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The Great Gatsby | Progressively Translated Dutch A1-B2 Books

The Great Gatsby | Progressively Translated Dutch A1-B2 Books

Embrace the benefits of this cutting-edge translation method, offering a tailored learning experience by letting you select the difficulty level that fits you best. It improves your comprehension by urging you to deduce meanings from context, reducing the need for constant translation. While some translations are intentionally masked to encourage guessing, it's always acceptable to check unfamiliar words. This method strikes the perfect balance between challenge and accessibility, making language learning both effective and enjoyable. Immerse yourself in these translated classics and uncover the pleasure of learning through literary exploration.

I
Inmyyounger
en
andmorevulnerableyearsmy
vader
fathergavemesomeadvice
dat
thatI’vebeenturningoverinmymindeversince.
“Wheneveryoufeellikecriticizinganyone,”he
zei
toldme,“justrememberthat
alle
allthepeopleinthis
wereld
worldhaven’thadtheadvantagesthatyou’vehad.”
Hedidn’t
zei
sayanymore,butwe’ve
altijd
alwaysbeenunusuallycommunicativeinareserved
manier
way,andIunderstoodthathe
bedoelde
meantagreatdealmore
dan
thanthat.
Inconsequence,I’minclinedto
behouden
reservealljudgements,ahabit
die
thathasopenedupmanycuriousnaturestome
en
andalsomademethe
slachtoffer
victimofnotafewveteranbores.
The
abnormale
abnormalmindisquickto
sporen
detectandattachitselfto
deze
thisqualitywhenitappearsin
een
anormalperson,andsoit
kwam
cameaboutthatincollegeIwasunjustly
beschuldigd
accusedofbeingapolitician,
omdat
becauseIwasprivytothe
geheime
secretgriefsofwild,unknownmen.
Meeste
Mostoftheconfidenceswereunsought—frequentlyI
heb
havefeignedsleep,preoccupation,ora
vijandige
hostilelevitywhenIrealizedbysomeunmistakable
teken
signthatanintimaterevelationwasquiveringon
de
thehorizon;
fortheintimaterevelationsof
jonge
youngmen,oratleast
de
thetermsinwhichthey
uitdrukken
expressthem,areusuallyplagiaristic
en
andmarredbyobvioussuppressions.
Reservingjudgementsis
een
amatterofinfinitehope.
Iam
nog steeds
stillalittleafraidof
missen
missingsomethingifIforget
dat
that,asmyfathersnobbishly
suggereerde
suggested,andIsnobbishlyrepeat,
een
asenseofthefundamentaldecenciesisparcelledoutunequallyat
geboorte
birth.
And,afterboastingthis
manier
wayofmytolerance,I
kom
cometotheadmissionthatithas
een
alimit.
Conductmaybefoundedonthe
harde
hardrockorthewetmarshes,
maar
butafteracertainpointIdon’t
schelen
carewhatit’sfoundedon.
Toen
WhenIcamebackfromthe
Oosten
EastlastautumnIfelt
dat
thatIwantedtheworldtobein
uniform
uniformandatasortof
morele
moralattentionforever;
Iwanted
geen
nomoreriotousexcursionswith
bevoorrechte
privilegedglimpsesintothehuman
hart
heart.
OnlyGatsby,themanwho
geeft
giveshisnametothis
boek
book,wasexemptfrommyreaction—Gatsby,who
vertegenwoordigde
representedeverythingforwhichI
heb
haveanunaffectedscorn.
If
persoonlijkheid
personalityisanunbrokenseriesof
succesvolle
successfulgestures,thentherewas
iets
somethinggorgeousabouthim,someheightened
gevoeligheid
sensitivitytothepromisesof
leven
life,asifhewere
verwant
relatedtooneofthoseintricatemachinesthat
registreren
registerearthquakestenthousandmilesaway.
Deze
Thisresponsivenesshadnothingtodo
met
withthatflabbyimpressionabilitywhichis
waardig
dignifiedunderthenameofthe“creativetemperament”—itwasanextraordinary
geschenk
giftforhope,aromanticreadinesssuchasI
heb
haveneverfoundinanyother
persoon
personandwhichitisnot
waarschijnlijk
likelyIshalleverfindagain.
No—Gatsbyturnedoutallrightat
het
theend;
itiswhatpreyedonGatsby,what
vuil
fouldustfloatedinthe
nasleep
wakeofhisdreamsthat
tijdelijk
temporarilyclosedoutmyinterestintheabortivesorrows
en
andshort-windedelationsofmen.
My
familie
familyhavebeenprominent,well-to-do
volk
peopleinthisMiddleWestern
stad
cityforthreegenerations.
TheCarrawaysaresomethingof
een
aclan,andwehave
een
atraditionthatwe’redescendedfrom
de
theDukesofBuccleuch,but
de
theactualfounderofmy
lijn
linewasmygrandfather’sbrother,who
kwam
camehereinfifty-one,sent
een
asubstitutetotheCivilWar,
en
andstartedthewholesalehardware
bedrijf
businessthatmyfathercarrieson
vandaag
today.
Ineversawthisgreat-uncle,
maar
butI’msupposedtolooklikehim—with
speciale
specialreferencetotheratherhard-boiledpainting
dat
thathangsinfather’soffice.
I
studeerde af
graduatedfromNewHavenin1915,just
een
aquarterofacentury
na
aftermyfather,andalittle
later
laterIparticipatedinthat
vertraagde
delayedTeutonicmigrationknownas
de
theGreatWar.
Ienjoyed
de
thecounter-raidsothoroughlythatIcameback
rusteloos
restless.
Insteadofbeingthe
warme
warmcentreoftheworld,the
Midden
MiddleWestnowseemedliketheragged
rand
edgeoftheuniverse—soI
besloot
decidedtogoEastand
leren
learnthebondbusiness.
EverybodyI
kende
knewwasinthebondbusiness,soI
veronderstelde
supposeditcouldsupportonemore
één
singleman.
Allmyaunts
en
andunclestalkeditoverasiftheywere
kozen
choosingaprepschoolfor
me
me,andfinallysaid,“Why—ye-es,”
met
withverygrave,hesitantfaces.
Vader
Fatheragreedtofinancemefor
een
ayear,andaftervariousdelaysI
kwam
cameEast,permanently,Ithought,inthe
lente
springoftwenty-two.
Thepracticalthingwasto
vinden
findroomsinthecity,
maar
butitwasawarm
seizoen
season,andIhadjust
verlaten
leftacountryofwidelawns
en
andfriendlytrees,sowhen
een
ayoungmanatthe
kantoor
officesuggestedthatwetake
een
ahousetogetherinacommutingtown,it
klonk
soundedlikeagreatidea.
He
vond
foundthehouse,aweather-beaten
kartonnen
cardboardbungalowateightya
maand
month,butatthelastminute
het
thefirmorderedhimtoWashington,
en
andIwentoutto
het
thecountryalone.
Ihadadog—atleastI
had
hadhimforafewdays
totdat
untilheranaway—andan
oude
oldDodgeandaFinnish
vrouw
woman,whomademybed
en
andcookedbreakfastandmutteredFinnish
wijsheid
wisdomtoherselfoverthe
elektrische
electricstove.
Itwaslonelyfora
dag
dayorsountilone
ochtend
morningsomeman,morerecently
aangekomen
arrivedthanI,stoppedmeonthe
weg
road.
“Howdoyougetto
West
WestEggvillage?”
heaskedhelplessly.
I
verteld
toldhim.
AndasI
liep
walkedonIwaslonelynolonger.
Iwasa
gids
guide,apathfinder,anoriginalsettler.
He
had
hadcasuallyconferredonme
de
thefreedomoftheneighbourhood.
En
Andsowiththesunshine
en
andthegreatburstsofleaves
groeien
growingonthetrees,justasthings
groeien
growinfastmovies,I
had
hadthatfamiliarconvictionthat
leven
lifewasbeginningoveragain
met
withthesummer.
Therewasso
veel
muchtoread,foronething,
en
andsomuchfinehealthtobe
trekken
pulleddownoutofthe
jonge
youngbreath-givingair.
Ibought
een
adozenvolumesonbanking
en
andcreditandinvestmentsecurities,
en
andtheystoodonmy
plank
shelfinredandgold
als
likenewmoneyfromthe
munt
mint,promisingtounfoldtheshiningsecrets
die
thatonlyMidasandMorgan
en
andMaecenasknew.
AndI
had
hadthehighintentionof
lezen
readingmanyotherbooksbesides.
Iwas
nogal
ratherliteraryincollege—oneyearI
schreef
wroteaseriesofvery
plechtige
solemnandobviouseditorialsfor
de
theYaleNews—andnowIwasgoingtobringbackallsuchthingsintomy
leven
lifeandbecomeagainthat
meest
mostlimitedofallspecialists,
de
the“well-roundedman.”
Thisisn’t
alleen
justanepigram—lifeismuchmoresuccessfullylookedatfromasinglewindow,afterall.
Itwasamatterof
toeval
chancethatIshouldhave
gehuurd
rentedahouseinoneofthestrangestcommunitiesin
Noord
NorthAmerica.
Itwason
dat
thatslenderriotousislandwhichextendsitselfdue
oosten
eastofNewYork—andwhere
er
thereare,amongothernaturalcuriosities,
twee
twounusualformationsofland.
Twentymilesfromthe
stad
cityapairofenormouseggs,
identiek
identicalincontourandseparated
alleen
onlybyacourtesybay,jutoutintothe
meest
mostdomesticatedbodyofsaltwaterinthe
Westelijk
Westernhemisphere,thegreatwetbarnyardofLongIslandSound.
Theyarenot
perfect
perfectovals—liketheeggintheColumbus
verhaal
story,theyarebothcrushedflatatthecontactend—buttheir
fysieke
physicalresemblancemustbea
bron
sourceofperpetualwondertothegulls
die
thatflyoverhead.
Tothewingless
een
amoreinterestingphenomenonistheirdissimilarityin
elk
everyparticularexceptshapeand
grootte
size.
IlivedatWestEgg,the—well,the
minder
lessfashionableofthetwo,though
dit
thisisamostsuperficial
tag
tagtoexpressthebizarre
en
andnotalittlesinister
contrast
contrastbetweenthem.
Myhousewasattheverytipofthe
ei
egg,onlyfiftyyardsfromtheSound,
en
andsqueezedbetweentwohuge
plaatsen
placesthatrentedfortwelve
of
orfifteenthousandaseason.
Theoneonmyrightwasa
kolossale
colossalaffairbyanystandard—itwasafactual
imitatie
imitationofsomeHôteldeVilleinNormandy,
met
withatoweronone
kant
side,spankingnewundera
dunne
thinbeardofrawivy,
en
andamarbleswimmingpool,
en
andmorethanfortyacresof
gazon
lawnandgarden.
ItwasGatsby’s
herenhuis
mansion.
Or,rather,asIdidn’t
kende
knowMr.Gatsby,itwas
een
amansioninhabitedbyagentlemanof
die
thatname.
Myownhousewasaneyesore,
maar
butitwasasmalleyesore,
en
andithadbeenoverlooked,soI
had
hadaviewofthe
water
water,apartialviewofmyneighbour’s
gazon
lawn,andtheconsolingproximityofmillionaires—allforeightydollarsa
maand
month.
Acrossthecourtesybaythe
witte
whitepalacesoffashionableEastEggglittered
langs
alongthewater,andthe
geschiedenis
historyofthesummerreally
begint
beginsontheeveningIdroveovertheretohave
eten
dinnerwiththeTomBuchanans.
Daisy
Daisywasmysecondcousinonceremoved,
en
andI’dknownTomin
universiteit
college.
Andjustafterthe
oorlog
warIspenttwodays
met
withtheminChicago.
Her
man
husband,amongvariousphysicalaccomplishments,hadbeenoneof
de
themostpowerfulendsthatever
speelde
playedfootballatNewHaven—a
nationale
nationalfigureinaway,oneofthosemenwho
bereiken
reachsuchanacutelimited
uitmuntendheid
excellenceattwenty-onethateverythingafterwardsavoursofanticlimax.
His
familie
familywereenormouslywealthy—evenin
universiteit
collegehisfreedomwithmoneywas
een
amatterforreproach—butnowhe’d
verlaten
leftChicagoandcomeEastin
een
afashionthatrathertookyour
adem
breathaway:
forinstance,he’dbroughtdown
een
astringofpoloponiesfrom
Lake
LakeForest.
Itwashardto
beseffen
realizethatamaninmy
eigen
owngenerationwaswealthyenoughto
doen
dothat.
Whytheycame
Oosten
EastIdon’tknow.
They
hadden
hadspentayearinFrancefornoparticular
reden
reason,andthendriftedhere
en
andthereunrestfullywhereverpeople
speelden
playedpoloandwererich
samen
together.
Thiswasapermanentmove,
zei
saidDaisyoverthetelephone,
maar
butIdidn’tbelieveit—I
had
hadnosightintoDaisy’s
hart
heart,butIfeltthatTom
zou
woulddriftonforeverseeking,
een
alittlewistfully,forthe
dramatische
dramaticturbulenceofsomeirrecoverablefootballgame.
En
Andsoithappenedthaton
een
awarmwindyeveningIdroveoverto
East
EastEggtoseetwo
oude
oldfriendswhomIscarcely
kende
knewatall.
Theirhousewasevenmoreelaborate
dan
thanIexpected,acheerfulred-and-whiteGeorgianColonial
herenhuis
mansion,overlookingthebay.
The
gazon
lawnstartedatthebeach
en
andrantowardsthefrontdoorfor
een
aquarterofamile,
springen
jumpingoversundialsandbrick
liep
walksandburninggardens—finallywhenit
bereikte
reachedthehousedriftingupthe
zijkant
sideinbrightvinesasthoughfromthe
momentum
momentumofitsrun.
The
voorkant
frontwasbrokenbyalineofFrenchwindows,
gloeiend
glowingnowwithreflectedgold
en
andwideopentothe
warme
warmwindyafternoon,andTomBuchananin
rij
ridingclotheswasstandingwithhislegs
elkaar
apartonthefrontporch.
Hehad
veranderd
changedsincehisNewHavenyears.
Nu
Nowhewasasturdystraw-haired
man
manofthirty,witha
nogal
ratherhardmouthandasupercilious
manier
manner.
Twoshiningarroganteyes
hadden
hadestablisheddominanceoverhis
gezicht
faceandgavehimtheappearanceof
altijd
alwaysleaningaggressivelyforward.
Not
zelfs
eventheeffeminateswankofhisridingclothes
kon
couldhidetheenormouspowerofthatbody—he
leek
seemedtofillthoseglisteningboots
totdat
untilhestrainedthetoplacing,
en
andyoucouldseea
groot
greatpackofmuscleshifting
toen
whenhisshouldermovedunderhis
dunne
thincoat.
Itwasa
lichaam
bodycapableofenormousleverage—a
wreed
cruelbody.
Hisspeakingvoice,
een
agruffhuskytenor,addedto
de
theimpressionoffractiousnessheconveyed.
Er
Therewasatouchofpaternal
minachting
contemptinit,eventowardpeopleheliked—and
er
thereweremenatNewHaven
die
whohadhatedhisguts.
“Now,don’tthinkmyopiniononthesemattersisfinal,”he
leek
seemedtosay,“justbecauseI’m
sterker
strongerandmoreofa
man
manthanyouare.”
Wewerein
de
thesameseniorsociety,andwhilewewere
nooit
neverintimateIalwayshad
de
theimpressionthatheapprovedofme
en
andwantedmetolikehim
met
withsomeharsh,defiantwistfulnessofhis
eigen
own.
Wetalkedfora
paar
fewminutesonthesunny
veranda
porch.
“I’vegotaniceplacehere,”he
zei
said,hiseyesflashingaboutrestlessly.
Draaide
Turningmearoundbyone
arm
arm,hemovedabroad
platte
flathandalongthefront
uitzicht
vista,includinginitssweepasunkenItalian
tuin
garden,ahalfacreofdeep,pungentroses,
en
andasnub-nosedmotorboatthatbumpedthe
getij
tideoffshore.
“ItbelongedtoDemaine,theoilman.”
He
draaide
turnedmearoundagain,politely
en
andabruptly.
“We’llgoinside.”
We
liepen
walkedthroughahighhallwayinto
een
abrightrosy-colouredspace,fragilelyboundinto
het
thehousebyFrenchwindowsateitherend.
Thewindowswereajar
en
andgleamingwhiteagainstthe
verse
freshgrassoutsidethatseemedto
groeien
growalittlewayintothe
huis
house.
Abreezeblewthroughthe
kamer
room,blewcurtainsinatoneend
en
andouttheotherlike
bleke
paleflags,twistingthemup
naar
towardthefrostedwedding-cakeofthe
plafond
ceiling,andthenrippledoverthewine-coloured
tapijt
rug,makingashadowonitaswind
doet
doesonthesea.
The
enige
onlycompletelystationaryobjectinthe
kamer
roomwasanenormouscouchonwhich
twee
twoyoungwomenwerebuoyedupasthoughupon
een
ananchoredballoon.
Theywere
allebei
bothinwhite,andtheirdresseswererippling
en
andflutteringasiftheyhad
net
justbeenblownbackin
na
afterashortflightaround
het
thehouse.
Imusthave
gestaan
stoodforafewmoments
geluisterd
listeningtothewhipandsnapofthecurtains
en
andthegroanofapictureonthe
muur
wall.
ThentherewasaboomasTomBuchanan
sloot
shuttherearwindowsand
de
thecaughtwinddiedout
over
abouttheroom,andthecurtains
en
andtherugsandthe
twee
twoyoungwomenballoonedslowlyto
de
thefloor.
Theyoungerof
de
thetwowasastrangerto
mij
me.
Shewasextendedfull
lengte
lengthatherendofthedivan,completelymotionless,
en
andwithherchinraised
een
alittle,asifshewerebalancing
iets
somethingonitwhichwas
heel
quitelikelytofall.
Ifshe
zag
sawmeoutofthe
hoek
cornerofhereyesshe
gaf
gavenohintofit—indeed,Iwas
bijna
almostsurprisedintomurmuringanapologyfor
had
havingdisturbedherbycomingin.
The
andere
othergirl,Daisy,madeanattempttorise—sheleaned
licht
slightlyforwardwithaconscientiousexpression—thenshelaughed,anabsurd,
charmante
charminglittlelaugh,andIlaughedtoo
en
andcameforwardintothe
kamer
room.
“I’mp-paralysedwithhappiness.”
She
lachte
laughedagain,asifshe
zei
saidsomethingverywitty,and
hield
heldmyhandfora
ogenblik
moment,lookingupintomy
gezicht
face,promisingthattherewasnooneinthe
wereld
worldshesomuchwantedto
zien
see.
Thatwasawayshe
had
had.
Shehintedinamurmur
dat
thatthesurnameofthebalancing
meisje
girlwasBaker.
(I’vehearditsaid
dat
thatDaisy’smurmurwasonlytomake
mensen
peopleleantowardher;
anirrelevant
kritiek
criticismthatmadeitno
minder
lesscharming.)
Atanyrate,MissBaker’slipsfluttered,she
knikte
noddedatmealmostimperceptibly,
en
andthenquicklytippedher
hoofd
headbackagain—theobjectshewasbalancing
had
hadobviouslytotteredalittle
en
andgivenhersomethingofa
schrik
fright.
Againasortofapologyarosetomylips.
Bijna
Almostanyexhibitionofcompleteself-sufficiency
trekt
drawsastunnedtributefrom
mij
me.
Ilookedbackatmycousin,
die
whobegantoaskmequestionsinher
lage
low,thrillingvoice.
Itwasthe
soort
kindofvoicethatthe
oor
earfollowsupanddown,asif
elke
eachspeechisanarrangementofnotesthat
zal
willneverbeplayedagain.
Her
gezicht
facewassadandlovely
met
withbrightthingsinit,
heldere
brighteyesandabright
gepassioneerde
passionatemouth,buttherewasan
opwinding
excitementinhervoicethatmenwho
hadden
hadcaredforherfound
moeilijk
difficulttoforget:
asingingcompulsion,
een
awhispered“Listen,”apromise
dat
thatshehaddonegay,
opwindende
excitingthingsjustawhilesince
en
andthatthereweregay,
opwindende
excitingthingshoveringinthe
volgende
nexthour.
ItoldherhowI
hadden
hadstoppedoffinChicagofor
een
adayonmyway
Oosten
East,andhowadozen
mensen
peoplehadsenttheirlovethrough
mij
me.
“Dotheymissme?”
she
huilde
criedecstatically.
“Thewholetownis
verlaten
desolate.
Allthecarshavetheleftrearwheel
geschilderd
paintedblackasamourningwreath,
en
andthere’sapersistentwail
alle
allnightalongthenorthshore.”
“How
prachtig
gorgeous!
Let’sgoback,Tom.
Tomorrow!”
Thenshe
voegde
addedirrelevantly:
“Yououghtto
zien
seethebaby.”
“I’dliketo.”
“She’sasleep.
She’s
drie
threeyearsold.
Haven’tyouever
gezien
seenher?”
“Never.”
“Well,yououghtto
zien
seeher.
She’s—”.
TomBuchanan,
die
whohadbeenhoveringrestlesslyabout
de
theroom,stoppedandrestedhis
hand
handonmyshoulder.
“Whatyou
doe
doing,Nick?”
“I’mabondman.”
“Whowith?”
I
verteld
toldhim.
“Neverheardofthem,”heremarkeddecisively.
Dit
Thisannoyedme.
“Youwill,”Ianswered
kort
shortly.
“Youwillifyou
blijft
stayintheEast.”
“Oh,I’ll
blijf
stayintheEast,don’tyouworry,”he
zei
said,glancingatDaisyandthenbackat
mij
me,asifhewerealertfor
iets
somethingmore.
“I’dbeaGoddamnedfoolto
wonen
liveanywhereelse.”
Atthis
punt
pointMissBakersaid:
“Absolutely!”
withsuchsuddenness
dat
thatIstarted—itwasthe
eerste
firstwordshehaduttered
sinds
sinceIcameintothe
kamer
room.
Evidentlyitsurprisedheras
veel
muchasitdidme,forsheyawned
en
andwithaseriesof
snelle
rapid,deftmovementsstoodupintothe
kamer
room.
“I’mstiff,”shecomplained,“I’vebeen
lig
lyingonthatsofaforas
lang
longasIcanremember.”
“Don’tlookatme,”
Daisy
Daisyretorted,“I’vebeentryingtogetyoutoNewYorkallafternoon.”
“No,thanks,”
zei
saidMissBakertothe
vier
fourcocktailsjustinfrom
de
thepantry.
“I’mabsolutelyintraining.”
Her
gastheer
hostlookedatherincredulously.
“Youare!”
He
nam
tookdownhisdrinkasifitwere
een
adropinthebottomof
een
aglass.
“Howyouever
krijgt
getanythingdoneisbeyondme.”
I
keek
lookedatMissBaker,wonderingwhatitwasshe“gotdone.”
Ienjoyed
kijken
lookingather.
Shewasa
slank
slender,small-breastedgirl,withanerect
koets
carriage,whichsheaccentuatedby
gooien
throwingherbodybackwardat
de
theshoulderslikeayoung
kadet
cadet.
Hergreysun-strainedeyes
keken
lookedbackatmewithpolitereciprocal
nieuwsgierigheid
curiosityoutofawan,
charmant
charming,discontentedface.
Itoccurredtome
nu
nowthatIhadseen
haar
her,orapictureof
haar
her,somewherebefore.
“Youlivein
West
WestEgg,”sheremarkedcontemptuously.
“I
ken
knowsomebodythere.”
“Idon’t
ken
knowasingle—”.
“Youmust
kennen
knowGatsby.”
“Gatsby?”
demandedDaisy.
“WhatGatsby?”
Voordat
BeforeIcouldreplythathewasmy
buurman
neighbourdinnerwasannounced;
wedginghistensearmimperativelyundermine,TomBuchanancompelledmefrom
de
theroomasthoughhewere
verplaatste
movingacheckertoanother
vierkant
square.
Slenderly,languidly,theirhandssetlightlyontheirhips,
de
thetwoyoungwomenprecededusoutonto
een
arosy-colouredporch,opentoward
de
thesunset,wherefourcandlesflickeredon
de
thetableinthediminished
wind
wind.
“Whycandles?”
objectedDaisy,frowning.
Shesnappedthemout
met
withherfingers.
“Intwoweeksit’llbethe
langste
longestdayintheyear.”
She
keek
lookedatusallradiantly.
“Doyou
altijd
alwayswatchforthelongest
dag
dayoftheyearandthen
mis
missit?
Ialwayswatchforthe
langste
longestdayintheyear
en
andthenmissit.”
“Weoughttoplansomething,”yawnedMiss
Baker
Baker,sittingdownatthe
tafel
tableasifsheweregettinginto
bed
bed.
“Allright,”saidDaisy.
“What’llweplan?”
She
draaide
turnedtomehelplessly:
“Whatdo
mensen
peopleplan?”
BeforeIcouldanswerhereyesfastened
met
withanawedexpressiononherlittlefinger.
“Look!”
she
klaagde
complained;
“Ihurtit.”
Wealllooked—theknucklewasblack
en
andblue.
“Youdidit,Tom,”she
zei
saidaccusingly.
“Iknowyoudidn’tmeanto,
maar
butyoudiddoit.
That’swhatI
krijg
getformarryingabruteof
een
aman,agreat,big,hulkingphysical
exemplaar
specimenofa—”.
“Ihate
dat
thatword‘hulking,’ ”objectedTomcrossly,“eveninkidding.”
“Hulking,”insisted
Daisy
Daisy.
SometimessheandMiss
Baker
Bakertalkedatonce,unobtrusively
en
andwithabanteringinconsequence
die
thatwasneverquitechatter,
die
thatwasascoolastheir
witte
whitedressesandtheirimpersonaleyesin
de
theabsenceofalldesire.
Theywere
hier
here,andtheyacceptedTom
en
andme,makingonlyapolite
aangename
pleasantefforttoentertainortobeentertained.
They
wisten
knewthatpresentlydinnerwouldbeover
en
andalittlelaterthe
avond
eveningtoowouldbeover
en
andcasuallyputaway.
Itwas
scherp
sharplydifferentfromtheWest,
waar
whereaneveningwashurriedfrom
fase
phasetophasetowardsitsclose,ina
voortdurend
continuallydisappointedanticipationorelseinsheernervous
angst
dreadofthemomentitself.
“Youmakeme
voel
feeluncivilized,Daisy,”Iconfessedonmy
tweede
secondglassofcorkybut
nogal
ratherimpressiveclaret.
“Can’tyou
praten
talkaboutcropsorsomething?”
I
bedoelde
meantnothinginparticularby
deze
thisremark,butitwastakenupin
een
anunexpectedway.
“Civilization’sgoingtopieces,”
brak
brokeoutTomviolently.
“I’vegottentobe
een
aterriblepessimistaboutthings.
Heb
HaveyoureadTheRiseoftheColouredEmpiresby
deze
thismanGoddard?”
“Why,no,”Ianswered,
nogal
rathersurprisedbyhistone.
“Well,it’s
een
afinebook,andeverybodyoughtto
lezen
readit.
Theideais
als
ifwedon’tlookout
het
thewhiteracewillbe—willbeutterlysubmerged.
It’sall
wetenschappelijk
scientificstuff;
it’sbeenproved.”