sensitivity to the pronives of life, as if he were related to one of those intrreate machives that register earthquakes ten thaucard mile aay, This responsivenese had nothing to do with that flabby inpressionabiltty which ie dignified under the rane of the creative temperanent — it wae ax exteaordnary GE for tape, a romantic readiness such as 1 have never foard a any other person and which it is not likely | shall ever fied agar, No—Gatshy turned out all right at the end it ie what preyed on Gatehy, what foul dast floated in the wake of his dreams that cemporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sornous and shortuvirded elations of men, My family have been pronient, well-to-do people in thie middle-western city for three generations, The Carraways are something of a clan ard we have a tradition that we re descended from the Dakes of Buccleuch, bat the actual founder of my Sue was ng grendfather 8 brother who cane here in fifty-one, sent a substitute to the Civil War ard started the wholesale hardware basress that my father carrice on today, ( neversaw this great-uncle bat ('m supposed to lack bike hin—with gpecial reference to the rather hard-boiled painting that hangs in Father s office, (graduated from New Haven in 7915, just a garter of a centary ofter my father, ard a Gitle later ( particppated in that delayed Teutanie: migration kxoun as the Great War, (enjayed the counter-raid sa thoroughly that [ came back restless, Instead of being the warm center of the world the mildle-west now seemed bike the ragged edge of the aniverse—so (decided to go east and Care the band business, Everybody | krew was in the bord business co | supposed it coald support one more single man, AW ny cants and anoles talked it aver as if they were choosing a prep-schoal for me ard finally sail, Why—yees’ with very grave, hesitant faces, Father agreed to finance me for a year and ofter various delags ( came east, permanently, | thought, tn the spring of twenty-two, The practical thing was to ffi rooms in the city but it was a warm season and [ had just loft a countny of wile lawns and friendly trees, eowhen a young man at the office suggested that we take a house together ix a commuting town it sounded bike a great idea, He foard the house, a weather beaten cardboard bungalow at eighty a month, but at the last mitate the firm ordered hin to Waskingtan and ( went oat to the country alone, | had a dog, at least [ had hin for a few days antl he ran away, and an old Dadge and a Finnish woman who made my bed ard cooked breakfast and mattered Finnish wisdom ta herself wer the electric stove, It was lonely for a day or 80 antil one morning some mar, more recently arrived than (, stopped me on the road, How do yon get bo West Lag village? he asked helplessly, ( tald hin, Ard as ( walked on (was banely no longer, (was a guile, a pathfinder, ax original settler, He had casually conferred on me the freedom of the neighborhood, Ard vo with the sunshive ard the great bursts of leaves growing on the treee—just ae things grow in fast movies—l had that familiar conviction that Ofe was begirang over agai with the canner, There was somuch to read for one thing and so much fine health to be pulled down out of the younp breath-piving air, ( bought a dozen volanes on barking ard credit ard ivestnent cecaritioe and they stood on my shelf i red and gold bike new money from the mint, promiving to unfold the shining secrete that onty Midas ard Morgan ard Maecenas knew, Ard | had the high intention of reading many other books besides, | was rather literary in college—une year ( wrote a seniee of very solemn ard obvious editaniabe for the pate News ard now / was going to bring back all sack things into my Ofe and become again that most linited of all specialists, the well- rounded mar,’ This ien t just ax epigran—lfe i much more successfully Looked at fron a single evindow, after al, (¢ was a matter of chance that (should have rented a house in one of the strangest communitics in North America, (t was ox that slender riotous island which extends itself dee east of New York and where there are, among other natural cariosities, two anasual formations of lard, Twenty milee fromthe city a pair of enormous eggs, identical in contour and separated only by a courtesy bay, pat out into the mast domesticated body of salt water in the Western Hemisphere, the great wet barnyard of Long Ueland Sead, They are not perfect owale—like the egg ix the Colanbas story they are both crashed flat at the contact end—bat thei physical resemblance mast be a source of perpetual confusion to the gulle that fly overhead, To the wingless a more arresting phenomenon is thei dissinilarity in every particular except shape and size, | boed at West Egg, the—well, the lace fechionable of the. two, though thie ie a most saperficial tag to express the bizarre and not a ttle sinicter contract between then, My house was at the very typ of the egg, only fifty garde from the Sound, ard spucezed between two huge places that rented for twelve or fifteen thousand a season, The one on my right was a cotescal affair by any stardard—it was a factual imitation of some titel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower an one side, sparking new ander athi beard off naw toy, ond a marble swinning pool and more than forty acres. og Caan and ‘garden, (twas Gatsby s mansion, Or rather, ae ( dite ¢ kaow Mr, Gateby it was a mansion inhabited by a gentleman of that nane, My oun house was an eye-core, but it was a sual eye-sore, and it had been overlooked, so had a view of the water, a partial view og my neighbor s lawn, and the consolng provinity of nillionaives—all for eighty dollars a month, Heroes the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable Last Log glittered along the water, and the history of the summer really begixs on the evening ( drove over there to have diner with the Tom Buchanans, Daisy was my second cousin ance vemaved ard (a known Tom in college, Ard fast after the war | spent two days with them in Chicago, Her hasband, among various physical acconplichments, had been one of the most powerful ende that ever played football at New taver— a national figure tx a way, one of those men who reach such an acute binited excellence at twenty-one that everythingafterward savers of anti-clinar, the family were enormously weatthy—even ‘in college his freedom with money was a matter for reproach—but now he d left Chicago and come east in a fashion that rather took your breath away: for instance hed brought down a string of pole ponies fron Lake Forest. (¢ was hard to reabize that a man in my own generation was wealthy enough to do that, Why they came east 1 don t know, Th hey had spent a year ix France, for xo particular reason, ard then dnifted here ard there unrestfully wherever people played pole and were rich tapether, This was a permanent move, said Daisy over the telephone, bat ( dith t believe it—[ had no sight into Daisy ¢ heart but ( felt that Tom could deft on forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbalence of sone ierecoverable fuotball game, Ard so it happened that on a warm windy evening ( dwove over to East Log to cee two old friende whom | soarcely kxew at all, Their house was even more ebaborate than (expected, a cheerful red ard white Georgian Colonial mansion overlookingthe bay, The lawn started at the beach and ran toward the front door for a quarter of a mile, famping over sun-diabs and brick walle and burning gardens—fnally when it reached the house drifting ap the side tn bripht vines as though from the momentum & its ran, The front was broken by a bue & French windows, glowing now with reflected gold, and wide qpen to the warm windy afternoon, and Tom Buchanan in riding clothes was standing with hie lege apart on the front porch, He had changed since his New Haven years, Now he wag a stardy, straw haived max of thivty with a rather hard mouth and a sepercibious manner, Two shining, arrogant eyes had established dominance ower hi face ard gave hin the gppearance of always Leaning aggressively forward, Not even the offemirate swank of his riding clothes could hide the enormous power of that body—he seemed ta Gl those glistening boots until he strained the tap Facing and you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when hic choalder moved ander hiv thin coat, (¢ was a body eqpable of exormousfeverage—a cruel body, His speaking voice, a graff hasky tenor, addled to the inpression of fractiousness he conveyed, There was a touch of paternal contempt in it, even toward peaple he tiked—and there were men at New Haven who had hated hie gate, Now, don t thick ny qpinion on these matters is final, ‘he seemed to say, past because ('m stronger ard more of a man then you are,’ We were in the same Senior Sceioty, and while we were never intinate (always had the inpression that he goproved of me and wanted me to Uike hin with sone harsh, defiant wistfulress of his own, We talked for @ few minutos on the sunny porch, lve got a nice place here, ‘he said, his eyes flashing about restlessly, Turning me around by one arm he moved a broad flat hard along the front vista, ixcladng in ite sweep a sunken leaban garden, a half, acre of deep pangent roses and a seubrosed motor boat that bumped the tide off shore, Wt belonged to Demaine the ait man,’ He tarned me aroard again, pobteby and abruptly, We W, go inside, “We walled through a high hablaay into abright rosycolored space, fragilely bourd into the house by French windows at either end. The windows were yar and gleaming white agaist the fresh grase outside that seemed to grow a tittle way into the house, At breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in at one end ard oat the other tke pale fags, twisting them ap toward the frosted wedding cake of the ceilag—and then rippled over the wixe-colored rug, making a shadow on it as witd does on the sea, The only completely stationary object ix the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed ap as though apon an anchored balloon, They were both ic white and there deesses were rippling and flattering as if they had fast been Maun back in after a short flipht arourd the house, ( mast have stood for a few moments listening to the whip and sxap of the curtains and the groan of a picture on the wall, Then there was a boom as Ton Buchanan shut the rear witdows and the caught wird died out about the room and the curtains and the rags and the two young women bablosned stouly ta theflea, The yourger of the tuo wae a stwanger to me, She was extended full length at her end of the divar, completely motionless and with her chin raised a little as if she were balancing something on it which wae guite ikely to fall. if whe: cw 1s oaths camnen aff Tax apne wht gare ae Sect of ie—indeed, ( was almost surprised into murmuring an apology for having disturbed her by coniny i, The other girl Daisy, made an attempt to rive—she leaned slightly forward with a conscientious expression— then she Ceaghed, an absurd, charming ttle Caagh, and ( laughed Coo and came forward into the room, 1m p- paralyzed with happiness, ’ She teaghed agai, as if she said something very witty, and held my hand for a moment, looking 9p into my face, promising that there was no one tin the world she so much wanted to see, That was a way she had, She tinted ia a murmur thatthe surname of the balancing girl wae Baker. [lee heard it said that Daisy ¢ marmar was onty to make people lean toward her; an irrebewant criticism that made it no less charming, ) At any rate Miss Baker s Spe flattered, she nodded at me almost inperceptibly and then quickly thped her head back apair—the object she was balancing had obviously tattered a Gttle and given her something of a fripht. Apatr a sort of qpology arose to my bps, Almost any exkibition of complete self sufficiency draws a stunned tribute from ne, | leoked back at my cousin who began to ask me gaestions in her bow, thrilling voree, It was the kind of voice that the ear follows ap and down as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that antl never be played again, Her face was sad ard lovely withbright things ix it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth—bat there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her fourd difficult to forget: a singing compulsion, a whispered Listen, a promise that she had done gay, exetting things fast a while since and that there were pay, exciting things hovering tn the nent hour, | told her how ( had stopped off in Chicago for a day on my way cast and how a dozen pegole ted sent their love through me, Do they miss me?’ she oried eostatioally, The whole toun is desolate, AM the cars have the loft rear wheel painted black as a mourning wreath ard there $a persistent wall al night along the North Shore,’ How gorgeous! Let go back, Tom, Tomorrow!’ Then she added ierelevantly, You ought to see the baby,’1d the to,’ She 8 asleep, She 8 tua years old, Haven t you ever seen herr?’ Newer,’ Well, you ought to see her, She s—'Tom Buchanan who had been hovering restlessly about the room stopped and rested his hard on my shouller, What yee doing, Nich?’ Vw a bond man,’ Who with?’ [told bin, Never heard of them,” he remarked decisively, This annoyed me, You will,’ / answered shortly, You will if you stay in the Last,’ Oh, (UW stay in the Last, don t you worry, ‘he said, glancing at Daisy and then back at me, as if he were alert for something more, 1d be a God Danned fool to bve anywhere else,’ At this point Mise Baker said Absolutely!” with suck sadlenness that ( started—it was the first word che attered since ( came into the room, Evidently itsarprived her as much as it did me, for che yauned and with a series of rapid, deft movements stood up into the room, Vm stiff.’ she complained, Vve been Gying on that sofa for as lang as (can remember,’ Don t book, at me, “Daicy retorted Ive been trying to get you to Now York all ofternoen, ’ Mo, thanks, ’ said Mise Baker to the four cocktaite just in from the parry, Vm absolutely in traning,’ Her host Cooked at her incredaleusty, You are/ "He took down his dnink as if it were a drop i the bottom of a glass, How you ever get anything done iv beyord me,’ / booked at Mics Baker wondering what it was she got done, ’/ enpayed looking at her, She was a slender, snallbyeasted ‘gi, with an erect carriage which she accentuated by throwing her body backward at theshoulders like a young cadet, Her grey sux-strained eyes baked back at me with polite reciprocal cariasity out of a war, charming discontented face, It occurred to me now that (had seen her, or a picture of her, somewhere before, You lve i West Lyg,’ she remarked contemptaousty, 1 kaow somebody there,’ 1 don t know a single——" You mast know Gatsby,’ Gatsby?’ demanded Daisy, What Gateby?’ Before ( could reply that he was my neighbor dimer was announced, wedging his tense arm inperatively under mine Tom Buchanan compelled me from the room as though he were moving a checker ta another square, Slenderly, languilly, their hande set lightly on there hips the two young women preceded us oat onto a rosy- colored porch apen toward the sunset where fourcardles flickered on the table tn the dininiched wird, Why?” objected Daisy, frowning, She snapped them out with her fingers, tn two wecks it Ube the Cangest day in the year,’ She locked at ue all radintly, Do you always wateh for the lngest day of the year and then miss it? [ always watoh for the fangest day in the year and then mice it, ” We ought to plan something, ° yauned Miss Baker, sitting down at the table as if she were getting into bed AW night,’ said Daisy, What W we plan?’ She tarned ta me helplessly, What do peaple plan?’ Before ( could answer her eyes fastened with an awed expression on her little finger, Look {she complained, 1 hart it,” We all teoked—the hawckle was black and blae, You dd it, Tom, che said accusingly, 1 know you didn ¢moan to but you dd do it, That's what get for marrying a brate of a man, a great bip habking physical specimen of a—'T hate that word habling, ' objected Tom erossty, even it kidding, * Hableng, , insisted Daiey, Sometimes she and Mise Baker tabled at once, anobtrasiveby and with a beatering inconsequence Chat was never gaite chatter, that was as cool as there white dresses ard thetic inpersonal eges in the absence of all desive, They were here— and they accepted Tom and me, making onby a polite pleasant offort to entertain or Co be entertained, They knew that presently dimer would be over ard a Gittle later the evening too would be over and casually pat away, (t was sharply different from the West where an evening was harvicd from phase to phasetoward its obase tn a contixaally divappointed anticipation or else ix sheer nervous dread of the moment itself. You make me feel uncivilized, Daisy, ‘T confessed on ng second glass of corky but rather inpressive claret, Cant yen tale about craps or something? ‘7 meant nothing tn particular by thio remark but it wag taken ap in an unexpected way, Civilization ¢ pong to pieces, “broke out Tom violently, ve gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things, Have you read The Kise of the Coloured Empives' by this man Goddard?" Why, 1a," answered, rather surprised by hie tone, Well it's a fine book, and everybody ought to read it, The idea is & we don t book out the white race will be—will be atterly submerged, les all solen tific staff it'¢ been proved,’ Tom s getting veryprofound, ‘said Daisy with an expression of anthouphiful sadrese, He reads deep books with long words in them, What was that word we—' Well these books are all scientific, ‘ msisted Tom, glancing at her inpatienthy, This fellow has worked out the whole thing, [ts up to as who ave the dominant race to watoh out o these other races will have control of things.’ We ve got to beat them down, ’ whispered Daisy, winking ferociously toward the fervent sur You ought to hve in Cabffornia—" began Miss Baker bat Tom interrupted her by shifting heaviby in hiv chai, This idea is that we re Nordes, ( am, and you ave and you are and— ‘After an infiaitesinal hesitation he incladed Daicy with a slight nod ard che witked at me again, —and we ve produced all thethings that go to make civilization—oh, sorence ard art ard all that. Do you see?’ There was something pathetic in hiv concentration as if he complacency, more acute than of old, was not enough Co hin any nore, When, aluost tnmedintely, the telephone rang inside and the butler loft the porch Daisy seized upon the momentary interruption and feaned toward me, 10 tell you a family secret,’ she whispered enthusiastically, t's about the butler s nose, Do you wart to hear about the butler s nose?’ That ¢ why [ cane over tonight, Well, he wasn t always a butler; he used to be the silver polisher for some people in New York. that had a silver service for two handed peaple, te had to poltch it from morning GU night antil finally it began to affect hie nose— —' Thingswent fron bad to worse,’ suggested Mice Baker, Yes, Things went fron bad to worse until firally he had to pive up his position, For a moment the last sunshine (e4 with romantic offection upon her glowing face, her voice compelled ne forward breathlessly as Ustened—then the glow faded, cach Ught deserting her with Ungering regret like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk, The butler came back and marnared something clase to Tom s ear whereupon Tom frowned, pushed back his chai and without a word went inside, As if his absence quickened something within her Daisy leaned forward apa, her voice plowing and singing, 1 lave to see you at my table, Nick, You remind me. of a— of a rose, an absolute rose, Doesnt he?’ She tarned to Mice Baker forconfirwation, A absolate rose?’ Thie was untrue, am not even fairthy bike a rose, She was onby extemporiing bat a stirring warmth flawed from her as if her heart was Uryiig to come out to you concealed i one of those breathless, thrilling words, Then suddenly she threw her napkin on the table and excused herself and went into the house, Mise Baker and ( exchanged a shart glance conseicusty devoid of meaning. ( was about to speak when che sat yp alertty and said hl" tn a warning voice, A subdued impassioned murmur was audible in the room beyond and Mies Baker leaned forward, unashaned, trying bo hear, The murmur trembled on the verge of coherence, satk down, mounted exoitedly, and then ceased altagether, Thie Mr, Gateby you spoke of ie ny neighbor—’ /sail, Dent talk, ( want to hear what happens,’ Ie something happening? [ agaived innocently, You mean to cay you don t know?’ said Mice Baker, honestly surprised, 1 thought everybody knew,’ 1 don t,’ Why—’ she said hesitantly, Tom s got some woman it New York,” Got some woman?’ [ repeated blankly, Miss Beker nodded, She might have the decency not to tolephone thin at daner-tine, Don t you tak?’ Almost before (had grasped her meaning there was the flatter of a dress and the crunch of leather boots and Tom and Daisy were back at the table, Vt couldn t be helped] cried Daisy with tense gayety, She sat down, glanced searchingly at Mise Baker and then at me and continued: 1 broked outdoors for 4a minute and it very romantic catdoons, There ¢ a biedon the lawn that ( think mast be a nightingale come over on the Canard on White Star Line, He s singing awy— ‘her voice sang —It s romantic, ien tit, Tom?’ Very romantic, “he suid, and then miserably to me: If it's bight enough after dimer ( want to take you down to the stables,’ [he telephone rang insite, starthagly, and as Daisy shook her head decisively at Tom the subject of the stables, in fact all subjects, vanished into ain, Anong the broken fragments of the fast five mirates at table (remember the candles being Gt agai, poirtlessly, and [ was conscious of wanting to book squarely at every one and yet to avoid all eyes, | coulda t gaese what Daisy and Tom were thinking but [ doubt if even Mise Baker who seemed fo have mastered a cortan hardy skepticien was ableatlerly to put this fifth guest ° shrill metallic argenoy out of mid, To a certain temperament the situation might have seemed inteipuing—ny oun instinct was to telephone innediately for the police, The horses, needless to say, were not mentioned again, Tom and Miss Baker, with several foot of tuilight between them strolled back into the library, ag if to a vigil besile a perfectly tangible body, while Crying to look, pleasantly interested and a tittle deaf / followed Daisy around a chain of connecting verandas to the porch in front, In ite deep gloom we sat down side by side on a wicker settee, Daisy took her fuce in her hands, as if feeling its lovely shape, ard her eyes moved ‘gradually out into the velvet dusk, / saw that turbulent emotions possessed her, so | asked what| thought would be some sedative questions about her bittle git, We don ¢ know cach other very well, Nick,’ che sid suddenly, Even if we are cousins, You didn € come to my wedding,’ 1 wase t back from the war,’ That s true,’ She hesitated Well (ve had a very bad tine, Nick, and (in pretty cynical about everything, ‘ Leidently she had reason to be, ( waited but she dite t say any more, and after a moment ( retarned rather feebly to the subject of her daughter, 1 suppose she talks, ard—eats, ard everything. ’ Dh, yes,” She looked at me absently, Lister, Nick; let me toll you what ( said when she was born, Would ‘you bike to hear?’ Very much, ” Vel chow you how (ve gotten to feel about—thinge, Well, che was less than an hour ol and Tom was Godknows where, | woke ap oat of the ether with an atterby abandoned feeling and asked the nurse right away if it was a boy or a girl, She told me it was a girl, and so | turned my head away and wept, AU right,’ | said, Vm glad it's a gel, Ard ( hape she U be a fool—that © the best thing a gikl can be in thie world, a beautiful little fool,’ You see think everything 8 terrible anyhow, "she went on in a convinced way, Everybody thinks so—the most advanced peaple, Ard ( know, (ve been everywhere and seen everything and done everything, ‘Hor eyes flashed around her in a defiant way, rather bike Tom s, and she laughed with thrillng scorn, Sophisticated —Ged, (' sophisticated!” The instant her voice broke off ceasing to compel my attentionmy belof, | felt the baste insincerity of what she had said, [¢ made me aneasy, as though the whole evening had been a twick of some sort to exact a contributory emotion from me, ( waited, and sure enough, in a moment she looked at me with an absolute smirk on her lovely face as if che had asserted her membership in a rather distinguished seeret society to which she and Tom belonged, Insite, the crinson room bloamed with Goht. Tam and Miss Baker sat at either end of the fang couch and she read abeud ta him from the Saturday Loening Past —the words, marmarous ard anirflected, running together in a soothing tare, The Canp-light, bright on hiv boots and dall on the autann- hoof gellow of her hair, plated along the Pyer as she turned a page with a flatter of slender muscles tnher arns, When we cane in she held us silent for @ moment with a lifted hard, To be continued, ’ she said, tossing the magazine on the table, i our very, next issue,’ Her body asserted itself with a restless movement of her knee, and she stood yp, Ten 0 clack,” she remarked, apparently firding the time on the ceiling. Tine for this good gil to go to bed,’ Tordan ¢ going Co ply in the tournament tomarrod, , explained Daisy, ower at Westohester, ’ Ot, you ve gordan Baker,’ | knew now why her face was feniber—ite pleasing contemplasus expression had looked out at me from many rotogravare pictures of the sporting life at Asheville ard Hot Springs ard Palu Beach, ( had heard some story of her C00, a orttical, unpleasant story, but what it was 1 hadforgotten lng ago. Good night,’ che said softly. Wake me at eight, won t you,’ if youl get yp,’ 7 will, Good night, Mr. Carraway, See You anon, ‘OF course you will,’ confirmed Daisy, tn fact ( thick (Ul amrange a marriage, Come over often, Nick, and ( sort of —oh—fling you together, You know—lock you “ accrilentally i Caen closets and push yr oul Co Bea in a boat, and all that: somt: of thing—" Good night, ’ cabled Miss Baker from the stuics, 1 haven t heard a word," She sa nice girl,’ said Tom after a moment, They oughta t to let her ran around the country this way,’ Who oughta t to? “iagaived Daisy coldly, Her family, * Her family ic one aunt about a thousand years old, Besides, Nick ¢ gong to look after her, arent 9%, Nick? She © going to sped late of weekmende outhere thie summer, | think the hone iflence ail be very good for her,’ Daisy and Tom looked at each other for a moment in silence, Ie she from New York?’ (asked quickly, From Louisville, Our white girlhood was passed together there, Our beautiful white—" Dil you give Nick a bittle heart to heart tale on the veranda?’ demanded Tom seddenly, Dd (?" She looked at me, 1 cant seem to remember, but | thick we talked about the Nordo race, Yes, (im sure we did, 1 sort of crept ap on as and first thing yo kaoa— “Don t believe everything you hear, Nick, ‘he advised me, ( said bghtly that (had heard nothing at alt, and a few mixates later ( gat ap to go home, They came to the door with me ard stood side by side in a cheerful square of light, As ( started mymotor Daisy peremptority called Wait/ 7 forgot to ask you semething, and it & important, We heard yo were engaged to a girl out West,’ That ¢ right,’ corroborated Tom kindly, We heard that you were engaged," Ue s bbel, ('m too poor,” But we heard it,’ insisted Daisy, surprising me by apenitg op again ie a flower-thee way, We heard it from three people so it mast be trae,” Of course | knew what they were referring to, but (wasn t even vaguely engaged The fact that gossip had pabliched the barns was one of the reasons | had cone cast, You can t stop going wrth an old fricnd on accourt of rumors and on the other hand ( had no intention of being rumored into marriage, There interest rather touched me and made them lese remotely rich—nevertheless, ( was confused and aGitte disgusted av ( drave away, Lt seemed to me that the thing for Daisy to do was ta rash out of the house, child in arne—bat apparently there were no such intentions in her head, As for Tom, the fect that he lead some woman tx New York’ was really lese surprising then that he had been depressed by a book, Something was making hin nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if hie sturdy physical egoticm no Unger nourished his peremptory heart, Already it was deep summer on roadkeuse roofs and in front of wayside puages, where new red. paspumps sat out in pools of Gght, ard when ( reached my estate at West Log ( ran the car under ite ched ard sat for a while on an abandoned grass roller in the yard, The wird had bloun off, leaving a Coad bright night with wingsbeating in the trees and a persistent organ sound as the full bellows of the earth blow the fraps full of Gfe. The silhouette of a moving cat wavered across the moonlight and turning my head to wateh rt ( saw that / was not alne—fifty feet away a figure had emerged fron the shadow of my neighbor © mansion and was standing with hie hands tn hie pockets regarding the silver pepper of the stars, Something i he Ceisurely movements and the secare position of hie feet qpon the lawn suggested that it was Mr, Gatsby hinself, come out Co determine what share was hie of our local heavens, ( decided to call to bin, Miss Baker had mentioned him at diner, and that woald do for an introduction, But ( dida t call to hin for he pave a sudden intimation that he was content to bealore—he stretched out his arms toward the dark water tn a carious way, ard far as was from hin [ could have sworn he was trembling, Invotantanity glanced seaward—ard distinguished nothing except a single green light, mute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock, When I lacked once more for Gateby he had van ished, and ( wae alone again tt the anguiet darkness, half way between West Lag and New York the notor-road hastily joins the railroad and rans besiile it for a quarter of a mile, so as to shrink aay from a certain desolate area of land, Thi is a valley of ashes—a fantastic farm where ashes grow bike wheat into ridges and hills and protesgue gardens where ashes take the forms of houses and chinneys and rising smoke and finally, cuitha transcendent effort, of men who move dinky ard already cranbling through the powdery air Occasionally a bne of grey cars craule along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak and cones to rest, and inmediately the ask-grey men swarm ap with Laden spades ard stiv ap an inpenctwable cloud which soreens thei obscure operations from your sight, But above the grey Cand ard the spasus of bleak dust which deft endlessly over it, you perceive, after a monent, the eyes of Doctor 1, J. Lekleburg, The eges of Doctor 7, J, Lokleburg are blue and gigentio—theie retinas are one yard high, They look out of no face bat, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pase over a nonexistent nose, Lvidently some wild wag of an soatict set them thereto fatten hie practice in the borough of Kucens, and then sank down hinself into eternal bladuess or forgot them ard moved away, But his eyes, dinmed a bitthe by many pairtless days ander sun and rai, brood on over the solemn damping ground, The valley of ashes is boarded on one site by a swell foul river, and when the draubritge te up to let barges through, the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as lng as half an hour, There is always a halt there of at least a minute and it was because of this that | fiest met Tom Buchanan 8 mistress, The fact that he had one was insisted ypon wherever he was kaon, the acquaintances resented the fret that he turned up tn popular restaurants with her and, Leaving her at a table, saantored about, chatting withwhonsoever he knew, Though ( was carious to see her (had no desive to meet her—but [ dil, ( went ap to New York with Tom on the tain one afternoon and when we stopped by the askheaps he pumped to his feet and taking hold of my elbow 4terally forced me from the car, We re getting off!” he insisted, 1 want you Co meet my girl,’ thick he d tanked wp a good deal at lancheon and hie determixation to have my company bordered on violence, [he supercibjous assumption was that on Sunday afternoon (had nothing better to do, / followed hin over a lew white-washed railroad fence and we walked back a burdened yards along the road under Dae tor Leklebury s persistent stare, The only building in sight was a sual block of yellow brick sitting on the edge of the waste Und, asort of compact Main Street ministering to it and contiguous to absolutely nothing, One of the three shops it contained was for rent ard another was an all- night restaurant approached by a trail of ashes; the third was a garage—Kepaivs, george b, wilson, Cars Bought and Sold—ard | followed Tom insite, The interior was enprosperoas and bare; the onby car visible was the dust-covered wreck of a Fard which crouched tin a din corner, Ut had occurred to me that thie shadow of a garage must be a blird and that sunptacus and romantic apartments were concealed overhead when the proprietar hinself qopeared in the door of cn office, cupping his hands on a piece of waste, He was a blonde, spivitlese man, anaemic, and faintly handeome, When he saw us a damp gleam of hapesprang into his light Blue eyes, Holle, Wikeon, old man, "said Tom, slapping hin jovial on the shoulder, How business?’ 1 can t complain, * answered Wilson anconvincingly, When are you going to sell me that car?” Next week, (ve Got my man working on it row,” Werks pretty slow, dont he?’ No, he doesnt,’ said Tom coldly, Aad if you feel that way about it maybe Ud better coll it somewhere ebse after all,’ | don € mean that,“ explaned Wilson quickly. 1 jast meant— ‘tis voice faded off and Tom glanced impatiently arourd the garage, Then | heard footsteps on a stairs and in a moment the thickish figure of a woman blacked out the light from the office door, She was in the middle thirties, and faintly stoat, bat che carried her surplas flesh sensuousty aS Some womencan, Her face, above a spotted drese of dark blac erepe-de-chine, contained no facet or glean of beauty bat there was an inmediately perceptible vitality about her as if the nerves of her body were continually smouldering, She suiled slowly and walking through her hashard as if he were a ghost shook hands with Tom, looking tin flush i the eye, Then che wet her Gps and without turning around spoke to her hashard it a soft, coarse voice: Get some chairs, why don t yu, so somchody can sit down,’ Ot, sure,’ agreed Wilson hurriedly and went toward the little office, mighng inmediately with the cement color Oi the walls, A white ashen dust veiled hiv dark suit ard hiv pale hair as it veiled everything in the vicinity—encept hie wife, who moved clase to Tom, 1 wart to see you, ’ said Tomintently, Got on the nent trai,” AU right,’ 1H meet you hy the news-stand on the lower level,’ She. nodded and moved anay fron hin just av George Wilson emerged with two chairs from his office door, We watted for her down the road and out of sight, It was a few days before the Fourth of Sal, and a grey, scrawny Malian child was setting torpedoes MM @ FOW along the railroad track, Terrible place, isn t it,” said Tom, exchanging a roan with Deotor Fokleburg, Auuful, “Te does her good fo gel away, "Doesnt her husband object?’ Wileon? He thinks che goes to see her sister tn New York, He ¢ so dumb he doosn t know he ¢ abjve,” So Tom Buchanan and his gil ard ( went ap tapether to New York—or not guite tagether, for Mes, Wikeon sat disereetly th another car, Tondeferred that much ta the sensibititioe of those Fast Lagers who might be on the trait, She had changed her dress to a brown figured musth which stretehed tight wer her rather wide tips as Tom helped her to the platform in New York, At the news-stard she bought a copy of Toun Tattle’ and a moving-pictare magazine and, ta the station drug store, some cold ercan and a suall flask of perfune, Upstairs, tn the solenn echoing deve she let four tari cabs drive away before she sebected a new one, Cavender-colored with prey upholstery, ard in this we shd out from the mase of the station into the gloumng sunshine, Bat inmediately che turned sharply from the window and Leaning forward tapped on the front glase, 1 want to pet one of those dogs,’ che said earnestly, 1 want toget one for the opartnent, They re nice to have—a day," We backed yp to a grey old man who bore at absurd resemblance to John D. Keckefeller, In a basket, suanp from ls neck, cowered a dozen very recent pyppies of an indeterminate breed, What kind are they? asked Mrs, Wleon eagerly as he came to the taet-windew, AW kinde, What hied do yon want, lady?’ 1d the to get oe of those police dogs; | dan t suppose you got that Kind?’ The man peered doubtfully into the basket, planged in his hand and drew one 4p, arigghiy, by the back of the neck, That ¢ no pole dog,’ said Tom, No, it not exactly a pollee dag, , said the man with disyppointnent in hie voice, Ite more of an aivedale, " He passed his hand oer the brown wash-vag of a back, Look at that coat, Some coat.That 8 a dog that Y never bother yon with catching cold,’ 1 think it's cate, ’ said Mrs, Wilcon enthastastioally, How mach is it?’ That dog?” He looked at it aduiringly, That dog will cost you Cen dollars,’ The wivedale—udoubtedly there was an aivedale concerned in it somewhere though ite feet were startlingly white—changed hand and settled down into Mrs, Wilson s ap, where she fondled the weatherproof coat with rapture, Is it a boy or a gil?” she asked debcately, That dep? That dog sa bag, “Tes a biteh, ’ said Tom decisively, Hore § your money, Go and buy ten more dope with it," We drove over to Fifth Avenae, so warm and soft, almost pastoral, on the summer Senday afternoon that ( wouldnt have been surprised to sce a great fleck ofwhite cheep tarn the corner, Hold on,’ 1 said, 1 have fo leave you here, “Ne, yee don g “interposed Tom gaickly, Myrtle W be hart if you don t come up to the apartment, Wan t you, Myrtle?’ Come on,’ che aged. UW telephone my sister Catherine, She ¢ said to be very beautiful by people who ought to know,’ Well, (d bike to, but——'We went on, cutting back apain over the Park toward the West Hardvede, At 158¢h Street the cab stqpped at one stice in a bong white cake of qpartment houses, Throwing a regal homeconing glance around the neighborhood, Mrs, Wikeon gathered ap her dog and her other purchases and went haaghtily in, Um pong to have the Mehees come up, ’ che announced as we race in the elevator, And of course ( got ta call up my sister, tao,” Thegpartment was on the tap fleor—a small living room, a small dining room, a suall bedroom ard a bath, The Going room was crowded to the doors with a set of tapestered furniture entively too large for it so that fo move about was to stanble continually over scenes of ladies swinging in the gardens of Versailles, The only piotare was an sver-enlarged photograph, gpparently a hen sitting on a blarved rock, Looked at from a distance however the hen resolved itself into a bonnet and the courtenance of a stoat old lady beamed down into the room, Several old copios of Town Tattle lay on the table together with a copy of Sinan Called Peter’ and some of the wall scandal magazixes of Broadway, Mrs, Wileon was fist concerned with the dap, A reluctant elevator bay went for a bor fullof straw and some mille to which he addled on he own initiative a tin of large hard dog biseaits—one of which decomposed spathetically in the saucer of mille all afternoon, Meanukile Tom brought out a bottle of whiskey fron a lacked bureau door, | have been dank fast twice in my Ufe and the second tine was that afternoon so everything that happened has a din hary cast aver it although until after eight 0 oleck the qpartnent was full of cheerful sun, Sitting on Tom s fp Mrs, Wilson called yp several peaple on the telephone, then there were no cigarettes and ( went out Co bay some at the drug store on the corner, When / came back. they had disappeared vo sat down discreetly in the Going room and read a chapter of Sinon Called Peter either it was terrible stuff orthe whivkey distorted things because it did ¢ make any sense to we, Just as Tom ard Myrtle—ufter the frest drink Mrs, Wibson and cabled each other by our first names—reappeared, company commenced Co arrive at the qpartment door, The sister, Catherine, was a stender, worldly piel of about thirty with a solid sticky bob of red hai and a complexion powdered nilly white, Her eyebrous had been plucked ard then deawn on apair at a more rakich angle but the offorts of ratare toward the restoration of the old abignment pave a blurred air to her face, When she moved about there was an incessant cloking as innumerable pottery bracelets jingled yp and down upon her arms, She came in with sach a proprietary haste and Cooked around so possessively at the furniture that / wordered if sheGoed here, But when | asked her she laughed innsderately, repeated ny question aboad and told me she lived with a girl friend at a hotel, Mr, Mehoe was a pale feminine man from the flat below, tle had fest shaved for there was a white spot of lather on his cheekbone and he was most respectful in hiv greeting bo everyone in the room, He informed me that he was ta the antistic game’ ard ( gathered later that he was a photographer and had made the din enlargement of Mrs, Wilvon s mother which hovered tke an eetaplasm on the wall, ths wife was shrill, languid, handeome and horrible, She told me with pride that her husband had photographed her a hundred and twenty-seven Uimes since they had been married, Mrs, Wikeon tad changed her costume some tine before ard