Day 23

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

我们在餐厅里吃的午饭，里面也遮得很阴凉，大家把紧张的欢笑和凉啤酒一起喝下肚去。

luncheon [l'ʌntʃən] (luncheons) A luncheon is a formal lunch, for example to celebrate an important event or to raise money for charity.

gayety ['ɡeiəti] =gaiety n. 愉快；轻快 the state of being happy

“What'll we do with ourselves this afternoon?” cried Daisy, “and the day after that, and the next thirty years?”

"我们今天下午做什么好呢？"黛西大声说，"还有明天，还有今后三十年？"

“Don’t be morbid,” Jordan said. “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

"不要这样病态，"乔丹说，"秋天一到，天高气爽，生活就又重新开始了。"

morbid [ˈmɔːbid] adj. 病的,由病引起的,病态的,恐怖的

crisp [krɪsp] describes weather that is cold, dry and bright; describes air that is cold, dry and fresh

“But it’s so hot,” insisted Daisy, on the verge of tears, “and everything’s so confused. Let’s all go to town!”

"可是天真热得要命，"黛西固执地说，差点要哭出来了，"一切又都混乱不堪。咱们都进城去吧！"

Her voice struggled on through the heat, beating against it, molding its senselessness into forms.

她的声音继续在热浪中挣扎，向它冲击着，把无知觉的热气塑成一些形状。

“I’ve heard of making a garage out of a stable,” Tom was saying to Gatsby, “but I’m the first man who ever made a stable out of a garage.”

"我听说过把马房改做汽车间，"汤姆在对盖茨比说，"但是我是第一个把汽车间变成马房的人。"

garage  [ˈɡærɑːʒ] n. 汽车库，汽车间

stable  [ˈsteɪb(ə)l] 畜栏,厩,马房;（同属一主人并由一个人驯养的）一群赛马

“Who wants to go to town?” demanded Daisy insistently. Gatsby’s eyes floated toward her. “Ah,” she cried, “you look so cool.”

"谁愿意进城去？"黛西执拗地问道。盖茨比的眼睛慢慢朝她看过去。"啊，"她喊道，'你看上去真帅。"

Their eyes met, and they stared together at each other, alone in space. With an effort she glanced down at the table.

他们的眼光相遇了，他们彼此目不转睛地看着对方，超然物外。她好不容易才把视线转回到餐桌上。

“You always look so cool,”she repeated.

"你看上去总是那么帅。"她重复说。

She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw. He was astounded. His mouth opened a little, and he looked at Gatsby, and then back at Daisy as if he had just recognized her as some one he knew a long time ago.

她已经告诉他她爱他，汤姆·布坎农也看出来了。他大为震惊。他的嘴微微张开，他看看盖茨比，又看看黛西，仿佛他刚刚认出她是他很久以前就认识的一个人。

“You resemble the advertisement of the man,” she went on innocently. “You know the advertisement of the man——”

"你很像广告里那个人，"她恬然地继续说，"你知道广告里那个人……"

“All right,” broke in Tom quickly, “I’m perfectly willing to go to town. Come on—we’re all going to town.”

"好吧，"汤姆赶紧打断了她的话，"我非常乐意进城去。走吧--我们大家都进城去。"

He got up, his eyes still flashing between Gatsby and his wife. No one moved.

他站了起来，他的眼睛还是在盖茨比和他妻子之间间来闪去。谁都没动。

“Come on!” His temper cracked a little. “What’s the matter, anyhow? If we’re going to town, let’s start.”

"走啊！"他有点冒火了，"到底怎么回事？咱们要进城，那就走吧。"

His hand, trembling with his effort at self-control, bore to his lips the last of his glass of ale. Daisy’s voice got us to our feet and out on to the blazing gravel drive.

他把杯中剩下的啤酒举到了唇边，他的手由于他尽力控制自己而在发抖。黛西的声音促使我们站了起来，走到外面炽热的石子汽车道上。

blazing [bl'eɪzɪŋ]  Blazing sun or blazing hot weather is very hot.

gravel [ˈɡrævəl] n.砂砾,砂砾层

“Are we just going to go?” she objected. “Like this? Aren’t we going to let any one smoke a cigarette first?”

"我们马上就走吗？"她不以为然地说，"就像这样？难道我们不让人家先抽支烟吗？"

“Everybody smoked all through lunch.”

"吃饭的时候大家从头到尾都在抽烟。"

“Oh, let’s have fun,” she begged him. “It’s too hot to fuss.” He didn’t answer.

"哦，咱们高高兴兴地玩吧，"她央求他，"天太热了，别闹吧。"他没有回答。

“Have it your own way,” she said. “Come on, Jordan.”

"随你的便吧，"她说，"来吧，乔丹。"

They went up-stairs to get ready while we three men stood there shuffling the hot pebbles with our feet. A silver curve of the moon hovered already in the western sky. Gatsby started to speak, changed his mind, but not before Tom wheeled and faced him expectantly.

她们上楼去做好准备，我们三个男的就站在那儿用我们的脚把滚烫的小石子踢来踢去。一弯银月已经悬在西天。盖茨比刚开日说话，又改变了主意，想闭上嘴巴，但汤姆也转过身来面对着他等他说。

shuffle (MOVE AROUND) [ˈʃʌf.ļ] v.  to move similar things from one position or place to another, often to give an appearance of activity when nothing useful is being done

“Have you got your stables here?”asked Gatsby with an effort.

"你的马房是在这里吗？"盖茨比勉强地问道。

“About a quarter of a mile down the road.”

"沿这条路下去大约四分之一英里。"

“Oh.”

"哦"

A pause.

停了一会。

“I don’t see the idea of going to town,” broke out Tom savagely. “Women get these notions in their heads——”

"我真不明白进城去干什么，"汤姆怒气冲冲地说，"女人总是心血来潮……"

savage  [ˈsævɪdʒ] adj. 凶残的， 野蛮的，残暴的

“Shall we take anything to drink?”called Daisy from an upper window.

"我们带点儿什么东西喝吗？"黛西从楼上窗口喊道。

“I’ll get some whiskey,”answered Tom. He went inside.

"我去拿点威士忌。"汤姆答道。他走进屋子里去。

Gatsby turned to merigidly:

盖茨比硬邦邦地转向我说：

“I can’t say anything in his house, old sport.”

"我在他家里不能说什么，老兄。"

“She’s got an indiscreet voice,” I remarked. “It’s full of——”I hesitated.

"她的声音很不谨慎，"我说，"它充满了……"我犹疑了一下。

indiscreet  [ɪndɪsˈkriːt] adj. 不慎重的；轻率的

“Her voice is full of money,”he said suddenly.

"她的声音充满了金钱。"他忽然说。

That was it. I’d never understood before. It was full of money—that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it. . . . high in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl. . . .

正是这样。我以前从来没有领悟过。它是充满了金钱--这正是她声音里抑扬起伏的无穷无尽的魅力的源泉，金钱了当的声音，铙钹齐鸣的歌声……高高的在一座白色的宫殿里，国王的女儿，黄金女郎……

Tom came out of the house wrapping a quart bottle in a towel, followed by Daisy and Jordan wearing small tight hats of metallic cloth and carrying light capes over their arms.

汤姆从屋子里出来，一面把一瓶一夸脱酒用毛巾包起来，后面跟着黛西和乔丹，两人都戴着亮晶晶的硬布做的又小又紧的帽子，手臂上搭着薄纱披肩。

metallic cloth 金属线织物

cape  [keɪp] n. 披风, 斗篷

“Shall we all go in my car?” suggested Gatsby. He felt the hot, green leather of the seat. “I ought to have left it in the shade.”

"人家都坐我的车去好吗？"盖茨比提议。他摸了摸滚烫的绿皮坐垫。"我应当把它停在树阴里的。"

“Is it standard shift?”demanded Tom.

"这车用的是普通排挡吗？"汤姆问。

shift [ʃɪft] MAINLY US to move the gears of a vehicle into different positions in order to make it go faster or slower

“Yes.”

"是的。"

“Well, you take my coupe and let me drive your car to town.”

"好吧，你开我的小轿车，让我开你的车进城。"

The suggestion was distasteful to Gatsby.

这个建议不合盖茨比的口胃。

“I don’t think there’s much gas,”he objected.

"恐怕汽油不多了。"他表示不同意。

“Plenty of gas,” said Tom boisterously. He looked at the gauge. “And if it runs out I can stop at a drug-store. You can buy anything at a drug-store nowadays.”

"汽油多得很。"汤姆闹嚷嚷地说。他看了看油表。"如果用光了，我可以找一个药房停下来。这年头药房里你什么东西都买得到。"

boisterous  [ˈbɔɪstərəs] adj. 喧闹的(人及其行为),狂欢的; 狂暴的,狂风暴雨的(天气)

A pause followed this apparently pointless remark. Daisy looked at Tom frowning, and an indefinable expression, at once definitely unfamiliar and vaguely recognizable, as if I had only heard it described in words, passed over Gatsby’s face.

这句似乎没有什么意义的话说完之后，大家沉默了一会。黛西皱着眉头瞧瞧汤姆，同时盖茨比脸上掠过一种难以形容的表情，既十分陌生又似曾相识，仿佛我以前只是听人用言语描述过似的。

“Come on, Daisy,” said Tom, pressing her with his hand toward Gatsby’s car. “I’ll take you in this circus wagon.”

"走吧，黛西，"汤姆说，一面用手把她朝盖茨比的车子推过去，"我带你坐这辆马戏团的花车。"

He opened the door, but she moved out from the circle of his arm.

他打开车门，但她从他手臂的圈子里走了出去。

“You take Nick and Jordan. We’ll follow you in the coupe.”

"你带尼克和乔丹去。我们开小轿车跟在你后面。"

She walked close to Gatsby, touching his coat with her hand. Jordan and Tom and I got into the front seat of Gatsby’s car, Tom pushed the unfamiliar gears tentatively, and we shot off into the oppressive heat, leaving them out of sight behind.

她紧挨着盖茨比走，用手摸着他的上衣。乔丹、汤姆和我坐进盖茨比车子的前座，汤姆试着扳动不熟悉的排档，接着我们就冲进了闷热，把他们甩在后面看不见的地方。

tentatively  ['tentətivli] adv. 暂时地；试验性地

“Did you see that?”demanded Tom.

"你们看到那个没有？"汤姆问。

“See what?”

"看到什么？"

He looked at me keenly, realizing that Jordan and I must have known all along.

他敏锐地看着我，明白了我和乔丹一定一直就知道。

“You think I’m pretty dumb, don’t you?” he suggested. “Perhaps I am, but I have a—almost a second sight, sometimes, that tells me what to do. Maybe you don’t believe that, but science——”

"你们以为我很傻，是不是？"他说，"也许我是傻，但是有时候我有一种--几乎是一种第二视觉，它告诉我该怎么办。也许你们不相信这个，但是科学……"

He paused. The immediate contingency overtook him, pulled him back from the edge of the theoretical abyss.

他停了一下。当务之急追上了他，把他从理论深渊的边缘拉了回来。

contingency [kənˈtindʒənsi] n.偶然,可能性,意外事故,可能发生的附带事件

abyss  [əˈbɪs] n.  深渊；无底洞

“I’ve made a small investigation of this fellow,” he continued. “I could have gone deeper if I’d known——”

"我已经对这个家伙做了一番小小的调查，"他继续说，"我大可以调查得更深人一些，要是我知道……" 

“Do you mean you’ve been to a medium?”inquired Jordan humorously.

"你是说你找过一个巫婆吗？"乔丹幽默地问。

medium (PERSON) [ˈmiː.di.əm] noun [C] plural mediums a person who says that they can receive messages from people who are dead

“What?” Confused, he stared at us as we laughed. “A medium?”

"什么？"他摸不着头脑，瞪眼看着我们哈哈笑，"巫婆？"

“About Gatsby.”

"去问盖茨比的事。"

“About Gatsby! No, I haven’t. I said I’d been making a small investigation of his past.”

"问盖茨比的事！不，我没有。我刚才说我已经对他的来历做过一番小小的调查。"

“And you found he was an Oxford man,”said Jordan helpfully.

"结果你发现他是牛津大学毕业生。"乔丹帮忙地说。

“An Oxford man!” He was incredulous. “Like hell he is! He wears a pink suit.”

"牛津大学毕业生！"他完全不相信，"他要是才他妈的怪哩！他穿一套粉红色衣服。"

incredulous  [ɪnˈkredjʊləs] adj.  不相信的；不可轻信的

“Nevertheless he’s an Oxford man.”

"不过他还是牛津毕业生。"

“Oxford, New Mexico,” snorted Tom contemptuously, “or something like that.”

"新墨西哥州的牛津镇，"汤姆嗤之以鼻地说，"或者类似的地方。"

“Listen, Tom. If you’re such a snob, why did you invite him to lunch?”demanded Jordan crossly.

"我说，汤姆，你既然这样瞧不起人，那么为什么请他吃午饭呢？"乔丹气恼地质问道。

crossly  ['krɔ:sli] adv. 横地；故意为难地；相反地；发怒地

“Daisy invited him; she knew him before we were married—God knows where!”

"黛西请他的。她是在我们结婚以前认识他的--天晓得在什么地方！"

We were all irritable now with the fading ale, and aware of it we drove for a while in silence. Then as Doctor T. J. Eckleburg's faded eyes came into sight down the road, I remembered Gatsby’s caution about gasoline.

啤酒的酒性已过，我们现在都感到烦躁，又因为意识到这一点，我们就一声不响地开了一会车子。然后当T·J·埃克尔堡大夫暗淡的眼睛在大路的前方出现时，我想起了盖茨比提出的关于汽油不够的警告。

irritable  [ˈɪrɪtəb(ə)l] adj.  易怒的；易激怒的

“We’ve got enough to get us to town,”said Tom.

"我们有足够的汽油开到城里。"汤姆说。

“But there’s a garage right here,” objected Jordan. “I don’t want to get stalled in this baking heat.” Tom threw on both brakes impatiently, and we slid to an abrupt dusty stop under Wilson’s sign. After a moment the proprietor emerged from the interior of his establishment and gazed hollow-eyed at the car.

"可是这里就有一家车行，"乔丹提出了反对，"我可不要在这种大热天抛锚。" 汤姆不耐烦地把两个刹车都踩了，车子扬起一阵尘土突然在威尔逊的招牌下面停了下来。过了一会老板从车行的里面走了出来，两眼呆呆地盯着看我们的车子。

stall (ENGINE) [stɔːl] verb [I or T]  If an engine stalls, or if you stall it, it stops working suddenly and without you intending it to happen

“Let’s have some gas!” cried Tom roughly. “What do you think we stopped for—to admire the view?”

"给我们加点汽油！"汤姆粗声大气地叫道，"你以为我们停下来干什么--欣赏风景吗？"

“I’m sick,” said Wilson without moving. “Been sick all day.”

"我病了，"威尔逊站着不动说道，"病了一整天啦。"

“What’s the matter?”

"怎么啦？"

“I’m all run down.”

"我身体都垮了。"

“Well, shall I help myself?” Tom demanded. “You sounded well enough on the phone.”

"那么我要自己动手吗？"汤姆问，"你刚才在电话里听上去还挺好的嘛。"

With an effort Wilson left the shade and support of the doorway and, breathing hard, unscrewed the cap of the tank. In the sunlight his face was green.

威尔逊很吃力地从门口阴凉的地方走出来，喘着大气把汽油箱的盖子拧了下来。在太阳里他的脸色发青。

support  [səˈpɔːt] n. something that holds something firmly or bears its weight, especially from below to stop it from falling

“I didn’t mean to interrupt your lunch,” he said. “But I need money pretty bad, and I was wondering what you were going to do with your old car.”

"我并不是有意在午饭时打扰你，"他说，"可是我急需用钱，因此我想知道你那辆旧车打算怎么办。"

“How do you like this one?” inquired Tom. “I bought it last week.”

"你喜欢这一辆吗？"汤姆问，"我上星期才买的。"

“It’s a nice yellow one,” said Wilson, as he strained at the handle.

"好漂亮的黄车。"威尔逊说，一面费劲地打着油。

“Like to buy it?”

"想买吗？"

“Big chance,” Wilson smiled faintly. “No, but I could make some money on the other.”

"没门儿，"威尔逊淡淡地一笑，"不想这个，可是我可以在那部车上赚点钱。"

“What do you want money for, all of a sudden?”

"你要钱干什么，有什么突然的需要？"

“I’ve been here too long. I want to get away. My wife and I want to go West.”

"我在这儿待得太久了。我想离开这里。我老婆和我想搬到西部去。"

“Your wife does,” exclaimed Tom, startled.

"你老婆想去。"汤姆吃惊地叫道。

“She’s been talking about it for ten years.” He rested for a moment against the pump, shading his eyes. “And now she’s going whether she wants to or not. I’m going to get her away.”

"她说要去，说了有十年了。"他靠在加油机上休息了一会，用手搭在眼睛上遮住阳光，"现在她真的要去了，不管她想不想去。我要让她离开这里。"

The coupe flashed by us with a flurry of dust and the flash of a waving hand.

小轿车从我们身边疾驰而过，扬起了一阵尘土，车上有人挥了挥手。

coupe  [ˈkuːpeɪ] n.（单排座）双人小汽车

“What do I owe you?”demanded Tom harshly.

"我该付你多少钱？"汤姆粗鲁地问道。

“I just got wised up to something funny the last two days,” remarked Wilson. “That’s why I want to get away. That’s why I been bothering you about the car.”

"就在这两天我才发现了一点蹊跷的事情，"威尔逊说，"这就是我为什么要离开这里的原因。这就是我为什么为那辆车子打扰你的原因。"

“What do I owe you?”

"我该付你多少钱？"

“Dollar twenty.”

"一块两角。"

The relentless beating heat was beginning to confuse me and I had a bad moment there before I realized that so far his suspicions hadn’t alighted on Tom. He had discovered that Myrtle had some sort of life apart from him in another world, and the shock had made him physically sick. I stared at him and then at Tom, who had made a parallel discovery less than an hour before—and it occurred to me that there was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound as the difference between the sick and the well. Wilson was so sick that he looked guilty, unforgivably guilty—as if he had just got some poor girl with child.

酷烈的热浪已经开始搞得我头昏眼花，因此我有一会儿感到很不舒服，然后才意识到，到那时为止他的疑心还没落到汤姆身上。他发现了茉特尔背着他在另外一个世界里有她自己的生活，而这个震动使他的身体患病了。我盯着他看看，又盯着汤姆看看，他在不到半小时以前也有了同样的发现--因此我想到人们在智力或种族方面的任何差异都远不如病人和健康的人二者之间的差异那么深刻。威尔逊病得那么厉害，因此看上去好像犯了罪，犯了不可饶恕的罪--仿佛他刚刚把一个可怜的姑娘的肚子搞大了。

relentless [riˈlentlis] adj.无情的

alight [əˈlait] vi.落下 adj.点着的,发亮的

“I’ll let you have that car,” said Tom. “I’ll send it over tomorrow afternoon.”

"我把那辆车子卖给你吧，"汤姆说，"我明天下午给你送来。"

That locality was always vaguely disquieting, even in the broad glare of afternoon, and now I turned my head as though I had been warned of something behind. Over the ash heaps the giant eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg kept their vigil, but I perceived, after a moment, that other eyes were regarding us with peculiar intensity from less than twenty feet away.

那一带地方一向隐隐约约使人感到心神不安，甚至在下午耀眼的阳光里也一样，因此现在我掉过头去，仿佛有人要我提防背后有什么东西。在灰堆上方，T·J·埃克尔堡大夫的巨眼在守望着，但是过了一会我觉察另外一双眼睛正在从不到二十英尺以外聚精会神地注视着我们。

vigil  [ˈvɪdʒɪl] n. 守夜；值夜班