Читать книгу The Complete Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald онлайн

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“Well, Wednesday came around again, and this show was one show I wanted to see. I’d been wanting to see it for months, and every time I went into the drug store I asked them if they had any tickets. But they never did.” He hesitated. “So Tuesday I took a chance and went over to the box office and got a seat. Two seventy-five it cost me.” He nodded impressively. “Two seventy-five. Like throwing money away. But I wanted to see that show.”

Mrs. Robinson in the front row rose suddenly to her feet.

“I don’t see what all this story has to do with it,” she broke out a little shrilly. “I’m sure I don’t care—”

The judge brought his gavel sharply down on the desk.

“Sit down, please,” he said. “This is a court of law, not a matinee.”

Mrs. Robinson sat down, drawing herself up into a thin line and sniffing a little as if to say she’d see about this after awhile. The judge pulled out his watch.

“Go on,” he said to Stuart. “Take all the time you want.”

“I got there first,” continued Stuart in a flustered voice. “There wasn’t anybody in there but me and the fella that was cleaning up. After awhile the audience came in, and it got dark and the play started, but just as I was all settled in my seat and ready to have a good time I heard an awful row directly behind me. Somebody had asked this lady”—he pointed to Mrs. Robinson—“to remove her hat like she should of done anyhow and she was sore about it. She kept telling the two ladies that was with her how she’d been at the theatre before and knew enough to take off her hat. She kept that up for a long time, five minutes maybe, and then every once in awhile she’d think of something new and say it in a loud voice. So finally I turned around and looked at her because I wanted to see what a lady looked like that could be so inconsiderate as that. Soon as I turned back she began on me. She said I was insolent and then she said ‘Tchk! Tchk! Tchk!’ a lot with her tongue and the two ladies that was with her said ‘Tchk! Tchk! Tchk!’ until you could hardly hear yourself think, much less listen to the play. You’d have thought I’d done something terrible.