The Great Gatsby — Page 133

那个守规矩的孩子恋恋不舍地回头张望，拉着保姆的手被带出了门，就在这时汤姆回来了，走在前面领着四杯盛满冰块、叮当作响的金汤力鸡尾酒。

With a reluctant backward glance the well-disciplined child held to her nurse's hand and was pulled out the door, just as Tom came back, preceding four gin rickeys that clicked full of ice.

盖茨比端起了他的酒杯。

Gatsby took up his drink.

「这几杯看起来确实清凉，」他说，神情中带着明显的紧张。

"They certainly look cool," he said, with visible tension.

我们大口大口贪婪地喝着。

We drank in long, greedy swallows.

「我在哪儿读到过，说太阳每年都在变得越来越热，」汤姆随和地说，「看来用不了多久地球就要坠入太阳了——等等——不对，正好相反——太阳每年都在变得越来越冷。」

"I read somewhere that the sun's getting hotter every year," said Tom genially. "It seems that pretty soon the earth's going to fall into the sun—or wait a minute—it's just the opposite—the sun's getting colder every year.

「出去走走吧，」他向盖茨比提议道，「我想让你好好看看这个地方。」

"Come outside," he suggested to Gatsby, "I'd like you to have a look at the place."

我跟着他们走到了阳台上。碧绿的海湾在暑热中一片死寂，一张小小的白帆缓缓地朝着更清凉的大海爬去。

I went with them out to the veranda. On the green Sound, stagnant in the heat, one small sail crawled slowly toward the fresher sea.

盖茨比的目光追随着那白帆片刻，随后抬起手来，指向海湾对岸。

Gatsby's eyes followed it momentarily; he raised his hand and pointed across the bay.

「我就住在你对面。」

"I'm right across from you."

「是啊，没错。」

"So you are."

我们的目光越过玫瑰花圃和灼热的草坪，越过伏天里岸边那片杂草丛生的荒地，缓缓地望向远方。船的白色风帆慢慢移向湛蓝清凉的天际线。前方是波光粼粼的大海和那些富饶而美好的岛屿。

Our eyes lifted over the rose-beds and the hot lawn and the weedy refuse of the dog-days alongshore. Slowly the white wings of the boat moved against the blue cool limit of the sky. Ahead lay the scalloped ocean and the abounding blessed isles.

「那才叫惬意，」汤姆点头说道，「真想出去跟他待上一个小时。」

"There's sport for you," said Tom, nodding. "I'd like to be out there with him for about an hour."

我们在餐厅里吃了午饭，那里也拉上了窗帘隔绝暑气，大家喝着冰镇麦酒，强打起精神谈笑风生。

We had luncheon in the dining-room, darkened too against the heat, and drank down nervous gaiety with the cold ale.

「今天下午我们要做什么呢？」

"What'll we do with ourselves this afternoon?