《了不起的盖茨比·Chapter VIII》第11节
“I want to see you, too.” “Suppose I don’t go to Southampton, and come into town this afternoon?” “No—I don’t think this afternoon.” “Very well.” “It’s impossible this afternoon. Various—” We talked like that for a while, and then abruptly we weren’t talking any longer. I don’t know which of us hung up with a sharp click, but I know I didn’t care. I couldn’t have talked to her across a tea-table that day if I never talked to her again in this world. I called Gatsby’s house a few minutes later, but the line was busy. I tried four times; finally an exasperated central told me the wire was being kept open for long distance from Detroit. Taking out my timetable, I drew a small circle around the three-fifty train. Then I leaned back in my chair and tried to think. It was just noon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ When I passed the ash-heaps on the train that morning I had crossed deliberately to the other side of the car. I supposed there’d be a curious crowd around there all day with little boys searching for dark spots in the dust, and some garrulous man telling over and over what had happened, until it became less and less real even to him and he could tell it no longer, and Myrtle Wilson’s tragic achievement was forgotten. Now I want to go back a little and tell what happened at the garage after we left there the night before.
注释摘要
这段对话发生在尼克与乔丹·贝克之间，但叙述的重心完全落在尼克此刻的心理状态上。字面上看，乔丹主动提议改变行程，想进城与尼克见面，尼克却用含糊的“今天下午不行”“各种——”推掉了。两人的对话像一场疲惫的拉锯，话语越来越短，最后不知是谁先挂断了电话，只留下那一声清脆的“咔嗒”。接着尼克做了两件事：他反复拨打盖茨比的电话，四次都占线，接线员告诉他这条线正为底特律…