Page 90 - The Great Gatsby

80 The Great Gatsby 81

them. I drove straight from the station to Gatsby's house, and CHAPTER 9
rushed anxiously up tbe front steps. Supposedly, that was the
first thing that alarmed anyone. But the servants knew thcn, I'm THE FUNEI½_L
sure of it. Without a word said, four of us - the driver, butler,
gardener, and I - hurried down to the pool. A fter two years I remember the rest of that <lay, and
With riny movements that were only the shadows of waves, ./"\ that night and the next <lay, only as an endless routine of
che mattress Boated irregularly clown the pool, carrying its load. police and photographers and newspaper men in and out of
A small breath of wind was enough to disturb its accidental Gatsby's front <loor. A rope stretched across the main gate and
journey, and the touch of sorne leaves on che surface made it turn a policeman beside it kept out the curious, but little boys soon
slowly, leaving a thin red circle in the water. discovered they could enter through my garden, and there were
It was after we started carrying Gatsby toward the house that always a few of them, standing open-mouthed around the pool.
the gardener saw Wilson's body, a linle way off in the grass, and At the inquest, Michaelis mentioned that Wilson suspected
the killing and destruction were complete. his wife of having an affair. But Catherine was determined to
protect her sister's good name. She said that Myrtle had been
completely happy with her husband, and had not been seeing
another man. So it was decided that Wilson had lost his mind
as a result of Myrtle's death, and the inquest was closed.
But ali this pare of it seemed distant and unimportant to me.
I found myself on Gatsby's side, and alone. From the moment
I telephoned news of che deaths to West Egg village, 1 was
asked to comment on every story about him, and to answer
every practica! question about him. At first I was surprised and
confused; then 1 began to think that I was responsible, beca use
no one else was interested - interested, I mean, with the deep
personal interest of a friend.
I called up Daisy half an hour after we found him, called her
without hesitation. But she and Tom had gone away early that
afternoon, and taken luggage with them , leaving no address.
I wanted to get somebody for him. I wanted to go into che
room where he lay and say confidently, 'I'll get somebody for
you, Gatsby. Don't worry.'