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10 The Great Gatsby 11

saying we were engaged, and I had no intention of marrying. CIIAPTER 2
Their interese rather rouched me, but I was srill confused
as I drove away. lt seemed to me that the thing for Daisy to do MEETING TOJl1'S MISTR_sSS
was to rush out of the house, child in arms - but she did not
appear to have any such intentions in her head. As for Tom, alfway bctween \Xlcst Egg and New York, the road meets
the fact that he 'had some woman in New York' was not at ali H the railway and runs next to it for a quarter of a mile, in
surprising. order to avoid a certain unpleasant a rea of land. This is a valley
Alreacly it was deep sununer, and whcn I reached my house, of ashes - a fantastic farm where ashes grow into bilis and
I put che car away and sat for a while out in my small garden. strange-looking gardens, where they take the shape of houses
It was a loud, bright night, wirh wings beating in the trees and and chimneys, and finally of ash-gray men. Occasionally a line
insects flying above my head. A cat moved across the grass in of gray cars moves slowly along an invisible path and comes
the 1110011\ight, and, turning my head to watch it, I saw that l ro rest, and immediarely the ash-gray men rush up and start
was not alone. A figure had appeared from the shadow of my digging, creating a thick cloud of gray dust ali around them.
neighbor's mansion and was standing with his hands in his But after a moment, above the gray land and through the
pockets, looking up at che silver stars. Something about him dust clouds, you see the eyes of Doctor T. J. Ecklcburg. They
suggested it was Mr Gatsby himself, who had come out to are blue and enormous, and look out of no face, but instead
determine what share of our local sky was his. from a pair of huge yellow glasses. Thc advertisement must
I was going to cal! to him, but his next acrion suggested have been put up there by sorne local eye specialist, who then
that he wanted to be alonc. He stretched out his arms toward forgot it and moved away. But the eyes, paler now after many
tbe dark water in a rather strange way, and although I was paintlcss days under sun and rain, still look thoughtfully out
sorne distance from him, I felt sure he was trembling. 1 too over the rubbish heaps.
looked out to sea - and saw nothing except a green light, tiny On one side of the valley is a small, dirty river, where rrains
and far away. When I looked once more for Gatsby, he had always have to stop for at least a minute before crossing. lt was
disappeared, and I was alone again in t'he unquier darkness. because of this rhar I first met Tom Buchanan's mistress.
Everyone knew that he had one. Although l was curious
abour her, l had no particular wish to meet her. I wenr up to
New York with Tom on the train one afternoon, and when we
sropped by che ash-heaps, he jumped to his feer and, taking
hold of m y elbow, forccd me to get off che train.
'We're getting off,' he insisred. 'I want you to meet my girl.'
I had the feeling hc'd drunk a good deal ar lunch. He must

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