Page 86 - The Great Gatsby

76 The Great Gatsby Wilson's revenge 77

'How could it have mattered then?' I replied sharply. 'Look in the drawer there,' he said, pointing to his desk.
Silence for a moment. Then she said, 'However ... I want to Michaelis opened the drawer and pulled out a small expensive
see you.' dog-leash, made of leather, with a silver fastening.
'I want to see you, too.' 'I f ound it yesterday,' said Wilson, staring at it. 'She had
'Suppose I change my plans, and come into town this it wrapped in paper on her dressing-table. I knew there was
afternoon to meet you?' something funny about ir.'
'No, it's impossible this afternoon,' I replied, and gavc her 'George, there are plenty of reasons why your wife-'
various reasons. 'Oh, my God!' Wilson broke in. His mouth dropped open
Then suddenly we weren't talking any more. I don't know suddenly. 'Then he killed her,' he said.
which of us put the phone down, but I know I didn't care. I 'Who <lid?'
couldn't have talked to her across a tea-table that day, even if it 'lt was the man in that car. She ran out to speak to him and
was my last chance to see her in this world. he wouldn't stop.'
I called Gatsby's house a few minutes later, but che line was 'Ir was an accident, George.'
busy. I tried four more times, with no success. Taking out my Michaelis believed that Mrs Wilson had been ru nning away
timetablc, I drew a small circle around che 3.50 train. Then I from her husband, not trying ro stop any particular car.
sat back in my chair and tried to think. It was cwelve o'clock. 'Maybe you got sorne friend that I could telephone for,
Gcorge?'
Now I want to go back a little, and describe what happened at He wasn't hopefol. He was almost sure Wilson had no
rhe garage after we left there the night before. Until long after friend - there wasn't enough of him for his wife. He was glad a
midnight, a curious crowd su rrounded the building. In the little later when he noticed the sky getting lighter outside. The
office, Georgc Wilson sat on a chair, rocking from side to side, night would soon be over.
his head in his hands. His neighbor, Michaelis, was with him. Wilson's dazed eyes looked out of the window at the ash­
As the night passed, people went home to bed, and soon the heaps. 'I took her to the window,' he said after a long silencc,
garage was deserted again, except for Wilson and Michaelis. 'and l told her, "God knows everything you've done. You can
About three o'clock, Wilson stopped rocking and began to make a fool out of me, but you can't make a fool out of God!"'
talk about the yellow car. He said he had a way of finding out Standing behind him, Michaelis saw with a shock that
whom it belonged to. Then he added that a couple of months Wilson was looking at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg,
ago his wife had come from the city with her nose broken. which had just appeared, pale and enormous, from the
But when he heard himself say this, he suddenly began to departing night.
cry, 'Oh, my God!' again. For a moment he was silent. Then a 'God sees everything,' repeated Wilson.
half-knowing, half-confused look came into his pale eyes. 'That's justan advertisement, George,' Michaelis said kindl y.