了不起的盖茨比 The Great Gatsby: 96 Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was when curiosity about Gatsby was at its highest that the lights in his house failed to go on one Saturday night--and, as obscurely as it had begun, his career as Trimalchio was over.

Only gradually did I become aware that the automobiles which turned expectantly into his drive stayed for just a minute and then drove sulkily away. Wondering if he were sick I went over to find out--an unfamiliar butler with a villainous face squinted at me suspiciously from the door.
就在人们对盖茨比的好奇达到顶点时，在一个周六的晚上，他家没有像往常一样灯火通明，于是，就像当初莫名其妙地开始，他作为古罗马特里马尔乔的大宴宾客的生涯也莫名其妙地结束了。
我逐渐注意到那些兴冲冲驶进他家车道的汽车停留了片刻之后就扫兴地离开了。我怀疑他是否生病了，于是我亲去查看一番——一个陌生的满脸凶相的男管家在门口满腹狐疑地斜着眼看我。

"Is Mr. Gatsby sick?"

"Nope." After a pause he added "sir" in a dilatory, grudging way.

"I hadn't seen him around, and I was rather worried. Tell him Mr. Carraway came over."

"Who?" he demanded rudely.

"Carraway."

"Carraway. All right, I'll tell him."
“盖茨比先生病了吗？”
“没有。”过了一会儿，他才缓缓地极不情愿地加了句“先生”。
“我没见他出来过，很担心他，请你转告他卡拉维先生来过。”
“谁？”他粗鲁地追问道。
“卡拉维。”
“卡拉维，好的，我会告诉他的。”

Abruptly he slammed the door.
My Finn informed me that Gatsby had dismissed every servant in his house a week ago and replaced them with half a dozen others, who never went into West Egg Village to be bribed by the tradesmen, but ordered moderate supplies over the telephone. The grocery boy reported that the kitchen looked like a pigsty, and the general opinion in the village was that the new people weren't servants at all.
话刚说完就立即关上了门。
我的芬兰女佣告诉我说盖茨比一周以前就把家里所有的佣人都辞退了，换上了另外六个，这些人从不进西埃格村采买，也不接受商贩们的贿赂，只是通过电话订购适量的物品。杂货店的伙计说他家的厨房看上去像个猪圈，村里人普遍认为这些新来的人压根儿就不是仆人。

Next day Gatsby called me on the phone.

"Going away?" I inquired.

"No, old sport."

"I hear you fired all your servants."

"I wanted somebody who wouldn't gossip. Daisy comes over quite often--in the afternoons."

So the whole caravansary had fallen in like a card house at the disapproval in her eyes.
第二天盖茨比给我打了电话。
“要出去吗？”我问道。
“不，老伙计。”
“我听说你辞退了所有的佣人。”
“我想要雇用一些不会嚼舌根的人。黛西经常过来，都在下午。”
如此一来，整座大酒店就像纸房子一样轰然倒塌了，就只因为她的看不顺眼。

"They're some people Wolfshiem wanted to do something for. They're all . They used to run a small hotel."

"I see."
“他们是沃尔夫山姆想要帮助的人，他们都是哥们儿和姐们儿，过去经营一家小旅馆。”
“我明白了。”

He was calling up at Daisy's request--would I come to lunch at her house tomorrow? Miss Baker would be there. Half an hour later Daisy herself telephoned and seemed relieved to find that I was coming.
Something was up. And yet I couldn't believe that they would choose this occasion for a scene-especially for the rather harrowing scene that Gatsby had outlined in the garden.
他打电话是应黛西的要求——问我明天会不会去她家吃午餐？贝克小姐也会去。半个小时后，黛西亲自打电话过来了，好像因为我要来感到很欣慰。
一定是出了什么事。并且我不能相信他们竟然选在那样一个场合来一场大闹——特别是上演一场盖茨比曾在花园勾勒过的令人十分尴尬的闹剧。