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The Great Gatsby | Gradually Hardening Swedish A1-B2

The Great Gatsby | Gradually Hardening Swedish A1-B2

Discover the advantages of this innovative translation method, designed to cater to your learning needs. You can select your preferred difficulty level, ensuring a well-balanced challenge that isn't too overwhelming. This technique sharpens your comprehension skills by encouraging you to derive meaning from context, minimizing the need for direct translations. While some words are purposefully obscured to promote contextual guessing, looking up unclear terms is always an option. With this method, language learning becomes both accessible and enjoyable, blending challenge with support. Explore translated classics and experience the excitement of learning through literature.

I
Inmyyounger
och
andmorevulnerableyearsmy
far
fathergavemesomeadvice
som
thatI’vebeenturningoverinmymindever
sedan
since.
“Wheneveryoufeellike
kritisera
criticizinganyone,”hetoldme,“just
ihåg
rememberthatallthepeoplein
här
thisworldhaven’thadtheadvantagesthatyou’vehad.”
Hedidn’t
sa
sayanymore,butwe’ve
alltid
alwaysbeenunusuallycommunicativein
ett
areservedway,andI
förstod
understoodthathemeantagreatdeal
mer
morethanthat.
Inconsequence,I’minclinedto
förbehålla
reservealljudgements,ahabitthat
har
hasopenedupmanycuriousnaturestome
och
andalsomademethe
offer
victimofnotafewveteranbores.
Theabnormalmindisquickto
upptäcka
detectandattachitselfto
denna
thisqualitywhenitappearsin
en
anormalperson,andsoit
kom
cameaboutthatincollegeIwasunjustlyaccusedofbeing
en
apolitician,becauseIwasprivytothe
hemliga
secretgriefsofwild,unknownmen.
Mostof
de
theconfidenceswereunsought—frequentlyI
har
havefeignedsleep,preoccupation,or
en
ahostilelevitywhenI
insåg
realizedbysomeunmistakablesign
att
thatanintimaterevelationwasquiveringon
de
thehorizon;
fortheintimaterevelationsof
unga
youngmen,oratleast
de
thetermsinwhichthey
uttrycker
expressthem,areusuallyplagiaristic
och
andmarredbyobvioussuppressions.
Förbehålla
Reservingjudgementsisamatterofinfinite
hopp
hope.
Iamstilla
lite
littleafraidofmissingsomethingifI
glömmer
forgetthat,asmyfathersnobbishly
föreslog
suggested,andIsnobbishlyrepeat,
en
asenseofthefundamentaldecenciesisparcelled
ut
outunequallyatbirth.
And,afterboasting
detta
thiswayofmytolerance,I
kommer
cometotheadmissionthatithas
en
alimit.
Conductmaybefoundedonthe
hårda
hardrockorthewetmarshes,
men
butafteracertainpointIdon’tcarewhatit’sfounded
på
on.
WhenIcamebackfromthe
Öst
EastlastautumnIfeltthatI
ville
wantedtheworldtobeinuniform
och
andatasortof
moralisk
moralattentionforever;
Iwanted
inte
nomoreriotousexcursionswithprivilegedglimpsesinto
det
thehumanheart.
OnlyGatsby,
den
themanwhogiveshis
namn
nametothisbook,wasexemptfrommyreaction—Gatsby,who
representerade
representedeverythingforwhichI
har
haveanunaffectedscorn.
Ifpersonalityisanunbroken
serie
seriesofsuccessfulgestures,thentherewas
något
somethinggorgeousabouthim,someheightened
känslighet
sensitivitytothepromisesoflife,asifhewererelatedtooneof
dessa
thoseintricatemachinesthatregisterearthquakes
tio
tenthousandmilesaway.
Thisresponsivenesshad
inget
nothingtodowiththatflabbyimpressionabilitywhichis
värdigt
dignifiedunderthenameofthe“creativetemperament”—itwasanextraordinary
gåva
giftforhope,aromanticreadinesssuchasI
har
haveneverfoundinany
annan
otherpersonandwhichitisnotlikelyIshallever
hitta
findagain.
No—Gatsbyturnedoutallrightattheend;
itiswhatpreyedonGatsby,whatfoul
damm
dustfloatedinthewakeofhisdreams
som
thattemporarilyclosedoutmy
intresse
interestintheabortivesorrows
och
andshort-windedelationsofmen.
My
familj
familyhavebeenprominent,well-to-do
människor
peopleinthisMiddleWestern
stad
cityforthreegenerations.
TheCarrawaysare
något
somethingofaclan,andwe
har
haveatraditionthatwe’redescendedfrom
den
theDukesofBuccleuch,but
den
theactualfounderofmy
linje
linewasmygrandfather’sbrother,who
kom
camehereinfifty-one,sent
en
asubstitutetotheCivilWar,
och
andstartedthewholesalehardware
verksamhet
businessthatmyfathercarrieson
idag
today.
Ineversawthisgreat-uncle,
men
butI’msupposedtolooklikehim—with
särskild
specialreferencetotheratherhard-boiledpainting
som
thathangsinfather’soffice.
IgraduatedfromNewHavenin1915,
bara
justaquarterofa
sekel
centuryaftermyfather,and
ett
alittlelaterIparticipatedin
som
thatdelayedTeutonicmigrationknownasthe
Stora
GreatWar.
Ienjoyedthecounter-raidsothoroughly
att
thatIcamebackrestless.
Istället
Insteadofbeingthewarm
centrum
centreoftheworld,theMiddleWest
nu
nowseemedliketheragged
kanten
edgeoftheuniverse—soI
bestämde
decidedtogoEastand
lära
learnthebondbusiness.
EverybodyI
kände
knewwasinthebondbusiness,soI
antog
supposeditcouldsupportonemoresingleman.
Allmyaunts
och
andunclestalkeditoverasiftheywere
valde
choosingaprepschoolforme,
och
andfinallysaid,“Why—ye-es,”with
mycket
verygrave,hesitantfaces.
Fatheragreedto
finansiera
financemeforayear,
och
andaftervariousdelaysI
kom
cameEast,permanently,Ithought,inthe
våren
springoftwenty-two.
Thepracticalthingwasto
hitta
findroomsinthecity,
men
butitwasawarmseason,
och
andIhadjustlefta
land
countryofwidelawnsandfriendlytrees,so
när
whenayoungmanat
det
theofficesuggestedthatwe
tog
takeahousetogetherinacommutingtown,itsoundedlikeagreat
idé
idea.
Hefoundthehouse,
en
aweather-beatencardboardbungalowateighty
en
amonth,butatthe
sista
lastminutethefirmorderedhimtoWashington,
och
andIwentouttothecountry
ensam
alone.
Ihadadog—atleastI
hade
hadhimforafewdays
tills
untilheranaway—andan
gammal
oldDodgeandaFinnish
kvinna
woman,whomademybed
och
andcookedbreakfastandmutteredFinnish
visdom
wisdomtoherselfoverthe
elektriska
electricstove.
Itwaslonelyfor
en
adayorsountilone
morgon
morningsomeman,morerecently
anlände
arrivedthanI,stoppedmeon
det
theroad.
“Howdoyou
kommer
gettoWestEggvillage?”
he
frågade
askedhelplessly.
Itoldhim.
Och
AndasIwalkedonIwas
ensam
lonelynolonger.
Iwas
en
aguide,apathfinder,an
original
originalsettler.
Hehadcasuallyconferredonmethe
frihet
freedomoftheneighbourhood.
Andso
med
withthesunshineandthe
stora
greatburstsofleavesgrowingonthetrees,
precis
justasthingsgrowinfastmovies,I
hade
hadthatfamiliarconvictionthatlifewas
började
beginningoveragainwiththe
sommaren
summer.
Therewassomuchto
läsa
read,foronething,andso
mycket
muchfinehealthtobe
dra
pulleddownoutofthe
unga
youngbreath-givingair.
Ibought
ett
adozenvolumesonbanking
och
andcreditandinvestmentsecurities,
och
andtheystoodonmy
hylla
shelfinredandgoldlikenew
pengar
moneyfromthemint,promisingtounfold
de
theshiningsecretsthatonlyMidas
och
andMorganandMaecenasknew.
Och
AndIhadthehighintentionof
läsa
readingmanyotherbooksbesides.
Iwas
ganska
ratherliteraryincollege—oneyearI
skrev
wroteaseriesofvery
högtidliga
solemnandobviouseditorialsfor
den
theYaleNews—andnowIwasgoingtobring
tillbaka
backallsuchthingsintomy
liv
lifeandbecomeagainthat
mest
mostlimitedofallspecialists,
den
the“well-roundedman.”
Thisisn’t
bara
justanepigram—lifeismuch
mer
moresuccessfullylookedatfromasingle
fönster
window,afterall.
Itwasamatterof
slump
chancethatIshouldhave
hyrt
rentedahouseinoneofthestrangestcommunitiesinNorthAmerica.
Itwason
som
thatslenderriotousislandwhichextendsitselfdue
öster
eastofNewYork—andwherethereare,
bland
amongothernaturalcuriosities,two
ovanliga
unusualformationsofland.
Twentymilesfrom
den
thecityapairof
enorma
enormouseggs,identicalincontour
och
andseparatedonlybyacourtesybay,jut
ut
outintothemostdomesticatedbodyofsaltwaterin
den
theWesternhemisphere,thegreat
våta
wetbarnyardofLongIslandSound.
Theyarenotperfectovals—like
de
theeggintheColumbus
berättelse
story,theyarebothcrushed
platt
flatatthecontactend—buttheir
fysiska
physicalresemblancemustbea
källa
sourceofperpetualwonderto
de
thegullsthatflyoverhead.
To
de
thewinglessamoreinteresting
fenomen
phenomenonistheirdissimilarityin
varje
everyparticularexceptshapeand
storlek
size.
IlivedatWestEgg,the—well,the
mindre
lessfashionableofthetwo,though
detta
thisisamostsuperficialtagto
uttrycka
expressthebizarreandnot
en
alittlesinistercontrastbetween
dem
them.
Myhousewasatthevery
spets
tipoftheegg,onlyfiftyyardsfromtheSound,
och
andsqueezedbetweentwohugeplaces
som
thatrentedfortwelveorfifteen
tusen
thousandaseason.
Theoneonmy
högra
rightwasacolossalaffairby
någon
anystandard—itwasafactual
imitation
imitationofsomeHôteldeVilleinNormandy,
med
withatoweronone
sida
side,spankingnewundera
tunt
thinbeardofrawivy,
och
andamarbleswimmingpool,
och
andmorethanfortyacresof
gräsmatta
lawnandgarden.
ItwasGatsby’s
herrgård
mansion.
Or,rather,asIdidn’t
kände
knowMr.Gatsby,itwas
en
amansioninhabitedbya
gentleman
gentlemanofthatname.
My
eget
ownhousewasaneyesore,
men
butitwasasmalleyesore,
och
andithadbeenoverlooked,soI
hade
hadaviewofthe
vattnet
water,apartialviewofmyneighbour’s
gräsmatta
lawn,andtheconsolingproximityofmillionaires—allforeightydollarsamonth.
Acrossthecourtesy
bay
baythewhitepalacesoffashionableEastEggglittered
längs
alongthewater,andthe
historia
historyofthesummerreally
börjar
beginsontheeveningI
körde
droveovertheretohave
middag
dinnerwiththeTomBuchanans.
Daisy
Daisywasmysecondcousinonceremoved,
och
andI’dknownTomin
college
college.
AndjustafterthewarI
tillbringade
spenttwodayswiththeminChicago.
Herhusband,
bland
amongvariousphysicalaccomplishments,hadbeenoneof
de
themostpowerfulendsthatever
spelat
playedfootballatNewHaven—a
nationell
nationalfigureinaway,oneofthosemenwho
når
reachsuchanacutelimitedexcellenceattwenty-onethat
allt
everythingafterwardsavoursofanticlimax.
His
familj
familywereenormouslywealthy—evenin
college
collegehisfreedomwithmoneywasa
fråga
matterforreproach—butnowhe’d
lämnat
leftChicagoandcomeEastina
sätt
fashionthatrathertookyourbreathaway:
for
exempel
instance,he’dbroughtdownastringofpoloponiesfrom
Lake
LakeForest.
Itwashardto
inse
realizethatamaninmy
egen
owngenerationwaswealthyenoughto
göra
dothat.
WhytheycameEastIdon’t
vet
know.
Theyhadspenta
år
yearinFrancefornoparticular
anledning
reason,andthendriftedhere
och
andthereunrestfullywhereverpeople
spelade
playedpoloandwererich
tillsammans
together.
Thiswasapermanentmove,
sa
saidDaisyoverthetelephone,
men
butIdidn’tbelieveit—I
hade
hadnosightintoDaisy’s
hjärta
heart,butIfeltthatTomwoulddrifton
för alltid
foreverseeking,alittlewistfully,forthe
dramatiska
dramaticturbulenceofsomeirrecoverablefootballgame.
Och
Andsoithappenedthaton
en
awarmwindyeveningI
körde
droveovertoEastEggtosee
två
twooldfriendswhomI
knappt
scarcelyknewatall.
Their
hus
housewasevenmoreelaborate
än
thanIexpected,acheerfulred-and-whiteGeorgian
Kolonial
Colonialmansion,overlookingthebay.
Thelawn
började
startedatthebeachand
sprang
rantowardsthefrontdoorfor
en
aquarterofamile,
hoppar
jumpingoversundialsandbrickwalks
och
andburninggardens—finallywhenit
nådde
reachedthehousedriftingupthesideinbrightvinesasthoughfromthemomentumofits
sprang
run.
Thefrontwasbrokenby
en
alineofFrenchwindows,glowing
nu
nowwithreflectedgoldandwideopento
den
thewarmwindyafternoon,andTomBuchananinridingclotheswas
stod
standingwithhislegsaparton
den
thefrontporch.
Hehad
förändrats
changedsincehisNewHavenyears.
Nu
Nowhewasasturdystraw-haired
man
manofthirty,witha
ganska
ratherhardmouthandasupercilious
sätt
manner.
Twoshiningarroganteyes
hade
hadestablisheddominanceoverhis
ansikte
faceandgavehimtheappearanceof
alltid
alwaysleaningaggressivelyforward.
Not
ens
eventheeffeminateswankofhisridingclothes
kunde
couldhidetheenormouspowerofthatbody—he
tycktes
seemedtofillthoseglisteningboots
tills
untilhestrainedthetoplacing,
och
andyoucouldseeagreatpackofmuscleshifting
när
whenhisshouldermovedunderhis
tunna
thincoat.
Itwasa
kropp
bodycapableofenormousleverage—a
grym
cruelbody.
Hisspeakingvoice,
en
agruffhuskytenor,addedtotheimpressionoffractiousnesshe
förmedlade
conveyed.
Therewasatouchofpaternal
förakt
contemptinit,eventoward
människor
peopleheliked—andthereweremenatNewHavenwho
hade
hadhatedhisguts.
“Now,don’tthinkmy
åsikt
opiniononthesemattersisfinal,”he
verkade
seemedtosay,“justbecauseI’m
starkare
strongerandmoreofa
man
manthanyouare.”
Wewereinthe
samma
sameseniorsociety,andwhilewewere
aldrig
neverintimateIalwayshadtheimpressionthathe
godkände
approvedofmeandwantedmeto
gilla
likehimwithsomeharsh,defiantwistfulnessofhis
egen
own.
Wetalkedfora
några
fewminutesonthesunnyporch.
“I’vegot
ett
aniceplacehere,”he
sa
said,hiseyesflashingaboutrestlessly.
Vände
Turningmearoundbyone
arm
arm,hemovedabroad
platt
flathandalongthefrontvista,
däribland
includinginitssweepasunkenItalian
trädgård
garden,ahalfacreof
djupa
deep,pungentroses,andasnub-nosedmotorboat
som
thatbumpedthetideoffshore.
“It
tillhörde
belongedtoDemaine,theoilman.”
He
vände
turnedmearoundagain,politely
och
andabruptly.
“We’llgoinside.”
We
gick
walkedthroughahighhallwayintoa
ljus
brightrosy-colouredspace,fragilelyboundintothe
huset
housebyFrenchwindowsateither
änden
end.
Thewindowswereajar
och
andgleamingwhiteagainstthe
färska
freshgrassoutsidethatseemedto
växa
growalittlewayinto
det
thehouse.
Abreezeblew
genom
throughtheroom,blewcurtainsinatone
änden
endandouttheotherlikepaleflags,twistingthem
upp
uptowardthefrostedwedding-cakeofthe
taket
ceiling,andthenrippledoverthewine-colouredrug,
gör
makingashadowonitaswind
gör
doesonthesea.
The
enda
onlycompletelystationaryobjectin
det
theroomwasanenormous
soffa
couchonwhichtwoyoungwomenwerebuoyedupasthoughuponananchored
ballong
balloon.
Theywerebothin
vitt
white,andtheirdresseswererippling
och
andflutteringasifthey
hade
hadjustbeenblownbackinafter
en
ashortflightaroundthe
huset
house.
Imusthavestoodfor
en
afewmomentslisteningtothewhip
och
andsnapofthecurtains
och
andthegroanofa
bild
pictureonthewall.
Thentherewas
ett
aboomasTomBuchanan
stängde
shuttherearwindowsandthe
fångade
caughtwinddiedoutaboutthe
rummet
room,andthecurtainsandtherugs
och
andthetwoyoungwomenballooned
långsamt
slowlytothefloor.
The
yngre
youngerofthetwowas
en
astrangertome.
Shewas
utsträckt
extendedfulllengthatherendofthedivan,completelymotionless,
och
andwithherchinraiseda
lite
little,asifshewere
balanserade
balancingsomethingonitwhichwasquitelikelyto
falla
fall.
Ifshesawmeoutof
det
thecornerofhereyesshe
gav
gavenohintofit—indeed,Iwas
nästan
almostsurprisedintomurmuringan
ursäkt
apologyforhavingdisturbedherby
komma
comingin.
Theothergirl,
Daisy
Daisy,madeanattempttorise—sheleaned
något
slightlyforwardwithaconscientiousexpression—thenshe
skrattade
laughed,anabsurd,charminglittle
skratt
laugh,andIlaughedtoo
och
andcameforwardintothe
rummet
room.
“I’mp-paralysedwithhappiness.”
She
skrattade
laughedagain,asifshe
sade
saidsomethingverywitty,and
höll
heldmyhandfora
ögonblick
moment,lookingupintomy
ansikte
face,promisingthattherewas
inte
nooneintheworldshesomuch
ville
wantedtosee.
Thatwas
ett
awayshehad.
She
antydde
hintedinamurmurthat
den
thesurnameofthebalancinggirlwas
Baker
Baker.
(I’vehearditsaidthatDaisy’smurmurwas
bara
onlytomakepeoplelean
mot
towardher;
anirrelevantcriticism
som
thatmadeitnolesscharming.)
Atanyrate,
Fröken
MissBaker’slipsfluttered,she
nickade
noddedatmealmostimperceptibly,
och
andthenquicklytippedherhead
tillbaka
backagain—theobjectshewas
balanserade
balancinghadobviouslytottereda
lite
littleandgivenhersomethingof
en
afright.
Againasortof
ursäkt
apologyarosetomylips.
Nästan
Almostanyexhibitionofcompleteself-sufficiency
drar
drawsastunnedtributefromme.
I
tittade
lookedbackatmycousin,who
började
begantoaskmequestionsinher
låga
low,thrillingvoice.
Itwasthe
typ
kindofvoicethatthe
örat
earfollowsupanddown,asif
varje
eachspeechisanarrangementofnotesthat
kommer
willneverbeplayedagain.
Her
ansikte
facewassadandlovely
med
withbrightthingsinit,
ljus
brighteyesandabright
passionerad
passionatemouth,buttherewasan
spänning
excitementinhervoicethatmenwho
hade
hadcaredforherfound
svårt
difficulttoforget:
asingingcompulsion,awhispered“Listen,”a
löfte
promisethatshehaddone
homosexuella
gay,excitingthingsjustawhile
sedan
sinceandthattherewere
homosexuella
gay,excitingthingshoveringin
det
thenexthour.
Itoldher
hur
howIhadstoppedoffinChicagofora
dag
dayonmywayEast,
och
andhowadozenpeople
hade
hadsenttheirlovethroughme.
“Dothey
saknar
missme?”
shecriedecstatically.
“Thewhole
staden
townisdesolate.
Allthecars
har
havetheleftrearwheel
målat
paintedblackasamourningwreath,
och
andthere’sapersistentwailall
natten
nightalongthenorthshore.”
“Howgorgeous!
Let’s
åker
goback,Tom.
Tomorrow!”
Thenshe
tillade
addedirrelevantly:
“Yououghtto
se
seethebaby.”
“I’dliketo.”
“She’sasleep.
She’s
tre
threeyearsold.
Haven’tyouever
sett
seenher?”
“Never.”
“Well,yououghttosee
henne
her.
She’s—”.
TomBuchanan,who
hade
hadbeenhoveringrestlesslyaboutthe
rummet
room,stoppedandrestedhis
hand
handonmyshoulder.
“Whatyou
gör
doing,Nick?”
“I’mabondman.”
“Whowith?”
I
sa
toldhim.
“Neverheardofthem,”heremarkeddecisively.
Här
Thisannoyedme.
“Youwill,”I
svarade
answeredshortly.
“Youwillifyou
stannar
stayintheEast.”
“Oh,I’ll
stannar
stayintheEast,don’tyouworry,”he
sa
said,glancingatDaisyandthen
tillbaka
backatme,asifhewerealertfor
något
somethingmore.
“I’dbeaGoddamnedfoolto
bodde
liveanywhereelse.”
Atthispoint
Fröken
MissBakersaid:
“Absolutely!”
with
sådan
suchsuddennessthatIstarted—itwas
det
thefirstwordshehaduttered
sedan
sinceIcameintothe
rummet
room.
Evidentlyitsurprisedheras
mycket
muchasitdidme,forsheyawned
och
andwithaseriesofrapid,deftmovements
stod
stoodupintotheroom.
“I’mstiff,”she
klagade
complained,“I’vebeenlyingonthatsofaforas
länge
longasIcanremember.”
“Don’tlookatme,”
Daisy
Daisyretorted,“I’vebeentryingto
få
getyoutoNewYorkallafternoon.”
“No,thanks,”
sa
saidMissBakertothe
fyra
fourcocktailsjustinfrom
de
thepantry.
“I’mabsolutelyintraining.”
Her
värd
hostlookedatherincredulously.
“Youare!”
He
tog
tookdownhisdrinkasifitwerea
droppe
dropinthebottomofaglass.
“Howyouever
får
getanythingdoneisbeyondme.”
I
tittade
lookedatMissBaker,wonderingwhatitwasshe“gotdone.”
I
njöt
enjoyedlookingather.
Shewas
en
aslender,small-breastedgirl,withan
upprätt
erectcarriage,whichsheaccentuatedby
kasta
throwingherbodybackwardattheshoulderslike
en
ayoungcadet.
Hergreysun-strainedeyes
tittade
lookedbackatmewith
artig
politereciprocalcuriosityoutof
en
awan,charming,discontentedface.
Itoccurredtome
nu
nowthatIhadseen
henne
her,orapictureof
henne
her,somewherebefore.
“Youlivein
West
WestEgg,”sheremarkedcontemptuously.
“I
känner
knowsomebodythere.”
“Idon’t
känner
knowasingle—”.
“Youmust
känna
knowGatsby.”
“Gatsby?”
demandedDaisy.
“WhatGatsby?”
Innan
BeforeIcouldreplythathewasmy
granne
neighbourdinnerwasannounced;
wedginghistensearmimperativelyundermine,TomBuchanancompelledmefromthe
rummet
roomasthoughhewere
flyttade
movingacheckertoanothersquare.
Slenderly,languidly,theirhandssetlightlyontheirhips,the
två
twoyoungwomenprecededus
ut
outontoarosy-coloured
veranda
porch,opentowardthesunset,where
fyra
fourcandlesflickeredonthe
bordet
tableinthediminishedwind.
“Whycandles?”
objected
Daisy
Daisy,frowning.
Shesnappedthem
ut
outwithherfingers.
“In
två
twoweeksit’llbethe
längsta
longestdayintheyear.”
She
tittade
lookedatusallradiantly.
“Doyou
alltid
alwayswatchforthelongest
dag
dayoftheyearandthen
missar
missit?
Ialwayswatchforthe
längsta
longestdayintheyear
och
andthenmissit.”
“Weoughtto
planera
plansomething,”yawnedMissBaker,
sitter
sittingdownatthetableasifshewere
komma
gettingintobed.
“Allright,”
sa
saidDaisy.
“What’llweplan?”
She
vände
turnedtomehelplessly:
“Whatdopeopleplan?”
Innan
BeforeIcouldanswerhereyesfastened
med
withanawedexpressiononher
lilla
littlefinger.
“Look!”
shecomplained;
“I
skadade
hurtit.”
Wealllooked—theknucklewas
svart
blackandblue.
“Youdidit,Tom,”she
sa
saidaccusingly.
“Iknowyoudidn’t
menade
meanto,butyoudid
gjorde
doit.
That’swhatI
får
getformarryingabruteof
en
aman,agreat,big,hulking
fysisk
physicalspecimenofa—”.
“I
hatar
hatethatword‘hulking,’ ”objectedTomcrossly,“eveninkidding.”
“Hulking,”
insisterade
insistedDaisy.
Sometimessheand
Fröken
MissBakertalkedatonce,unobtrusively
och
andwithabanteringinconsequence
som
thatwasneverquitechatter,
som
thatwasascoolastheir
vita
whitedressesandtheirimpersonaleyesinthe
avsaknad
absenceofalldesire.
Theywere
här
here,andtheyacceptedTom
och
andme,makingonlya
artig
politepleasantefforttoentertain
eller
ortobeentertained.
They
visste
knewthatpresentlydinnerwouldbe
över
overandalittlelater
de
theeveningtoowouldbe
över
overandcasuallyputaway.
Itwassharplydifferentfrom
det
theWest,whereaneveningwashurriedfrom
fas
phasetophasetowardsitsclose,in
en
acontinuallydisappointedanticipationorelsein
ren
sheernervousdreadofthemomentitself.
“Youmakeme
känna
feeluncivilized,Daisy,”Iconfessedonmy
andra
secondglassofcorkybut
ganska
ratherimpressiveclaret.
“Can’tyou
prata
talkaboutcropsorsomething?”
I
menade
meantnothinginparticularby
denna
thisremark,butitwastaken
upp
upinanunexpectedway.
“Civilization’s
går
goingtopieces,”brokeoutTom
våldsamt
violently.
“I’vegottentobe
en
aterriblepessimistaboutthings.
Har
HaveyoureadTheRiseof
den
theColouredEmpiresbythis
mannen
manGoddard?”
“Why,no,”I
svarade
answered,rathersurprisedbyhistone.
“Well,it’s
en
afinebook,andeverybodyoughtto
läsa
readit.
Theideaisifwedon’tlookout
den
thewhiteracewillbe—willbeutterlysubmerged.
It’sall
vetenskapliga
scientificstuff;
it’sbeenproved.”