wi t hout hesi t at i on. But she and Tom had gone away

ear l y t hat af t er noon, and t aken baggage wi t h t hem.

" Lef t no addr ess?"

" No. "

" Say when t hey' d be back?"

" No. "

" Any i dea wher e t hey ar e? How I coul d r each t hem?"

" I don' t know. Can' t say. "

I want ed t o get somebody f or hi m. I want ed t o go i nt o t he r oom wher e he

l ay and r eassur e hi m: " I ' l l get somebody f or you, Gat sby. Don' t wor r y.

Just t r ust me and I ' l l get somebody f or you- - - - "

Meyer Wol f shi em' s name wasn' t i n t he phone book. The but l er gave me hi s

of f i ce addr ess on Br oadway and I cal l ed I nf or mat i on, but by t he t i me I

had t he number i t was l ong af t er f i ve and no one answer ed t he phone.

" Wi l l you r i ng agai n?"

" I ' ve r ung t hem t hr ee t i mes. "

" I t ' s ver y i mpor t ant . "

" Sor r y. I ' m af r ai d no one' s t her e. "

I went back t o t he dr awi ng r oom and t hought f or an i nst ant t hat t hey wer e

chance vi si t or s, al l t hese of f i ci al peopl e who suddenl y f i l l ed i t . But

as t hey dr ew back t he sheet and l ooked at Gat sby wi t h unmoved eyes,

hi s pr ot est cont i nued i n my br ai n.

" Look her e, ol d spor t , you' ve got t o get somebody f or me. You' ve got

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t o t r y har d. I can' t go t hr ough t hi s al one. "

Some one st ar t ed t o ask me quest i ons but I br oke away and goi ng upst ai r s

l ooked hast i l y t hr ough t he unl ocked par t s of hi s desk - - he' d never t ol d me

def i ni t el y t hat hi s par ent s wer e dead. But t her e was not hi ng- - onl y t he

pi ct ur e of Dan Cody, a t oken of f or got t en vi ol ence st ar i ng down f r om

t he wal l .

Next mor ni ng I sent t he but l er t o New Yor k wi t h a l et t er t o Wol f shi em

whi ch asked f or i nf or mat i on and ur ged hi m t o come out on t he next

t r ai n. That r equest seemed super f l uous when I wr ot e i t . I was sur e he' d

st ar t when he saw t he newspaper s, j ust as I was sur e t her e' d be a wi r e

f r om Dai sy bef or e noon- - but nei t her a wi r e nor Mr . Wol f shi em ar r i ved, no

one ar r i ved except mor e pol i ce and phot ogr apher s and newspaper men.

When t he but l er br ought back Wol f shi em' s answer I began t o have a

f eel i ng of def i ance, of scor nf ul sol i dar i t y bet ween Gat sby and me

agai nst t hem al l .

_Dear Mr . Car r away. Thi s has been one of t he most t er r i bl e shocks of my

l i f e t o me I har dl y can bel i eve i t t hat i t i s t r ue at al l . Such a mad

act as t hat man di d shoul d make us al l t hi nk. I cannot come down now as

I am t i ed up i n some ver y i mpor t ant busi ness and cannot get mi xed up i n

t hi s t hi ng now. I f t her e i s anyt hi ng I can do a l i t t l e l at er l et me

know i n a l et t er by Edgar . I har dl y know wher e I am when I hear about a

t hi ng l i ke t hi s and am compl et el y knocked down and out .

Your s t r ul y

MEYER WOLFSHI EM_

and t hen hast y addenda beneat h:

_Let me know about t he f uner al et c do not know hi s f ami l y at al l . _

When t he phone r ang t hat af t er noon and Long Di st ance sai d Chi cago was

cal l i ng I t hought t hi s woul d be Dai sy at l ast . But t he connect i on came

t hr ough as a man' s voi ce, ver y t hi n and f ar away.

" Thi s i s Sl agl e speaki ng. . . . "

" Yes?" The name was unf ami l i ar .

" Hel l of a not e, i sn' t i t ? Get my wi r e?"

" Ther e haven' t been any wi r es. "

" Young Par ke' s i n t r oubl e, " he sai d r api dl y. " They pi cked hi m up when he

handed t he bonds over t he count er . They got a ci r cul ar f r om New Yor k

gi vi ng ' em t he number s j ust f i ve mi nut es bef or e. What d' you know about

t hat , hey? You never can t el l i n t hese hi ck t owns - - - - "

" Hel l o! " I i nt er r upt ed br eat hl essl y. " Look her e- - t hi s i sn' t Mr . Gat sby.

Mr . Gat sby' s dead. "

Ther e was a l ong si l ence on t he ot her end of t he wi r e, f ol l owed by an

excl amat i on . . . t hen a qui ck squawk as t he connect i on was br oken.

I t hi nk i t was on t he t hi r d day t hat a t el egr am si gned Henr y C. Gat z

ar r i ved f r om a t own i n Mi nnesot a. I t sai d onl y t hat t he sender was

l eavi ng i mmedi at el y and t o post pone t he f uner al unt i l he came.

I t was Gat sby' s f at her , a sol emn ol d man ver y hel pl ess and di smayed,

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bundl ed up i n a l ong cheap ul st er agai nst t he war m Sept ember day. Hi s

eyes l eaked cont i nuousl y wi t h exci t ement and when I t ook t he bag and

umbr el l a f r om hi s hands he began t o pul l so i ncessant l y at hi s spar se

gr ey bear d t hat I had di f f i cul t y i n get t i ng of f hi s coat . He was on t he

poi nt of col l apse so I t ook hi m i nt o t he musi c r oom and made hi m si t

down whi l e I sent f or somet hi ng t o eat . But he woul dn' t eat and t he

gl ass of mi l k spi l l ed f r om hi s t r embl i ng hand.

" I saw i t i n t he Chi cago newspaper , " he sai d. " I t was al l i n t he Chi cago

newspaper . I st ar t ed r i ght away. "

" I di dn' t know how t o r each you. "

Hi s eyes, seei ng not hi ng, moved ceasel essl y about t he r oom.

" I t was a mad man, " he sai d. " He must have been mad. "

" Woul dn' t you l i ke some cof f ee?" I ur ged hi m.

" I don' t want anyt hi ng. I ' m al l r i ght now, Mr . - - - - "

" Car r away. "

" Wel l , I ' m al l r i ght now. Wher e have t hey got Ji mmy?"

I t ook hi m i nt o t he dr awi ng- r oom, wher e hi s son l ay, and l ef t hi m t her e.

Some l i t t l e boys had come up on t he st eps and wer e l ooki ng i nt o t he hal l ;

when I t ol d t hem who had ar r i ved t hey went r el uct ant l y away.

Af t er a l i t t l e whi l e Mr . Gat z opened t he door and came out , hi s mout h

aj ar , hi s f ace f l ushed sl i ght l y, hi s eyes l eaki ng i sol at ed and

unpunct ual t ear s. He had r eached an age wher e deat h no l onger has t he

qual i t y of ghast l y sur pr i se, and when he l ooked ar ound hi m now f or t he

f i r st t i me and saw t he hei ght and spl endor of t he hal l and t he gr eat

r ooms openi ng out f r om i t i nt o ot her r ooms hi s gr i ef began t o be mi xed

wi t h an awed pr i de. I hel ped hi m t o a bedr oom upst ai r s; whi l e he t ook

of f hi s coat and vest I t ol d hi m t hat al l ar r angement s had been

def er r ed unt i l he came.

" I di dn' t know what you' d want , Mr . Gat sby- - - - "

" Gat z i s my name. "

" - - Mr . Gat z. I t hought you mi ght want t o t ake t he body west . "

He shook hi s head.

" Ji mmy al ways l i ked i t bet t er down East . He r ose up t o hi s posi t i on i n

t he East . Wer e you a f r i end of my boy' s, Mr . - - ?"

" We wer e cl ose f r i ends. "

" He had a bi g f ut ur e bef or e hi m, you know. He was onl y a young man but

he had a l ot of br ai n power her e. "

He t ouched hi s head i mpr essi vel y and I nodded.

" I f he' d of l i ved he' d of been a gr eat man. A man l i ke James J. Hi l l .

He' d of hel ped bui l d up t he count r y. "

" That ' s t r ue, " I sai d, uncomf or t abl y.

He f umbl ed at t he embr oi der ed cover l et , t r yi ng t o t ake i t f r om t he bed,

and l ay down st i f f l y- - was i nst ant l y asl eep.

Page 93 of 100

That ni ght an obvi ousl y f r i ght ened per son cal l ed up and demanded t o know

who I was bef or e he woul d gi ve hi s name.

" Thi s i s Mr . Car r away, " I sai d.

" Oh- - " He sounded r el i eved. " Thi s i s Kl i pspr i nger . "

I was r el i eved t oo f or t hat seemed t o pr omi se anot her f r i end

at Gat sby' s gr ave. I di dn' t want i t t o be i n t he paper s and dr aw

a si ght seei ng cr owd so I ' d been cal l i ng up a f ew peopl e mysel f .

They wer e har d t o f i nd.

" The f uner al ' s t omor r ow, " I sai d. " Thr ee o' cl ock, her e at t he house.

I wi sh you' d t el l anybody who' d be i nt er est ed. "

" Oh, I wi l l , " he br oke out hast i l y. " Of cour se I ' m not l i kel y t o see

anybody, but i f I do. "

Hi s t one made me suspi ci ous.

" Of cour se you' l l be t her e your sel f . "

" Wel l , I ' l l cer t ai nl y t r y. What I cal l ed up about i s - - - - "

" Wai t a mi nut e, " I i nt er r upt ed. " How about sayi ng you' l l come?"

" Wel l , t he f act i s- - t he t r ut h of t he mat t er i s t hat I ' m st ayi ng wi t h

some peopl e up her e i n Gr eenwi ch and t hey r at her expect me t o be wi t h

t hem t omor r ow. I n f act t her e' s a sor t of pi cni c or somet hi ng.

Of cour se I ' l l do my ver y best t o get away. "

I ej acul at ed an unr est r ai ned " Huh! " and he must have hear d me f or he went

on ner vousl y:

" What I cal l ed up about was a pai r of shoes I l ef t t her e. I wonder i f

i t ' d be t oo much t r oubl e t o have t he but l er send t hem on. You

see t hey' r e t enni s shoes and I ' m sor t of hel pl ess wi t hout t hem. My

addr ess i s car e of B. F. - - - - "

I di dn' t hear t he r est of t he name because I hung up t he r ecei ver .

Af t er t hat I f el t a cer t ai n shame f or Gat sby - - one gent l eman t o whom I

t el ephoned i mpl i ed t hat he had got what he deser ved. However , t hat was

my f aul t , f or he was one of t hose who used t o sneer most bi t t er l y at

Gat sby on t he cour age of Gat sby' s l i quor and I shoul d have known

bet t er t han t o cal l hi m.

The mor ni ng of t he f uner al I went up t o New Yor k t o see Meyer

Wol f shi em; I coul dn' t seem t o r each hi m any ot her way. The door t hat I

pushed open on t he advi ce of an el evat or boy was mar ked " The Swast i ka

Hol di ng Company" and at f i r st t her e di dn' t seem t o be any one i nsi de.

But when I ' d shout ed " Hel l o" sever al t i mes i n vai n an ar gument br oke

out behi nd a par t i t i on and pr esent l y a l ovel y Jewess appear ed at an

i nt er i or door and scr ut i ni zed me wi t h bl ack host i l e eyes.

" Nobody' s i n, " she sai d. " Mr . Wol f shi em' s gone t o Chi cago. "

The f i r st par t of t hi s was obvi ousl y unt r ue f or someone had begun t o

whi st l e " The Rosar y, " t unel essl y, i nsi de.

" Pl ease say t hat Mr . Car r away want s t o see hi m. "

" I can' t get hi m back f r om Chi cago, can I ?"

Page 94 of 100

At t hi s moment a voi ce, unmi st akabl y Wol f shi em' s cal l ed " St el l a! "

f r om t he ot her si de of t he door .

" Leave your name on t he desk, " she sai d qui ckl y. " I ' l l gi ve i t t o hi m

when he get s back. "

" But I know he' s t her e. "

She t ook a st ep t owar d me and began t o sl i de her hands i ndi gnant l y up

and down her hi ps.

" You young men t hi nk you can f or ce your way i n her e any t i me, " she

scol ded. " We' r e get t i ng si ckant i r ed of i t . When I say he' s i n Chi cago,

he' s i n Chi CAgo. "

I ment i oned Gat sby.

" Oh- - h! " She l ooked at me over agai n. " Wi l l you j ust - - what was your name?"

She vani shed. I n a moment Meyer Wol f shi em st ood sol emnl y i n t he door way,

hol di ng out bot h hands. He dr ew me i nt o hi s of f i ce, r emar ki ng i n a

r ever ent voi ce t hat i t was a sad t i me f or al l of us, and of f er ed me

a ci gar .

" My memor y goes back t o when I f i r st met hi m, " he sai d. " A young

maj or j ust out of t he ar my and cover ed over wi t h medal s he got

i n t he war . He was so har d up he had t o keep on wear i ng hi s uni f or m

because he coul dn' t buy some r egul ar cl ot hes. Fi r st t i me I saw hi m was

when he come i nt o Wi nebr enner ' s pool r oom at For t y- t hi r d St r eet and

asked f or a j ob. He hadn' t eat anyt hi ng f or a coupl e of days. ' Come on

have some l unch wi t h me, ' I si d. He at e mor e t han f our dol l ar s' wor t h of

f ood i n hal f an hour . "

" Di d you st ar t hi m i n busi ness?" I i nqui r ed.

" St ar t hi m! I made hi m. "

" Oh. "

" I r ai sed hi m up out of not hi ng, r i ght out of t he gut t er . I saw r i ght

away he was a f i ne appear i ng, gent l emanl y young man, and when he t ol d

me he was an Oggsf or d I knew I coul d use hi m good. I got hi m t o j oi n up

i n t he Amer i can Legi on and he used t o st and hi gh t her e. Ri ght of f he

di d some wor k f or a cl i ent of mi ne up t o Al bany. We wer e so t hi ck l i ke

t hat i n ever yt hi ng- - " He hel d up t wo bul bous f i nger s " - - al ways

t oget her . "

I wonder ed i f t hi s par t ner shi p had i ncl uded t he Wor l d' s Ser i es t r ansact i on

i n 1919.

" Now he' s dead, " I sai d af t er a moment . " You wer e hi s cl osest f r i end,

so I know you' l l want t o come t o hi s f uner al t hi s af t er noon. "

" I ' d l i ke t o come. "

" Wel l , come t hen. "

The hai r i n hi s nost r i l s qui ver ed sl i ght l y and as he shook hi s head hi s

eyes f i l l ed wi t h t ear s.

" I can' t do i t - - I can' t get mi xed up i n i t , " he sai d.

" Ther e' s not hi ng t o get mi xed up i n. I t ' s al l over now. "

Page 95 of 100

" When a man get s ki l l ed I never l i ke t o get mi xed up i n i t i n any way.

I keep out . When I was a young man i t was di f f er ent - - i f a f r i end of mi ne

di ed, no mat t er how, I st uck wi t h t hem t o t he end. You may t hi nk t hat ' s

sent i ment al but I mean i t - - t o t he bi t t er end. "

I saw t hat f or some r eason of hi s own he was det er mi ned not t o come,

so I st ood up.

" Ar e you a col l ege man?" he i nqui r ed suddenl y.

For a moment I t hought he was goi ng t o suggest a " gonnegt i on" but he

onl y nodded and shook my hand.

" Let us l ear n t o show our f r i endshi p f or a man when he i s al i ve and not

af t er he i s dead, " he suggest ed. " Af t er t hat my own r ul e i s t o l et

ever yt hi ng al one. "

When I l ef t hi s of f i ce t he sky had t ur ned dar k and I got back t o West Egg

i n a dr i zzl e. Af t er changi ng my cl ot hes I went next door and f ound

Mr . Gat z wal ki ng up and down exci t edl y i n t he hal l . Hi s pr i de i n hi s

son and i n hi s son' s possessi ons was cont i nual l y i ncr easi ng and now he

had somet hi ng t o show me.

" Ji mmy sent me t hi s pi ct ur e. " He t ook out hi s wal l et wi t h t r embl i ng

f i nger s. " Look t her e. "

I t was a phot ogr aph of t he house, cr acked i n t he cor ner s and di r t y wi t h

many hands. He poi nt ed out ever y det ai l t o me eager l y. " Look t her e! " and

t hen sought admi r at i on f r om my eyes. He had shown i t so of t en t hat I t hi nk

i t was mor e r eal t o hi m now t han t he house i t sel f .

" Ji mmy sent i t t o me. I t hi nk i t ' s a ver y pr et t y pi ct ur e. I t shows up

wel l . "

" Ver y wel l . Had you seen hi m l at el y?"

" He come out t o see me t wo year s ago and bought me t he house I l i ve i n

now. Of cour se we was br oke up when he r un of f f r om home but I see now

t her e was a r eason f or i t . He knew he had a bi g f ut ur e i n f r ont of hi m.

And ever si nce he made a success he was ver y gener ous wi t h me. "

He seemed r el uct ant t o put away t he pi ct ur e, hel d i t f or anot her mi nut e,

l i nger i ngl y, bef or e my eyes. Then he r et ur ned t he wal l et and pul l ed f r om

hi s pocket a r agged ol d copy of a book cal l ed " Hopal ong Cassi dy. "

" Look her e, t hi s i s a book he had when he was a boy. I t j ust shows

you. "

He opened i t at t he back cover and t ur ned i t ar ound f or me t o see.

On t he l ast f l y- l eaf was pr i nt ed t he wor d SCHEDULE, and t he dat e

Sept ember 12t h, 1906. And under neat h:

Ri se f r om bed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. 00 A. M.

Dumbbel l exer ci se and wal l - scal i ng . . . . . . 6. 15- 6. 30 "

St udy el ect r i ci t y, et c . . . . . . . . . . . . 7. 15- 8. 15 "

Wor k . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8. 30- 4. 30 P. M.

Basebal l and spor t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. 30- 5. 00 "

Pr act i ce el ocut i on, poi se and how t o at t ai n i t 5. 00- 6. 00 "

St udy needed i nvent i ons . . . . . . . . . . . 7. 00- 9. 00 "

GENERAL RESOLVES

Page 96 of 100

No wast i ng t i me at Shaf t er s or [ a name, i ndeci pher abl e]

No mor e smokei ng or chewi ng

Bat h ever y ot her day

Read one i mpr ovi ng book or magazi ne per week

Save $5. 00 [ cr ossed out ] $3. 00 per week

Be bet t er t o par ent s

" I come acr oss t hi s book by acci dent , " sai d t he ol d man. " I t j ust shows

you, don' t i t ?"

" I t j ust shows you. "

" Ji mmy was bound t o get ahead. He al ways had some r esol ves l i ke t hi s or

somet hi ng. Do you not i ce what he' s got about i mpr ovi ng hi s mi nd? He was

al ways gr eat f or t hat . He t ol d me I et l i ke a hog once and I beat hi m

f or i t . "

He was r el uct ant t o cl ose t he book, r eadi ng each i t em al oud and t hen

l ooki ng eager l y at me. I t hi nk he r at her expect ed me t o copy down t he

l i st f or my own use.

A l i t t l e bef or e t hr ee t he Lut her an mi ni st er ar r i ved f r om Fl ushi ng and

I began t o l ook i nvol unt ar i l y out t he wi ndows f or ot her car s. So di d

Gat sby' s f at her . And as t he t i me passed and t he ser vant s came i n and

st ood wai t i ng i n t he hal l , hi s eyes began t o bl i nk anxi ousl y and he

spoke of t he r ai n i n a wor r i ed uncer t ai n way. The mi ni st er gl anced

sever al t i mes at hi s wat ch so I t ook hi m asi de and asked hi m t o wai t

f or hal f an hour . But i t wasn' t any use. Nobody came.

About f i ve o' cl ock our pr ocessi on of t hr ee car s r eached t he cemet er y

and st opped i n a t hi ck dr i zzl e besi de t he gat e- - f i r st a mot or hear se,

hor r i bl y bl ack and wet , t hen Mr . Gat z and t he mi ni st er and I i n t he

l i mousi ne, and, a l i t t l e l at er , f our or f i ve ser vant s and t he post man

f r om West Egg i n Gat sby' s st at i on wagon, al l wet t o t he ski n. As we

st ar t ed t hr ough t he gat e i nt o t he cemet er y I hear d a car st op and t hen

t he sound of someone spl ashi ng af t er us over t he soggy gr ound. I l ooked

ar ound. I t was t he man wi t h owl - eyed gl asses whom I had f ound

mar vel l i ng over Gat sby' s books i n t he l i br ar y one ni ght t hr ee mont hs

bef or e.

I ' d never seen hi m si nce t hen. I don' t know how he knew about t he

f uner al or even hi s name. The r ai n pour ed down hi s t hi ck gl asses and

he t ook t hem of f and wi ped t hem t o see t he pr ot ect i ng canvas unr ol l ed

f r om Gat sby' s gr ave.

I t r i ed t o t hi nk about Gat sby t hen f or a moment but he was al r eady t oo

f ar away and I coul d onl y r emember , wi t hout r esent ment , t hat Dai sy

hadn' t sent a message or a f l ower . Di ml y I hear d someone mur mur

" Bl essed ar e t he dead t hat t he r ai n f al l s on, " and t hen t he owl - eyed

man sai d " Amen t o t hat , " i n a br ave voi ce.

We st r aggl ed down qui ckl y t hr ough t he r ai n t o t he car s. Owl - Eyes spoke

t o me by t he gat e.

" I coul dn' t get t o t he house, " he r emar ked.

" Nei t her coul d anybody el se. "

" Go on! " He st ar t ed. " Why, my God! t hey used t o go t her e by t he

hundr eds. "

He t ook of f hi s gl asses and wi ped t hem agai n out si de and i n.

Page 97 of 100

" The poor son- of - a- bi t ch, " he sai d.

One of my most vi vi d memor i es i s of comi ng back west f r om pr ep school

and l at er f r om col l ege at Chr i st mas t i me. Those who went f ar t her t han

Chi cago woul d gat her i n t he ol d di m Uni on St at i on at si x o' cl ock of a

December eveni ng wi t h a f ew Chi cago f r i ends al r eady caught up i nt o

t hei r own hol i day gayet i es t o bi d t hem a hast y goodbye. I r emember

t he f ur coat s of t he gi r l s r et ur ni ng f r om Mi ss Thi s or That ' s and

t he chat t er of f r ozen br eat h and t he hands wavi ng over head as

we caught si ght of ol d acquai nt ances and t he mat chi ngs of i nvi t at i ons:

" Ar e you goi ng t o t he Or dways' ? t he Her seys' ? t he Schul t zes' ?"

and t he l ong gr een t i cket s cl asped t i ght i n our gl oved hands.

And l ast t he mur ky yel l ow car s of t he Chi cago, Mi l waukee and St . Paul

Rai l r oad l ooki ng cheer f ul as Chr i st mas i t sel f on t he t r acks besi de

t he gat e.

When we pul l ed out i nt o t he wi nt er ni ght and t he r eal snow, our snow,

began t o st r et ch out besi de us and t wi nkl e agai nst t he wi ndows, and t he

di m l i ght s of smal l Wi sconsi n st at i ons moved by, a shar p wi l d br ace

came suddenl y i nt o t he ai r . We dr ew i n deep br eat hs of i t as we wal ked

back f r om di nner t hr ough t he col d vest i bul es, unut t er abl y awar e of our

i dent i t y wi t h t hi s count r y f or one st r ange hour bef or e we mel t ed

i ndi st i ngui shabl y i nt o i t agai n.

That ' s my mi ddl e west - - not t he wheat or t he pr ai r i es or t he l ost Swede

t owns but t he t hr i l l i ng, r et ur ni ng t r ai ns of my yout h and t he st r eet

l amps and sl ei gh bel l s i n t he f r ost y dar k and t he shadows of hol l y

wr eat hs t hr own by l i ght ed wi ndows on t he snow. I am par t of t hat , a

l i t t l e sol emn wi t h t he f eel of t hose l ong wi nt er s, a l i t t l e compl acent

f r om gr owi ng up i n t he Car r away house i n a ci t y wher e dwel l i ngs ar e

st i l l cal l ed t hr ough decades by a f ami l y' s name. I see now t hat t hi s

has been a st or y of t he West , af t er al l - - Tom and Gat sby, Dai sy and

Jor dan and I , wer e al l West er ner s, and per haps we possessed some

def i ci ency i n common whi ch made us subt l y unadapt abl e t o East er n l i f e.

Even when t he East exci t ed me most , even when I was most keenl y awar e

of i t s super i or i t y t o t he bor ed, spr awl i ng, swol l en t owns beyond t he

Ohi o, wi t h t hei r i nt er mi nabl e i nqui si t i ons whi ch spar ed onl y t he

chi l dr en and t he ver y ol d- - even t hen i t had al ways f or me a qual i t y of

di st or t i on. West Egg especi al l y st i l l f i gur es i n my mor e f ant ast i c

dr eams. I see i t as a ni ght scene by El Gr eco: a hundr ed houses, at

once convent i onal and gr ot esque, cr ouchi ng under a sul l en, over hangi ng

sky and a l ust r el ess moon. I n t he f or egr ound f our sol emn men i n dr ess

sui t s ar e wal ki ng al ong t he si dewal k wi t h a st r et cher on whi ch l i es a

dr unken woman i n a whi t e eveni ng dr ess. Her hand, whi ch dangl es over

t he si de, spar kl es col d wi t h j ewel s. Gr avel y t he men t ur n i n at a

house- - t he wr ong house. But no one knows t he woman' s name, and no one

car es.

Af t er Gat sby' s deat h t he East was haunt ed f or me l i ke t hat , di st or t ed

beyond my eyes' power of cor r ect i on. So when t he bl ue smoke of br i t t l e

l eaves was i n t he ai r and t he wi nd bl ew t he wet l aundr y st i f f on t he

l i ne I deci ded t o come back home.

Ther e was one t hi ng t o be done bef or e I l ef t , an awkwar d, unpl easant

t hi ng t hat per haps had bet t er have been l et al one. But I want ed t o

l eave t hi ngs i n or der and not j ust t r ust t hat obl i gi ng and i ndi f f er ent

sea t o sweep my r ef use away. I saw Jor dan Baker and t al ked over and

ar ound what had happened t o us t oget her and what had happened

af t er war d t o me, and she l ay per f ect l y st i l l l i st eni ng i n a bi g

chai r .

Page 98 of 100

She was dr essed t o pl ay gol f and I r emember t hi nki ng she l ooked l i ke a

good i l l ust r at i on, her chi n r ai sed a l i t t l e, j aunt i l y, her hai r t he

col or of an aut umn l eaf , her f ace t he same br own t i nt as t he f i nger l ess

gl ove on her knee. When I had f i ni shed she t ol d me wi t hout comment t hat

she was engaged t o anot her man. I doubt ed t hat t hough t her e wer e

sever al she coul d have mar r i ed at a nod of her head but I pr et ended t o

be sur pr i sed. For j ust a mi nut e I wonder ed i f I wasn' t maki ng a

mi st ake, t hen I t hought i t al l over agai n qui ckl y and got up t o say

goodbye.

" Never t hel ess you di d t hr ow me over , " sai d Jor dan suddenl y. " You t hr ew me

over on t he t el ephone. I don' t gi ve a damn about you now but i t was a

new exper i ence f or me and I f el t a l i t t l e di zzy f or a whi l e. "

We shook hands.

" Oh, and do you r emember - - " she added, " - - - - a conver sat i on we had once

about dr i vi ng a car ?"

" Why- - not exact l y. "

" You sai d a bad dr i ver was onl y saf e unt i l she met anot her bad dr i ver ?

Wel l , I met anot her bad dr i ver , di dn' t I ? I mean i t was car el ess of me

t o make such a wr ong guess. I t hought you wer e r at her an honest ,

st r ai ght f or war d per son. I t hought i t was your secr et pr i de. "

" I ' m t hi r t y, " I sai d. " I ' m f i ve year s t oo ol d t o l i e t o mysel f and cal l

i t honor . "

She di dn' t answer . Angr y, and hal f i n l ove wi t h her , and t r emendousl y

sor r y, I t ur ned away.

One af t er noon l at e i n Oct ober I saw Tom Buchanan. He was wal ki ng ahead

of me al ong Fi f t h Avenue i n hi s al er t , aggr essi ve way, hi s hands out a

l i t t l e f r om hi s body as i f t o f i ght of f i nt er f er ence, hi s head movi ng

shar pl y her e and t her e, adapt i ng i t sel f t o hi s r est l ess eyes. Just as I

sl owed up t o avoi d over t aki ng hi m he st opped and began f r owni ng i nt o

t he wi ndows of a j ewel r y st or e. Suddenl y he saw me and wal ked back

hol di ng out hi s hand.

" What ' s t he mat t er , Ni ck? Do you obj ect t o shaki ng hands wi t h me?"

" Yes. You know what I t hi nk of you. "

" You' r e cr azy, Ni ck, " he sai d qui ckl y. " Cr azy as hel l . I don' t know

what ' s t he mat t er wi t h you. "

" Tom, " I i nqui r ed, " what di d you say t o Wi l son t hat af t er noon?"

He st ar ed at me wi t hout a wor d and I knew I had guessed r i ght about

t hose mi ssi ng hour s. I st ar t ed t o t ur n away but he t ook a st ep af t er me

and gr abbed my ar m.

" I t ol d hi m t he t r ut h, " he sai d. " He came t o t he door whi l e we wer e

get t i ng r eady t o l eave and when I sent down wor d t hat we wer en' t i n he

t r i ed t o f or ce hi s way upst ai r s. He was cr azy enough t o ki l l me i f I

hadn' t t ol d hi m who owned t he car . Hi s hand was on a r evol ver i n hi s

pocket ever y mi nut e he was i n t he house- - - - " He br oke of f def i ant l y.

" What i f I di d t el l hi m? That f el l ow had i t comi ng t o hi m. He t hr ew

dust i nt o your eyes j ust l i ke he di d i n Dai sy' s but he was a t ough

one. He r an over Myr t l e l i ke you' d r un over a dog and never even st opped

hi s car . "

Page 99 of 100

Ther e was not hi ng I coul d say, except t he one unut t er abl e f act

t hat i t wasn' t t r ue.

" And i f you t hi nk I di dn' t have my shar e of suf f er i ng- - l ook her e, when I

went t o gi ve up t hat f l at and saw t hat damn box of dog bi scui t s si t t i ng

t her e on t he si deboar d I sat down and cr i ed l i ke a baby. By God i t

was awf ul - - - - "

I coul dn' t f or gi ve hi m or l i ke hi m but I saw t hat what he had done was,

t o hi m, ent i r el y j ust i f i ed. I t was al l ver y car el ess and conf used.

They wer e car el ess peopl e, Tom and Dai sy- - t hey smashed up t hi ngs and

cr eat ur es and t hen r et r eat ed back i nt o t hei r money or t hei r vast

car el essness or what ever i t was t hat kept t hem t oget her , and l et ot her

peopl e cl ean up t he mess t hey had made. . . .

I shook hands wi t h hi m; i t seemed si l l y not t o, f or I f el t suddenl y as

t hough I wer e t al ki ng t o a chi l d. Then he went i nt o t he j ewel r y st or e t o

buy a pear l neckl ace- - or per haps onl y a pai r of cuf f but t ons- - r i d of my

pr ovi nci al squeami shness f or ever .

Gat sby' s house was st i l l empt y when I l ef t - - t he gr ass on hi s l awn had

gr own as l ong as mi ne. One of t he t axi dr i ver s i n t he vi l l age never

t ook a f ar e past t he ent r ance gat e wi t hout st oppi ng f or a mi nut e and

poi nt i ng i nsi de; per haps i t was he who dr ove Dai sy and Gat sby over t o

East Egg t he ni ght of t he acci dent and per haps he had made a st or y

about i t al l hi s own. I di dn' t want t o hear i t and I avoi ded hi m when I

got of f t he t r ai n.

I spent my Sat ur day ni ght s i n New Yor k because t hose gl eami ng, dazzl i ng

par t i es of hi s wer e wi t h me so vi vi dl y t hat I coul d st i l l hear t he

musi c and t he l aught er f ai nt and i ncessant f r om hi s gar den and t he

car s goi ng up and down hi s dr i ve. One ni ght I di d hear a mat er i al car

t her e and saw i t s l i ght s st op at hi s f r ont st eps. But I di dn' t

i nvest i gat e. Pr obabl y i t was some f i nal guest who had been away at t he

ends of t he ear t h and di dn' t know t hat t he par t y was over .

On t he l ast ni ght , wi t h my t r unk packed and my car sol d t o t he gr ocer ,

I went over and l ooked at t hat huge i ncoher ent f ai l ur e of a house once

mor e. On t he whi t e st eps an obscene wor d, scr awl ed by some boy wi t h a

pi ece of br i ck, st ood out cl ear l y i n t he moonl i ght and I er ased i t ,

dr awi ng my shoe r aspi ngl y al ong t he st one. Then I wander ed down t o t he

beach and spr awl ed out on t he sand.

Most of t he bi g shor e pl aces wer e cl osed now and t her e wer e har dl y any

l i ght s except t he shadowy, movi ng gl ow of a f er r yboat acr oss t he Sound.

And as t he moon r ose hi gher t he i nessent i al houses began t o mel t away

unt i l gr adual l y I became awar e of t he ol d i sl and her e t hat f l ower ed

once f or Dut ch sai l or s' eyes- - a f r esh, gr een br east of t he new wor l d.

I t s vani shed t r ees, t he t r ees t hat had made way f or Gat sby' s house, had

once pander ed i n whi sper s t o t he l ast and gr eat est of al l human dr eams;

f or a t r ansi t or y enchant ed moment man must have hel d hi s br eat h i n t he

pr esence of t hi s cont i nent , compel l ed i nt o an aest het i c cont empl at i on

he nei t her under st ood nor desi r ed, f ace t o f ace f or t he l ast t i me i n

hi st or y wi t h somet hi ng commensur at e t o hi s capaci t y f or wonder .

And as I sat t her e br oodi ng on t he ol d, unknown wor l d, I t hought of

Gat sby' s wonder when he f i r st pi cked out t he gr een l i ght at t he end of

Dai sy' s dock. He had come a l ong way t o t hi s bl ue l awn and hi s dr eam must

have seemed so cl ose t hat he coul d har dl y f ai l t o gr asp i t . He di d not

know t hat i t was al r eady behi nd hi m, somewher e back i n t hat vast obscur i t y

beyond t he ci t y, wher e t he dar k f i el ds of t he r epubl i c r ol l ed on under

t he ni ght .

Page 100 of 100

Gat sby bel i eved i n t he gr een l i ght , t he or gast i c f ut ur e t hat year by

year r ecedes bef or e us. I t el uded us t hen, but t hat ' s no mat t er - - t omor r ow

we wi l l r un f ast er , st r et ch out our ar ms f ar t her . . . . And one f i ne

mor ni ng- - - -

So we beat on, boat s agai nst t he cur r ent , bor ne back ceasel essl y i nt o

t he past .

THE END