The Notebooks
of F. Scott Fitzgerald
(C) Conversation and Things Overheard
24
“I’m having them all psychoanalyzed,” he said. “I got a guy down from Zurich, and he’s doing one a day. I never saw such a gloomy bunch of women; always bellyaching wherever I take ’em. A man I knew told me he had his wife psychoanalyzed and she was easier to be with afterward.”
25
“When I hear people bragging about their social position and who they are, and all that, I just sit back and laugh. Because I happen to be descended directly from Charlemagne. What do you think of that?” Josephine blushed for him.
26
“I like poetry and music better than anything in the world,” she said; “They’re wonderful.”
He believed her, knowing that she spoke of her liking for him.
27
“Yes, he has a position with the Dolleh Line, has a position with the Dolleh Line.”
“Sweetie, he just scratched and scratched and scratched all night. Scratched and scratched and—”
28
From the yard next door a small boy shouted mysteriously: “Who let that barrier through on me?”
29
“They claim you insulted one of the girls.”
“That’s nonsense, I only told her I’d like to bite her neck. I wish all you ladies had one neck so I could bite it all at once. I’m a glutton for ladies’ necks.”
30
Rosalind’s advice as to changing places with Zelda.
31
“Of course I’m afraid of horses. They try to bite me.”
“I’ve never met a horse—socially, that is—who didn’t try to bite me. They used to do it when I put the bridle on; then, when I gave up putting the bridle on, they began reaching their heads around trying to get at my calves.”
“When I went to Southampton, I was—thrown at him.”
“Thrown from a horse?”
32
“She’s really radiunt,” she said, “really radiunt.”
33
You meig me sick to my stomach.
34
S’Chris’ Watisis—a ship?
35
“Perfectly respectable girl but only been drinking that day. No matter how long she lives she’ll always know she’s killed somebody.”
36
“Well, isn’t it true? I told him how American education was terrible and you thought mine ought to be different.”
“Oh-h-h! And then to finish it off you slapped him?”
“Well, I thought the best thing was to be partly American and slap him.”
37
I think if one is V. W. M. you know (woman interrupts) Yes I know curious, amazing, extraordinary, what I mean I think are—I mean to say—preferred
I don’t know
38
“There’s no use looking at things, because you don’t like things,” remarked Raines, in answer to his polite interest.
“No,” said Charlie frankly, “I don’t.”
“You like only rhythms, with things marking the beats, and now your rhythm is broken.”
39
“You believe in something,” he said, after a long time.
“I don’t know yet what it is. You’re lucky to believe in something.”
“I believe in nothing.”
“Yes, you do. You believe that’s crouching in this room very near you now—something that you tried to do without and couldn’t do without. And now it’s gradually taking form again and you’re afraid.”
Charlie sprang to his feet, his mouth quivering. “No!” he cried. “I’m—I’m—”
“Sit down,” said Raines quietly. He looked at his watch.
“We have all night; it’s only eleven.”
Charlie gave a quick glance around and sat down, covering his face for a minute with his hands.
40
“What nice words,” she teased him. “If you keep on I’m going to throw myself under the wheels of the cab.”
41
“Call me Micky Mouse,” she said suddenly.
“Why?”
“I don’t know—it was fun when you called me Micky Mouse.”
42
“What do you think I ought to have?” Mary groaned.
“God what a mess! Did you pay that man for his hat?”
43
Mr. Melarky wants to see the villa because he’s here studying human nature.
44
Man on pier pronouncing dessert as desert.
45
I am willing to die with my boots on—I just want to be sure that they are my own boots and that they’re all the on.
46
“Showing off.”
“Well, then, so was Christ showing off.”
47
“Prowling the rattlers” = robbing freight cars
48
Beginning of a story “Incorrigible”
Father: Who do you admire?
Son: Andy Gump. Who do you think I admire— George Washington? Grow up!
49
With a piquant face and all the chic in the world. This is because I was educated in Paris and this in turn I owe to someone’s chance remark to Cousin Arietta that she had a nice big daughter who was only twenty-two or three at the time. It took three bromides to calm Cousin Arietta and I started for the Convent of the Sacree Coeur next day.
50
Somebody might have thought of bringing the jug of water ashore. If I don’t do anything it isn’t done in this house—I mean this family.
51
Kitty, if you write on that pillow with my lipstick
52
People’s homes—a lovely home
53
Have you a wadder closet?
54
“Am I right or wrong?” he asked the head waiter. The answer was obvious—he was right—gloriously and everlasttingly right. Interesting too.
55
“The French Riviera.”
“But surely not now,” objected Mrs. Woodle. “It’s—it’s closed.”
“How do you mean closed. We’re not going hunting.”
56
“I’m giving a dinner tonight, some very fine cultivated people. I want you to come. I sent a note to your cabin.”
“For God’s sake,” Lew groaned, “I don’t want to meet any people. I know some people.”
57
“Look me up in the Social Register”
58
Movie conversation about Anne of Austria
59
You hate people, don’t you?
Yes, and you do too.
I hate them like hell.
What are you going to do about it?
I don’t know. But not that anyhow. If I’m cold I’m not going to always use it to learn their secrets by finding them off guard and vulnerable. And I’m not going around saying I’m fond of people when I mean I’m so damned used to their reactions to my personal charm that I can’t do without it. Getting emptier and enptier. Love is shy. I thought from the first that no one who thought about it like you did ever had it.
60
“Or have you got an engagement with your drug-taking friend in Monte Carlo?”
He sat down and began putting on his shoes.
“I shouldn’t have told you that. I suppose you think he’ll convert me to the habit.”
“I certainly don’t think it’s a very profitable association.”
“Oh, yes it is. It’s not everybody who can get the dope habit from a prominent moving picture director. In fact, it’s begun already. At this very moment I’m full of dope. He started me on cocaine, and we’re working slowly up to heroin.”
“That isn’t really funny, Francis.”
“Excuse me. I was trying to be funny and I know you don’t like my way of being funny.”
She countered his growing bitterness by adopting a tone of calm patience.
61
In Virginia the Italian children say:
“Lincoln threw blacks out; now they’re back”
“The white people fit the Yankees”
“Yankees are white people” Statement.
“Not I ever hear tell of.” Ans.
62
I really loved him, but of course it wore out like a love affair. The fairies have spoiled all that.
63
“Just a couple of old drunks, just a couple of ol-l-ld circus clowns.”
64
SCRATCHING: “Any particular place?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“All over.”
65
Mr. So and So went on a spree and lost his position.
66
“Some people are just naturally uxorious—I love Katherine but if she died I’d marry again in a year—and I’d say that in front of her.”
“Not I,” Cass thought. “When I married Jill I didn’t want to and I had every reason not to. But afterwards I had eight perfect years—eight perfect years with never a night of going to sleep in anger and never a morning when we didn’t think first of each other.”
He tried the usual specifics for sorrow—endless work, an expedition into drink, almost everything except women. And he said aloud a few times without striving for effect “That’s over—my heart’s in the grave.”
Now when a man of thirty-four, successful and well-liked, with no extra flesh around his middle and no pink spot in his hair lets it be known that his affections are underground there are a certain number of women who will think “Maybe” and wonder.
67
I’m in a hurry
I’m in a hurry. I’m in a hurry
What are you in a hurry about?
I can’t explain I’m in a hurry
68
This is a tough girl and I’m taking her to tough place.
69
300 a day die in auto accidents in the U. S. A.
70
Man looking at aeroplane. “That’s one of them new gyropractors.”
71
Bijou, regarding her cigarette fingers:
“Oh, Trevah! Get me the pumice stone.”
72
His life was a sort of dream, as are most lives with the mainspring left out.
73
Suddenly her face resumed that expression which can only come from studying moving picture magazines over and over, and only described as one long blond wish toward something—a wish that you’d have a wedlock with the youth of Shirley Temple, the earning power of Clark Gable; the love of Clark Gable and the talent of Charles Laughton—and with a bright smile the girl was gone.
74
Feel wide awake—no but at least I feel born, which is more than I did the first time I woke up.
75
The cartoon cat licked the cartoon kitten and a girl behind me said, “Isn’t that sweet?”
76
In utter weariness he asked her once in different words, “Then where do you go from here—where do you turn?”
“Toward life,” she said “Toward life,” and turned toward him.
77
We can’t just let our worlds crash around us like a lot of dropped trays.
78
Q: What did he die of? A: He died of jus’ sheer die-ability.
79
Mother saying she went over to Baltimore “right after the funeral.”
80
“Hello, Sam.” When you were a good guest you knew the name of the servants, the smallest babies, and the oldest aunts. “Is Bonny in?”
81
“You’re now talking to Mr. Brugerol’s second. Anything you say will be used against you. My client demands an apology.”
“My client refuses to apoligize.”
“Well, my client says unless he gets an apology and a good one, he wants to kill your client.”
“Well, he’s got to catch him first.” We all laughed noiselessly; then with sudden compunction Francis added, “Is that old bloodhound serious about this?”
82
At Laundry Convention. First he vomited on my car, then he vomited on my dogs. Then I got the hose etc. Was I right?
83
That’s Mr. Woodles—he had a vurry, vurry low cephalic index.
84
“Oh, all we sickies used to smoke in Switzerland, sort of disinfectant don’t you know.”
85
I like writers. If you speak to a writer you often get an answer.
86
Woman says about husband that he keeps bringing whole great masses of dogs back from the pound
87
“We haven’t got any more gin,” he said. “Will you have a bromide?” he added hopefully.
88
A Beach. The nurses. Passing through a phrase, “Nothink, didn’t I, Mummy?”
89
“Our typical remark is a very doubtful. Well, I don’t know” (This was one of Seth’s un-American days.) “For the British it’s ’Extraordinary’—a stupefaction toward something not understood—but it disposed of, for their ends at least.”
“For the French i ’s ’Eh, voila!’ “ said Abe.
“Exactly. A point proved, an exposition made.”
This doesn’t sound real, but I’m sure that’s what we said—
I talk in a rather cracked bookish voice, for instance, with really quite well balanced sentences.
90
Long engagements, nothing to do but to marry or quarrel so I decided to quarrel.
91
I didn’t do it,” he said, using the scented “I”
92
They get thrown together so much. They have to kiss each other so much. That’s the danger of the stage. They get thrown together.
93
Remember you’re physically repulsive to me
94
By opposing to them a tensity such as a quarterback opposes to a big tackle coming down to take him out. All right—into this smaller compass between my muscle I will interpose a (something—look up) of tissue that will stand you—but something more, big boy, I will wear you out psychologically until you give me the game, until I fascinate you like whatever beasts of prey go in for fascination.
95
Just suppose you tried to put over a point by main strength. Look here, I’d take this fixture, this lamp, anything, and crack you with it.”
96
Learn young about hard work and good manners—and you’ll be through the whole dirty mess and nicely dead again before you know it.
97
Now it’s all as useless as repeating a dream.
98
The Caux Count’s Bricks.
99
“There seems to be some man named Jack that all the waiters want to see,” he remarked seriously.
“That means money.”
“Oh Jack means money. Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes I see—jack.”
100
Will you be long in Naples? That sounds like Hugo’s All you want to know in German. Don’t you know the questions? Are all your rooms taken and is attendance included?
Do not shut the windows entirely.
We will finish up with black coffee cigars and liqueurs.
I always like that one.
I used one of those pamphlets once in Italy—confessed.
101
I’m going to break that stubborn stupid part of you that thinks that any American woman who has met Brancuse is automatically genius and entitled ever after to leave the dishes and walk around with her head in the clouds.
102
They read a couple of books and see a few pictures because they haven’t got anything else to do, and then they say they’re finer in grain than you are, and to prove it they take the bit in their teeth and tear off for a fare-you-well just about as sensitive as a fire horse.
103
You look to me like a very ordinary three piece suit
104
I still don’t understand why we’re not only the boat— why we’re on the rocking house.
105
“This here nigger’s my boy Hugo.”
“Your son!” The girl stared from one to the other in wild fascination.
“No, he’s my body-servant. I guess you’d call it. We call a nigger a boy down yonder.”
106
Man to Woman “You look as if you wanted excitement—is that true?”
107
Go and sleep with a cheap skate—go on—it’d do you good. It would take another little tuck in your soul and you’d fit better, be more comfortable.
108
I’m sore—I’m going home and read fine print.
109
Francis says he wants to go away and try his personality on a lot of new people.
110
He drew himself up with a dignified hiccup.
“That was before repeal,” he said, “I am now tryin to stand behind the President.”
“But you’re not standing behind the President,” objected Georgy, “You’re—teetering.”
111
“You went out of your way to make a preposterous attack on an old gentlewoman who had given you nothing but courtesy and consideration.”
112
“I have decided that the office cannot continue to hold both you and me. One of us must go—which shall it be?”
“Well, Mr. Wrackham, your name is painted on the doors—I suppose it would be simpler if you stayed.”
113
“My last husband was thrown from his horse. You must learn to ride.” He takes one look around uneasily for a horse..
114
“We throw in one of these flowers. You know how frails are—if a stone sails in they put up a yelp—if it’s a rose they think there’s the Prince of Wales at last.”
115
That one about the four girls named Meg who fall down the rabbit hole
116
He wants to make a goddess out of me and I want to be Mickey Mouse.
117
Sara’s remark “Can’t they get along with anybody?”
118
Third class passengers (Archie on boat)
119
No, there is no one here. Pay attention. No one I say, or if there is one like another. Pay attention.
120
“Everytime some debutante decides to dazzle the world there’s another flop due on Broadway.
121
Mr. Powell by a circular motion of his finger sped Hugo on the designated mission. Then he seated himself gingerly in a rocking-chair and began revolving his thatched straw hat rapidly in his hands.
122
“Yes mamn, if necessary. Look here, you take a girl and she goes into some cafe where she’s got no business to go. Well then her escort he gets a little too much to drink an’ he goes to sleep an’ then some other fella comes up and says ’Hello, sweet mamma’ or whatever one of those mashers says up here. What does she do? She can’t scream, on accout of no real lady’ll scream nowadays—no—she just reaches down in her pocket and slips her fingers into a pair of Powell’s defensive brassknuckles, debutante’s size, executes what I call the Scoeity Hook, and Wham! that big fella’s on his way to the cellar.
123
“Well—what—what’s the guitar for?” whispered the awed Amanthis. Do they have to knock somebody over with the guitar?”
“No, mamn! exclaimed Jim in horror. “No mamn. In my course no lady would be taught to raise a guitar against anybody. I teach ’em to play. Shucks! you ought to hear ’em. Why when I’ve given ’em two lessons you’d think some of ’em was colored.
124
“What are they doing?” whispered Amanthis to Jim.
“That there’s a course in southern accent. Lot of young men up here want to learn southern accent—so we teach it— Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Eastern Shore, Ole Virginian. Some of ’em even want straight nigger—for song purpose.’’
125
Why aren’t you at Captain’s table?
126
Dinah’s “you’ll spoil everything.”
127
Don’t you think you’re sort of hogging your son, Mrs. So and So?
128
“Nothing and nothing make nothing.”
“What was that Mrs. X said?”
“What was it you said, Mrs. X? Let us listen and next time we’ll hear her. She says priceless things. What was it you said, Mrs. X?”
“I said ’Nothing and nothing make nothing.’ “
129
To Bertram Russell:
“Well, for Christ’s sake, I’m not keeping you.”
“Thanks for your polite curses. I have nothing against you. In fact I etc. and had meant to etc. I do believe there is a certain class of Englishmen who profit by a good peck in my backside occasionally. And there is a certain section of my countrymen who take pleasure in giving it very much as to make it clear, it was once considered a good rag at Eton to kick physically the bottom of the current candidates for the kingdoms of Abysinnia and Spain.”
Your Lordship’s Most Obediant Servant
130
“Oh last month they had pictures of a lot of girls, only under mine it said that it was Miss Somebody Curtis from Philadelphia who was visiting in the city.” She groaned, “That was the last straw.”
131
Biggest laugh of the seasing.
132
Adjust my strap.
133
Hey, set still. Doan get so excited. You’d think you was the firs guy ever got boined.
134
Frances’ “Terribly Aryan looking”
135
Girl on train who said “So bigoted”
136
Bud Murray’s inferior complex.
137
Ogden and Jesus
138
The Bowes children: “I blame it on the door,” and “I didn’t push her—she didn’t break her leg—see, it’s on.”
139
“The time I fell off a closet shelf.
“You what?”
“I fell off a shelf—and he put it in the paper.”
“Well, what were you doing?”
“I just happened to be up on a shelf and I fell off.”
“Oh, don’t say it.”
“I’ve stopped giving any further explanations. Anyhow father said it was news.”
140
“I feel panicky, “she confessed. “Last Christmas I thought I was through with boys and then one night in May up at New Haven the orchestra kept playing Poor Butterfly over and over again and lots of them were in uniform already and they all got touching and romantic like they used to be. I began thinking suppose the war lasts five or ten years more and they all get killed. Every day I wait I’ll have less men to choose from—and if I wait till I fall in love again I’ll just wait forever.”
1786
“They’re two of us”
“Oh, there are? So that’s it. I noticed things were costing, and I thought I saw something, but I thought it was one of the work relief projects.”
1798
In Train. “Here’s where we’re going—” And then as they looked hastily out the window at a graveyard, “But not now”.
Next: D: Description of Things and Atmosphere.
Переводы: C: Разговоры, услышанные фразы (разные переводчики).