《了不起的盖茨比·Chapter V》第8节
“I’m sorry about the clock,” he said. My own face had now assumed a deep tropical burn. I couldn’t muster up a single commonplace out of the thousand in my head. “It’s an old clock,” I told them idiotically. I think we all believed for a moment that it had smashed in pieces on the floor. “We haven’t met for many years,” said Daisy, her voice as matter-of-fact as it could ever be. “Five years next November.” The automatic quality of Gatsby’s answer set us all back at least another minute. I had them both on their feet with the desperate suggestion that they help me make tea in the kitchen when the demoniac Finn brought it in on a tray. Amid the welcome confusion of cups and cakes a certain physical decency established itself. Gatsby got himself into a shadow and, while Daisy and I talked, looked conscientiously from one to the other of us with tense, unhappy eyes. However, as calmness wasn’t an end in itself, I made an excuse at the first possible moment, and got to my feet. “Where are you going?” demanded Gatsby in immediate alarm. “I’ll be back.” “I’ve got to speak to you about something before you go.”
注释摘要
盖茨比为那只差点被他脑袋撞翻的钟道歉，这个细节太要命了。他刚才为了装出漫不经心的样子，把头仰得太靠后，压在壁炉架上一只停摆的座钟面上，钟身倾斜，他慌忙转身用发抖的手指接住，扶回原位。那只钟是“defunct”——已经坏了，不走了。一个停掉的钟，被他紧张的身体一碰，差点彻底摔碎，这个动作把他整个人的状态都讲透了：他在试图靠在一个已经失效的时间上，而他差点把那…