TOLSTOY:AnnaKareninaPart7,Chapter06[PreviousChapter][TableofContents]Chapter6`Perhapsthey’renotathome?’saidLevin,ashewentintothehallofCountessBol’shouse。
`Athome;pleasewalkin,’saidtheporter,resolutelyremovinghisovercoat。
`Howannoying!’thoughtLevinwithasigh,takingoffonegloveandstrokinghishat。`WhatdidIcomefor?WhathaveItosaytothem?’
AshepassedthroughthefirstdrawingroomLevinmetinthedoorwayCountessBol,withacarewornandsevereface,givingsomeordertoaservant。
OnseeingLevinshesmiled,andaskedhimtocomeintothenextlittledrawingroomwhereheheardvoices。InthisroomthereweresittinginarmchairsthetwodaughtersoftheCountess,andaMoscowcolonel,whomLevinknew。Levinwalkedup,greetedthem,andsatdownbesidethesofa,withhishatonhisknees。
`Howisyourwife?Haveyoubeenattheconcert?Wecouldn’tgo。
Mammahadtobeattherequiem。’
`Yes,Iheard……Whatasuddendeath!’saidLevin。
TheCountesscamein,satdownonthesofa,andshetooaskedafterhiswifeandinquiredabouttheconcert。
Levinanswered,andrepeatedaninquiryaboutMadameApraksina’ssuddendeath。
`Butshewasalwaysinpoorhealth。’
`Wereyouattheoperayesterday?’
`Yes,Iwas。’
`Luccawasverygood。’
`Yes,verygood,’hesaid,and,asitwasutterlyofnoconsequencetohimwhattheythoughtofhim,hebeganrepeatingwhattheyhadheardahundredtimesaboutthecharacteristicsofthesinger’stalent。CountessBolpretendedtobelistening。Then,whenhehadsaidenoughandhadpaused,thecolonel,whohadbeensilenttillthen,begantotalk。Thecoloneltootalkedoftheoperaandillumination。Atlast,afterspeakingoftheproposedfollejourné;eatTurin’s,thecolonellaughed,gotupnoisily,andwentaway。Levintoorose,buthesawbythefaceoftheCountessthatitwasnotyettimeforhimtogo。Hemuststaytwominuteslonger。Hesatdown。
Butashewasthinkingallthewhilehowstupiditwas,hecouldnotfindasubjectforconversation,andsatsilent。
`Youarenotgoingtothepublicmeeting?Theysayitwillbeveryinteresting,’begantheCountess。
`No,Ipromisedmybelle-soeurtofetchherfromit,’saidLevin。
Asilencefollowed。Themotheroncemoreexchangedglanceswithoneofthedaughters。
`Well,nowIthinkthetimehascome,’thoughtLevin,andhegotup。Theladiesshookhandswithhim,andbeggedhimtosaymillechosestohiswifeforthem。
Theporteraskedhim,ashegavehimhiscoat:`WhereisYourHonorstaying?’andimmediatelywrotedownhisaddressinabighandsomelyboundbook。
`OfcourseIdon’tcare,butstillIfeelashamedandawfullystupid,’thoughtLevin,consolinghimselfwiththereflectionthateveryonedoesit。Hedrovetothepublicmeeting,wherehewastofindhissister-in-law,soastodrivehomewithher。
Atthepublicmeetingofthecommitteetherewereagreatmanypeople,andalmostallthehighestsociety。Levinwasintimeforthereportwhich,aseveryonesaid,wasveryinteresting。Whenthereadingofthereportwasover,peoplemovedabout,andLevinmetSviiazhsky,whoinvitedhimverypressinglytocomethateveningtoameetingoftheSocietyofAgriculture,whereacelebratedreportwastobedelivered,andStepanArkadyevich,whohadonlyjustcomefromtheraces,andmanyotheracquaintances;
andLevinheardandutteredvariouscriticismsonthemeeting,onthenewplay,andonapublictrial。But,probablyfromthementalfatiguehewasbeginningtofeel,hemadeablunderinspeakingofthetrial,andthisblunderherecalledseveraltimeswithvexation。SpeakingofthesentenceuponaforeignerwhohadbeencondemnedinRussia,andofhowunfairitwouldbetopunishhimbyexileabroad,Levinrepeatedwhathehadheardthedaybeforeinconversationfromanacquaintance。
`Ithinksendinghimabroadismuchthesameaspunishingacarpbyputtingitintothewater,’saidLevin。Thenherecollectedthatthisidea,whichhehadheardfromanacquaintanceandutteredashisown,camefromafableofKrilov’s,andthattheacquaintancehadpickeditupfromanewspaperarticle。
Afterdrivinghomewithhissister-in-law,andfindingKittyingoodspiritsandquitewell,Levindrovetotheclub。
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TOLSTOY:AnnaKareninaPart7,Chapter07[PreviousChapter][TableofContents]Chapter7Levinreachedtheclubjustattherighttime。Membersandvisitorsweredrivingupashearrived。Levinhadnotbeenattheclubforaverylongwhile-notsincehelivedinMoscow,whenhewasleavingtheuniversityandgoingintosociety。Herememberedtheclub,theexternaldetailsofitsarrangement,buthehadcompletelyforgottentheimpressionithadmadeonhiminolddays。Butassoonas,drivingintothewidesemicircularcourtandgettingoutofthecab,hemountedthesteps,andthehallporter,adornedwithacrossbelt,noiselesslyopenedthedoortohimwithabow;
assoonashesawintheporter’sroomthecloaksandgaloshesofmemberswhothoughtitlesstroubletotakethemoffdownstairs;assoonasheheardthemysteriousringingbellthatprecededhimasheascendedthelow-stepped,carpetedstaircase,andsawthestatueonthelanding,andthethirdporteratthetopdoors,afamiliarfiguregrownolder,intheclublivery,openingthedoorwithouthasteordelay,andscanningthevisitorsastheypassedin-Levinfelttheoldimpressionoftheclubcomebackinarush,animpressionofrepose,comfort,andpropriety。
`Yourhat,please,’theportersaidtoLevin,whoforgottheclubruleofcheckinghishatintheporter’sroom。`Longtimesinceyou’vebeenhere。ThePrinceputyournamedownyesterday。PrinceStepanArkadyevichisnothereyet。’
TheporternotonlyknewLevin,butalsoallhisconnectionsandrelationships,andsoimmediatelymentionedhisintimatefriends。
Passingthroughtheouterhall,dividedupbyscreens,andtheroompartitionedontheright,whereamansitsatthefruitbuffet,Levinpassedbyashufflingoldman,andenteredthediningroom,fullofnoiseandpeople。
Hewalkedalongthetables,almostallfull,andscrutinizedthevisitors。Hesawpeopleofallsorts,oldandyoung;someheknewalittle;
somewereintimatefriends。Therewasnotasinglecrossorworried-lookingface。Allseemedtohavecheckedtheircaresandanxietiesintheporter’sroomwiththeirhats,andwerealldeliberatelygettingreadytoenjoythematerialblessingsoflife。SviiazhskywashereandShcherbatsky,NeviedovskyandtheoldPrince,andVronskyandSergeiIvanovich。
`Ah!Whyareyoulate?’thePrincesaidsmiling,andgivinghimhishandoverhisownshoulder。`How’sKitty?’headded,smoothingoutthenapkinhehadtuckedinathiswaistcoatbuttons。
`Verywell;theyarediningathome,allthreeofthem。’
`Ah,``Alines-Nadines’tobesure!There’snoroomwithus。Gotothattable,andmakehasteandtakeaseat,’saidthePrince,andturningawayhecarefullytookaplateofburbotsoup。
`Levin,thisway!’agood-naturedvoiceshoutedalittlefartheron。ItwasTurovtsin。Hewassittingwithayoungofficer,andbesidethemweretwochairstippedover。Levingladlywentuptothem。Hehadalwayslikedthegoodheartedrake,Turovtsin-hewasassociatedinhismindwithmemoriesofhiscourtship-andatthatmoment,afterthestrainofintellectualconversation,thesightofTurovtsin’sgood-naturedfacewasparticularlywelcome。
`ForyouandOblonsky。He’llbeheredirectly。’
Theyoungman,holdinghimselfveryerect,witheyesforevertwinklingwithenjoyment,wasanofficerfromPeterburg,Gaghin。Turovtsinintroducedthem。
`Oblonsky’salwayslate。’
`Ah,hereheis!
`Haveyouonlyjustcome?’saidOblonsky,comingquicklytowardthem。`Goodday。Hadsomevodka?Well,comealongthen。’
Levingotupandwentwithhimtothebigtablespreadwithspiritsandappetizersofthemostvariedkinds。Onewouldhavethoughtthatoutoftwodozendelicaciesonemightfindsomethingtoone’staste,butStepanArkadyevichaskedforsomethingspecial,andoneoftheliveriedwaitersstandingbyimmediatelybroughtwhatwasrequired。Theydrankaponyeachandreturnedtotheirtable。
Atonce,whiletheywerestillattheirsoup,Gaghinwasservedwithchampagne,andtoldthewaitertofillfourglasses。Levindidnotrefusethewine,andaskedforasecondbottle。Hewasveryhungry,andateanddrankwithgreatenjoyment,andwithstillgreaterenjoymenttookpartinthelivelyandsimpleconversationofhiscompanions。Gaghin,droppinghisvoice,toldthelastgoodstoryfromPeterburg,andthestory,thoughimproperandstupid,wassoludicrousthatLevinbrokeintoroarsoflaughtersoloudthatthosenearlookedround。
`That’sinthesamestyleas,``that’sathingIcan’tendure!’
Youknowthestory?’saidStepanArkadyevich。`Ah,that’sexquisite!Anotherbottle,’hesaidtothewaiter,andhebegantorelatehisgoodstory。
`PiotrIllyichVinovskyinvitesyoutodrinkwithhim,’alittleoldwaiterinterruptedStepanArkadyevich,bringingtwodelicateglassesofsparklingchampagne,andaddressingStepanArkadyevichandLevin。StepanArkadyevichtooktheglass,andlookingtowardabaldmanwithredmustachesattheotherendofthetable,henoddedtohim,smiling。
`Who’sthat?’askedLevin。
`Youmethimonceatmyplace,don’tyouremember?Agood-naturedfellow。’
LevindidthesameasStepanArkadyevichandtooktheglass。
StepanArkadyevich’sanecdotetoowasveryamusing。Levintoldhisstory,andthattoowassuccessful。Thentheytalkedofhorses,oftheraces,ofwhattheyhadbeendoingthatday,andofhowsmartlyVronsky’sAtlashadwonthefirstprize。Levindidnotnoticehowthetimepassedatdinner。
`Ah!Andheretheyare!’StepanArkadyevichsaidtowardtheendofdinner,leaningoverthebackofhischairandholdingouthishandtoVronsky,whocameupwithatallcoloneloftheGuards。Vronsky’sfacetoobeamedwiththelookofgood-humoredenjoymentthatwasgeneralintheclub。HeproppedhiselbowplayfullyonStepanArkadyevich’sshoulder,whisperingsomethingtohim,andheheldouthishandtoLevinwiththesamegood-humoredsmile。
`Verygladtomeetyou,’hesaid。`Ilookedoutforyouattheelection,butIwastoldyouhadgoneaway。’
`Yes,Ileftthesameday。We’vejustbeentalkingofyourhorse。
Icongratulateyou,’saidLevin。`Itwasruninveryfasttime。’
`Yes;you’veracehorsestoo,haven’tyou?’
`No,myfatherhad;butIrememberandknowsomethingaboutthem。’
`Wherehaveyoudined?’askedStepanArkadyevich。
`Wewereatthesecondtable,behindthecolumns。’
`We’vebeencelebratinghissuccess,’saidthetallcolonel。`It’shissecondImperialprize。IwishImighthavetheluckatcardshehaswithhorses。’
`Well,whywasteprecioustime?I’mgoingtothe``infernalregions,’’
addedthecolonel,andhewalkedaway。
`That’sIashvin,’VronskysaidinanswertoTurovtsin,andhesatdowninthevacatedseatbesidethem。Hedranktheglassofferedhim,andorderedabottleofwine。Undertheinfluenceoftheclubatmosphereorthewinehehaddrunk,LevinchattedawaytoVronskyofthebestbreedsofcattle,andwasverygladnottofeeltheslightesthostilitytothisman。Heeventoldhim,amongotherthings,thathehadheardfromhiswifethatshehadmethimatPrincessMaryaBorissovna’s。
`Ah,PrincessMaryaBorissovna-she’sexquisite!’saidStepanArkadyevich,andhetoldananecdoteaboutherwhichsetthemalllaughing。
VronskyinparticularlaughedwithsuchsimpleheartedamusementthatLevinfeltquitereconciledtohim。
`Well,havewefinished?’saidStepanArkadyevich,gettingupwithasmile。`Letusgo。’
[NextChapter][TableofContents]TOLSTOY:AnnaKareninaPart7,Chapter08[PreviousChapter][TableofContents]Chapter8Gettingupfromthetable,LevinwalkedwithGaghinthroughtheloftyroomstothebilliardroom,feelinghisarmsswingashewalkedwithapeculiarlightnessandease。Ashecrossedthebigroom,hecameuponhisfather-in-law。
`Well,howdoyoulikeourTempleofIndolence?’saidthePrince,takinghisarm。`Comealong,comealong!’
`Yes,Iwantedtowalkaboutandlookateverything。It’sinteresting。’
`Yes,it’sinterestingforyou。Butitsinterestformeisquitedifferent。Youlookatsuchlittleancients,now,’hesaid,pointingtoaclubmemberwithbentbackandpendulouslip,shufflingtowardtheminhissoftboots,`andimaginethattheywereshlupikslikethatfromtheirbirthup。’
`Shlupiks?’
`Iseeyoudon’tknowthatname。That’sourclubdesignation。
Youknowthegameofrollingeggs:whenone’srolledalongwhileitbecomesashlupik。Soitiswithus;onegoesoncomingandcomingtotheclub,andendsbybecomingashlupik。Ah,youlaugh!butwelookout,forfearofdroppingintoitourselves。YouknowPrinceChechensky?’inquiredthePrince;andLevinsawbyhisfacethathewasjustgoingtorelatesomethingfunny。
`No,Idon’tknowhim。’
`Youdon’tsayso!Well,PrinceChechenskyisawell-knownfigure。
Nomatter,though。He’salwaysplayingbilliardshere。Onlythreeyearsagohewasnotashlupik,andkeptuphisspirits,andevenusedtocallotherpeopleshlupiks。Butonedayheturnsup,andourporter……YouknowVassilii?Why,thatfatone;he’sfamousforhisbonsmots。AndsoPrinceChechenskyaskshim,``Come,Vassiliiwho’shere?Anyshlupikshereyet?’
Andhesays:``You’rethethird。’Yes,mydearboy,thathedid!’
Talkingandgreetingthefriendstheymet,LevinandthePrincewalkedthroughalltherooms:thegreatroomwheretableshadalreadybeenset,andtheusualpartnerswereplayingforsmallstakes;thedivanroom,wheretheywereplayingchess,andSergeiIvanovichwassittingtalkingtosomebody;thebilliardroom,where,aboutthesofainarecess,therewasalivelypartydrinkingchampagne-Gaghinwasoneofthem。Theypeepedintothe`infernalregions,’whereagoodmanymenwerecrowdingroundonetable,atwhichIashvinwassitting。Tryingnottomakeanoise,theywalkedintothedarkreadingroom,whereundertheshadedlampstheresatayoungmanwithawrathfulcountenance,turningoveronejournalafteranother,andabaldgeneralburiedinabook。Theywent,too,intowhatthePrincecalledtheintellectualroom,wherethreegentlemenwereengagedinaheateddiscussionofthelatestpoliticalnews。
`Prince,pleasecome,we’reready,’saidoneofhiscardparty,whohadcometolookforhim,andthePrincewentoff。Levinsatdownandlistened,butrecallingalltheconversationofthemorninghefeltallofasuddenfearfullybored。Hegotuphurriedly,andwenttolookforOblonskyandTurovtsin,withwhomithadbeensopleasant。
Turovtsinwasoneofthecircledrinkinginthebilliardroom,andStepanArkadyevichwastalkingwithVronskynearthedooratthefarthercorneroftheroom。
`It’snotthatshe’sdull;butthisundefined,thisunsettledposition,’Levincaught,andhewasgoingtohurryaway,butStepanArkadyevichcalledhim。
`Levin!’saidStepanArkadyevich;andLevinnoticedthathiseyeswerenotfulloftearsexactly,butmoist,whichalwayshappenedwhenhehadbeendrinking,orwhenhewastouched。Todayitwasduetobothcauses。
`Levin,don’tgo,’hesaid,andhewarmlysqueezedhisarmabovetheelbow,obviouslynotatallwishingtolethimgo。
`Thisisatruefriendofmine-almostmygreatestfriend,’hesaidtoVronsky。`Youalsoarestillcloseranddearertome。AndIwantyou,andIknowyouought,tobefriends,andgreatfriends,becauseyou’rebothsplendidfellows。’
`Well,there’snothingforusnowbuttokissandbefriends,’
Vronskysaid,withgood-naturedplayfulness,holdingouthishand。
Levinquicklytooktheofferedhand,andsqueezeditwarmly。
`I’mvery,veryglad,’saidLevin。
`Waiter,abottleofchampagne,’saidStepanArkadyevich。
`AndI’mveryglad,’saidVronsky。
ButinspiteofStepanArkadyevich’sdesire,andtheirowndesire,theyhadnothingtotalkabout,andbothfeltit。
`Doyouknow,hehasnevermetAnna?’StepanArkadyevichsaidtoVronsky。`AndIwantaboveeverythingtotakehimtoseeher。Letusgo,Levin!’
`Really?’saidVronsky。`Shewillbeverygladtoseeyou。Ishouldbegoinghomeatonce,’headded,`butI’mworriedaboutIashvin,andI
wanttostayontillhefinishes。’
`Why,ishelosing?’
`Hekeepslosing,andI’mtheonlyfriendthatcanrestrainhim。’
`Well,whatdoyousaytopyramids?Levin,willyouplay?Capital!’
saidStepanArkadyevich。`Getthetableready,’hesaidtothemarker。
`Ithasbeenreadyalongwhile,’answeredthemarker,whohadalreadysettheballsinatriangle,andwasknockingtheredoneaboutforhisowndiversion。
`Well,letusbegin。’
AfterthegameVronskyandLevinsatdownatGaghin’stable,andatStepanArkadyevich’ssuggestionLevintookahandinthegame。Vronskysatdownatthetable,surroundedbyfriends,whowereincessantlycominguptohim。Everynowandthenhewenttothe`infernal’tokeepaneyeonIashvin。Levinwasenjoyingadelightfulsenseofreposeafterthementalfatigueofthemorning。HewasgladthatallhostilitywasatanendwithVronsky,andthesenseofpeace,decorumandcomfortneverlefthim。
Whenthegamewasover,StepanArkadyevichtookLevin’sarm。
`Well,letusgotoAnna’s,then。Atonce?Eh?Sheisathome。
Ipromisedherlongagotobringyou。Wherewereyouintendingtospendtheevening?’
`Oh,nowherespecially。IpromisedSviiazhskytogototheSocietyofAgriculture。Byallmeans,letusgo,’saidLevin。
`Verygood;comealong。Findoutifmycarriageishere,’StepanArkadyevichsaidtothewaiter。
Levinwentuptothetable,paidthefortyroubleshehadlost;
paidhisbill,theamountofwhichwasinsomemysteriouswayascertainedbythelittleoldwaiterwhostoodatthecounter,and,swinginghisarms,hewalkedthroughalltheroomstotheexit。
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TOLSTOY:AnnaKareninaPart7,Chapter09[PreviousChapter][TableofContents]Chapter9`Oblonsky’scarriage!’theportershoutedinanangrybass。Thecarriagedroveupandbothgotin。Itwasonlyforthefirstfewmoments,whilethecarriagewasdrivingoutoftheclubhousegates,thatLevinwasstillundertheinfluenceoftheclubatmosphereofrepose,comfort,andunimpeachablegoodform。Butassoonasthecarriagedroveoutintothestreet,andhefeltitjoltingovertheunevenroad,heardtheangryshoutofadrivercomingtowardthem,sawintheuncertainlighttheredblindofatavernandtheshops,thisimpressionwasdissipated,andhebegantothinkoverhisactions,andtowonderwhetherhewasdoingrightingoingtoseeAnna。
WhatwouldKittysay?ButStepanArkadyevichgavehimnotimeforreflection,and,asthoughdivininghisdoubts,hedispersedthem。
`HowgladIam,’hesaid,`thatyoushouldknowher!YouknowDollyhaslongwishedforit。AndLvov’sbeentoseeher,andoftengoes。
Thoughsheismysister,’StepanArkadyevichpursued,`Idon’thesitatetosaythatshe’saremarkablewoman……Butyouwillsee。Herpositionisverypainful,especiallynow。’
`Whyespeciallynow?’
`Wearecarryingonnegotiationswithherhusbandaboutadivorce。
Andhe’sagreed;buttherearedifficultiesinregardtotheson,andthebusiness,whichoughttohavebeenarrangedlongago,hasbeendraggingonforthreemonthspast。Assoonasthedivorceisover,shewillmarryVronsky。Howstupidtheseoldritualformsare-``Isaiah,rejoice!’-
whichnoonebelievesin,andwhichonlypreventpeoplebeingcomfortable!’
StepanArkadyevichputin。`Well,thentheirpositionwillbeasregularasmine,asyours。’
`Whatisthedifficulty?’saidLevin。
`Oh,it’salongandtediousstoryThewholebusinessisinsuchanindefinitestatewithus。Butthepointis,shehasbeenforthreemonthsinMoscow,whereeveryoneknowsher,waitingforthedivorce;shegoesoutnowhere,seesnowomanexceptDolly,because,doyouunderstand,shedoesn’tcaretohavepeoplecomeasafavor。ThatfoolPrincessVarvara,evenshehaslefther,consideringthisabreachofpropriety。Well,yousee,insuchapositionanyotherwomanwouldnothavefoundresourcesinherself。Butyou’llseehowshehasarrangedherlife-howcalm,howdignifiedsheis。Totheleft,inthealleyoppositethechurch!’shoutedStepanArkadyevich,leaningoutofthewindowofthecarriage。`Phew!Howhotitis!’hesaid,inspiteoftwelvedegreesoffrost,flingingopenhisunbuttonedovercoatstillmore。
`Butshehasadaughter:nodoubtshe’sbusylookingafterher?’
saidLevin。
`Ibelieveyoupictureeverywomansimplyasafemale,unecouveuse,’saidStepanArkadyevich。`Ifshe’soccupied,itmustbewithherchildren。No,shebringsherupcapitally,Ibelieve,butonedoesn’thearabouther。She’sbusy,inthefirstplace,withwhatshewrites。
Iseeyou’resmilingironically,butyou’rewrong。She’swritingachildren’sbook,anddoesn’ttalkaboutittoanyone,butshereadittomeandI
gavethemanuscripttoVorkuev……youknow,thepublisher……Andhe’sanauthorhimselftoo,Ifancy。Heunderstandsthosethings,andhesaysit’saremarkablepieceofwork。Butareyoufancyingshe’sawritingwoman?
Notabitofit。She’sawomanwithaheart,beforeeverything,butyou’llsee。NowshehasalittleEnglishgirlwithher,andawholefamilyshe’slookingafter。’
`Oh,somethinginaphilanthropicway?’
`Why,youwilllookateverythingintheworstlight。It’snotfromphilanthropy,it’sfromtheheart。They-thatis,Vronsky-hadatrainer,anEnglishman,first-rateinhisownline,butadrunkard。He’scompletelygivenuptodrink-deliriumtremens-andthefamilywerecastontheworld。Shesawthem,helpedthem,gotmoreandmoreinterestedinthem,andnowthewholefamilyisonherhands。Butnotbywayofpatronage,youknow,helpingwithmoney;she’sherselfpreparingtheboysinRussianforthehighschool,andshe’stakenthelittlegirltolivewithher。
Butyou’llseeherforyourself。’
Thecarriagedroveintothecourtyard,andStepanArkadyevichrangloudlyattheentrancewhereasleighwasstanding。
And,withoutaskingtheservantwhoopenedthedoorwhethertheladywereathome,StepanArkadyevichwalkedintothehall。Levinfollowedhim,moreandmoredoubtfulwhetherheweredoingrightorwrong。
Lookingathimselfintheglass,Levinnoticedthathewasredintheface,buthefeltcertainhewasnotdrunk,andhefollowedStepanArkadyevichupthecarpetedstairs。AtthetopStepanArkadyevichinquiredofthefootman,whobowedtohimastoanintimatefriend,whowaswithAnnaArkadyevna,andreceivedtheanswerthatitwasM。Vorkuev。
`Wherearethey?’
`Inthestudy。’
Passingthroughthediningroom,aroomnotverylarge,withdarkpaneledwalls,StepanArkadyevichandLevinwalkedoverthesoftcarpettothehalf-darkstudy,lightedupbyasinglelampwithabigdarkshade。
Anotherlampwithareflectorwashangingonthewall,lightingupabigfull-lengthportraitofawoman,whichLevincouldnothelplookingat。
ItwastheportraitofAnna,paintedinItalybyMikhailov。WhileStepanArkadyevichwentbehindthetreillage,andtheman’svoicewhichhadbeenspeakingpaused,Levingazedattheportrait,whichstoodoutfromtheframeinthebrilliantlightthrownonit,andhecouldnottearhimselfawayfromit。Hepositivelyforgotwherehewas,andnotevenhearingwhatwassaid,hecouldnottakehiseyesoffthemarvelousportrait。Itwasnotapicture,butaliving,charmingwoman,withblackcurlinghair,withbarearmsandshoulders,withapensivesmileonthelips,coveredwithsoftdown;triumphantlyandsoftlyshelookedathimwitheyesthatbaffledhim。Shewasnotliving,onlybecauseshewasmorebeautifulthananylivingwomancanbe。
`Iamdelighted。’Heheardsuddenlynearhimavoice,unmistakablyaddressinghim,thevoiceoftheverywomanhehadbeenadmiringintheportrait。Annahadcomefrombehindthetreillagetomeethim,andLevinsawinthedimlightofthestudytheverywomanoftheportrait,inadark-bluegownofchangeableblue,notinthesamepositionnorwiththesameexpression,butwiththesameperfectionofbeautywhichtheartisthadcaughtintheportrait。Shewaslessdazzlinginreality,but,ontheotherhand,therewassomethingfreshandseductiveinthelivingwomanwhichwasnotintheportrait。
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TOLSTOY:AnnaKareninaPart7,Chapter10[PreviousChapter][TableofContents]Chapter10Shehadrisentomeethim,withoutconcealingherpleasureatseeinghim;
andinthequieteasewithwhichsheheldoutherlittleandvigoroushand,introducedhimtoVorkuev,andindicatedared-haired,prettylittlegirlwhowassittingatwork,callingherherpupil,Levinrecognizedandlikedthemannersofawomanofthegreatworld,alwaysself-possessedandnatural。
`Iamdelighted,delighted,’sherepeated,andonherlipsthesesimplewordstookforLevin’searsaspecialsignificance。`Ihaveknownyouandlikedyouforalongwhile,bothfromyourfriendshipwithStivaandforyourwife’ssake……Iknewherforaveryshorttime,butsheleftonmetheimpressionofanexquisiteflower-justaflower。Andtothinkshewillsoonbeamother!’
Shespokeeasilyandwithouthaste,lookingnowandthenfromLevintoherbrother,andLevinfeltthattheimpressionhewasmakingwasgood,andhefeltimmediatelyathome,ateaseandhappywithher,asthoughhehadknownherfromchildhood。
`IvanPetrovichandIsettledinAlexei’sstudy,’shesaidinanswertoStepanArkadyevich’squestionwhetherhemightsmoke,`justsoastobeabletosmoke’-andglancingatLevin,insteadofaskingwhetherhewouldsmoke,shepulledcloseratortoise-shellcigarettecaseandtookacorn-leafcigarette。
`Howareyoufeelingtoday?’herbrotheraskedher。
`Oh,nothing。Nerves,asusual。’
`Yes,isn’titextraordinarilyfine?’saidStepanArkadyevich,noticingthatLevinwasglancingatthepicture。
`Ihaveneverseenabetterportrait。’
`Andextraordinarilylike,isn’tit?’saidVorkuev。
Levinlookedfromtheportraittotheoriginal。ApeculiarbrilliancelightedupAnna’sfacewhenshefelthiseyesonher。Levinflushed,andtocoverhisconfusionwouldhaveaskedwhethershehadseenDaryaAlexandrovnalately;butatthatmomentAnnaspoke:
`Wewerejusttalking,IvanPetrovichandI,ofVashchenkov’slastpictures。Haveyouseenthem?’
`Yes,Ihaveseenthem,’answeredLevin。
`But,Ibegyourpardon,Iinterruptedyou……Youweresaying?……’
LevinaskedifshehadseenDollylately。
`Shewashereyesterday。ShewasveryindignantwiththehighschoolpeopleonGrisha’saccount。TheLatinteacher,itseems,hadbeenunfairtohim。’
`Yes,Ihaveseenhispictures。Ididn’tcareforthemverymuch,’
Levinwentbacktothesubjectshehadstarted。
Levintalkednownotatallwiththatpurelybusinesslikeattitudetothesubjectwithwhichhehadbeentalkingallthemorning。Everywordinhisconversationwithherhadaspecialsignificance。Andtalkingtoherwaspleasant;stillpleasanterwasittolistentoher。
Annatalkednotmerelynaturallyandcleverly,butcleverlyandcarelessly,attachingnovaluetoherownideasandgivinggreatweighttotheideasofthepersonshewastalkingto。
Theconversationturnedonthenewmovementinart,onthenewillustrationsoftheBiblebyaFrenchartist。Vorkuevattackedtheartistforarealismcarriedtothepointofcoarseness。LevinsaidthattheFrenchhadcarriedconventionalityfurtherthananyone,andthatconsequentlytheyseeagreatmeritinthereturntorealism。Inthefactofnotlyingtheyseepoetry。
NeverhadanythingcleversaidbyLevingivenhimsomuchpleasureasthisremark。Anna’sfacelightedupatonce,assheimmediatelyappreciatedthethought。Shelaughed。
`Ilaugh,’shesaid,`asonelaughswhenoneseesaverytrueportrait。WhatyousaidsoperfectlyhitsoffFrenchartnow,painting-andliteraturetoo,indeed-Zola,Daudet。Butperhapsitisalwaysso,thatmenformtheirconceptionsfromfictitious,conventionaltypes,andthen-allthecombinaisonsmade-theyaretiredofthefictitiousfiguresandbegintoinventmorenatural,truefigures。’
`That’sperfectlytrue,’saidVorkuev。
`Soyou’vebeenattheclub?’shesaidtoherbrother。
`Yes,yes,thisawoman!’Levinthought,forgettinghimselfandstaringpersistentlyatherlovely,mobileface,whichatthatmomentwasallatoncecompletelytransformed。Levindidnothearwhatshewastalkingofassheleanedovertoherbrother,buthewasstruckbythechangeofherexpression。Herface-sohandsomeamomentbeforeinitsrepose-
suddenlyworealookofstrangecuriosity,anger,andpride。Butthislastedonlyaninstant。Shehalf-closedhereyes,asthoughrecollectingsomething。
`Oh,well,butthat’sofnointeresttoanyone,’shesaid,andsheturnedtotheEnglishgirl。
`Pleaseordertheteainthedrawingroom,’shesaidinEnglish。
Thegirlgotupandwentout。
`Well,howdidshegetthroughherexamination?’askedStepanArkadyevich。
`Splendidly!She’saverygiftedchildandasweetcharacter。’
`Itwillendinyourlovinghermorethanyourown。’
`Thereamanspeaks。Inlovethere’snosuchthingasmoreorless。Ilovemydaughterwithonelove,andherwithanother。’
`IwasjusttellingAnnaArkadyevna,’saidVorkuev,`thatifsheweretoputahundredthpartoftheenergyshedevotestothisEnglishgirltothepublicquestionoftheeducationofRussianchildren,shewouldbedoingagreatandusefulwork。’
`Yes,butIcan’thelpit;Icouldn’tdoit。CountAlexeiKirillovichurgedmeverymuch’assheutteredthewordsCountAlexeiKirillovichsheglancedwithappealingtimidityatLevin,andheunconsciouslyrespondedwitharespectfulandreassuringlook,`heurgedmetotakeuptheschoolinthevillage。Ivisiteditseveraltimes。Thechildrenwereverydear,butIcouldnotfeeldrawntothework。Youspeakofenergy。Energyrestsuponlove;and,comeasitwill,there’snoforcingit。Itooktothischild-Icouldnotmyselfsaywhy。’
AndsheglancedagainatLevin。Andhersmileandherglance-
alltoldhimthatitwastohimonlyshewasaddressingherwords,valuinghisgoodopinion,andatthesametimesurebeforehandthattheyunderstoodoneanother。
`Iquiteunderstandthat,’Levinanswered。`It’simpossibletogiveone’shearttoaschoolorsuchinstitutionsingeneral,andIbelievethatthat’sjustwhyphilanthropicinstitutionsalwaysgivesuchpoorresults。’
Shewassilentforawhile,thenshesmiled。`Yes,yes,’sheagreed;
`Inevercould。Jen’aipaslecoeurassezlargetoloveawholeasylumofhorridlittlegirls。Celanem’ajamaisré;ussi。
Therearesomanywomenwhohavemadethemselvesunepositionsocialeinthatway。Andnowmorethanever,’shesaidwithamournful,confidingexpression,ostensiblyaddressingherbrother,butunmistakablyintendingherwordsonlyforLevin,`nowwhenIhavesuchneedofsomeoccupation,Icannot。’AndsuddenlyfrowningLevinsawthatshewasfrowningatherselffortalkingaboutherselfshechangedthesubject。`Iknowaboutyou,’
shesaidtoLevin;`thatyou’renotapublic-spiritedcitizen,andIhavedefendedyoutothebestofmyability。’
`Howhaveyoudefendedme?’
`Oh,accordingtotheattacksmadeonyou。Butwon’tyouhavesometea?’Sheroseandtookupabookboundinmorocco。
`Giveittome,AnnaArkadyevna,’saidVorkuev,indicatingthebook。`It’swellworthtakingup。’
`Oh,no,it’sallsosketchy。’
`Itoldhimaboutit,’StepanArkadyevichsaidtohissister,noddingatLevin。
`Youshouldn’thave。MywritingissomethingafterthefashionofthoselittlebasketsandcarvingswhichLizaMertsalovausedtosellmefromtheprisons。Shehadthedirectionoftheprisondepartmentinthatsociety,’sheturnedtoLevin;`andtheyweremiraclesofpatience,theworkofthosepoorwretches。’
AndLevinsawanewtraitinthiswoman,whoattractedhimsoextraordinarily。Besideswit,grace,andbeauty,shehadtruth。Shehadnowishtohidefromhimallthebitternessofherposition。Asshesaidthatshesighed,andherface,suddenlyassumingahardexpression,looked,asitwere,turnedtostone。Withthatexpressiononherfaceshewasmorebeautifulthanever;buttheexpressionwasnew;itwasutterlyunlikethatexpression,radiantwithhappinessandcreatinghappiness,whichhadbeencaughtbythepainterinherportrait。Levinlookedmorethanonceattheportraitandatherfigure,astakingherbrother’sarmshewalkedwithhimtothehighdoors,andhefeltforheratendernessandpityatwhichhewonderedhimself。
SheaskedLevinandVorkuevtogointothedrawingroom,whileshestayedbehindtosayafewwordstoherbrother。`Aboutherdivorce,aboutVronsky,andwhathe’sdoingattheclub,aboutme?’wonderedLevin。
AndhewassokeenlyinterestedbythequestionofwhatshewassayingtoStepanArkadyevich,thathescarcelyheardwhatVorkuevwastellinghimofthequalitiesofthestoryforchildrenAnnaArkadyevnahadwritten。
Atteathesamepleasantsortoftalk,fullofinterestingmatter,continued。Therewasnotasingleinstantwhenasubjectforconversationwastoseek;onthecontrary,itwasfeltthatonehadhardlytimetosaywhatonehadtosay,andeagerlyheldbacktohearwhattheothersweresaying。Andallthatwassaid,notonlybyher,butbyVorkuevandStepanArkadyevich-all,soitseemedtoLevin,gainedpeculiarsignificancefromherattentiontohimandhercriticism。
Whilehefollowedthisinterestingconversation,Levinwasallthetimeadmiringher-herbeauty,herintelligence,herculture,andatthesametimeherdirectnessandhercordiality。Helistenedandtalked,andallthewhilehewasthinkingofherinnerlife,tryingtodivineherfeelings。Andthoughhehadjudgedhersoseverelyhitherto,nowbysomestrangechainofreasoninghewasjustifyingherandalsowassorryforher,andafraidthatVronskydidnotfullyunderstandher。Atteno’clock,whenStepanArkadyevichgotuptogoVorkuevhadleftearlier,itseemedtoLevinthathehadonlyjustcome。RegretfullyLevintoorose。
`Good-by,’shesaid,holdinghishandandglancingintohisfacewithawinninglook。`Iamverygladquelaglaceestrompue。’
Shedroppedhishand,andhalf-closedhereyes。
`TellyourwifethatIloveherasbefore,andthatifshecannotpardonmemyposition,thenmywishforheristhatshemayneverpardonme。Topardonit,onemustgothroughwhatIhavegonethrough,andmayGodspareherthat。’
`Certainly,yes,Iwilltellher……’Levinsaid,blushing。
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TOLSTOY:AnnaKareninaPart7,Chapter11[PreviousChapter][TableofContents]Chapter11`Whatamarvelous,sweetandunhappywoman!’hewasthinking,ashesteppedoutintothefrostyairwithStepanArkadyevich。
`Well,didn’tItellyou?’saidStepanArkadyevich,seeingthatLevinhadbeencompletelywonover。
`Yes,’saidLevinpensively,`anextraordinarywoman!It’snothercleverness,butshehassuchwonderfuldepthoffeeling。I’mawfullysorryforher!’
`Now,pleaseGodeverythingwillsoonbesettled。Well,well,don’tbehardonpeopleinfuture,’saidStepanArkadyevich,openingthecarriagedoor。`Good-by;wedon’tgothesameway。’
StillthinkingofAnna,ofeverything,eventhesimplestphraseintheirconversationwithher,andrecallingtheminutestchangesinherexpression,enteringmoreandmoreintoherposition,andfeelingsympathyforher,Levinreachedhome。
AthomeKouzmatoldLevinthatKaterinaAlexandrovnawasquitewell,andthathersistershadjustgone,andhehandedhimtwoletters。
Levinreadthematonceinthehall,thathemightnotoverlookthemlater。
OnewasfromSokolov,hisbailiff。Sokolovwrotethatthewheatcouldnotbesold,thatthepricewasonlyfiveandahalfroubles,andthathedidnotknowwherehehadtogetthemoney。Theotherletterwasfromhissister。
Shescoldedhimforherbusinessbeingstillunsettled。
`Well,wemustsellitatfiveandahalfifwecan’tgetmore,’
Levindecidedonthespotthefirstquestionwhichhadalwaysbeforeseemedsuchaweightyone,withextraordinaryfacility。`It’sextraordinaryhowallone’stimeistakenuphere,’hethought,consideringthesecondletter。
Hefelthimselftoblamefornothavinggotdonewhathissisterhadaskedhimtodoforher。`Today,again,I’venotbeentocourt,buttodayI’vecertainlynothadtime。’Andresolvingthathewouldnotfailtodoitnextday,hewentuptohiswife。Ashewentin,Levinmentallyranrapidlythroughthedayhehadspent。Alltheeventsofthedaywereconversations:
conversationshehadheardandtakenpartin。Alltheconversationswereuponsubjectswhich,ifhehadbeenaloneinthecountry,hewouldneverhavetakenup,butheretheywereveryinteresting。Andalltheseconversationswererightenough,onlyintwoplacestherewassomethingnotquiteright。
Onewaswhathehadsaidaboutthecarp,theotherwassomethingnotquitethethinginthetendersympathyhewasfeelingforAnna。
Levinfoundhiswifelow-spiritedanddull。Thedinnerofthethreesistershadgoneoffverywell,butthentheyhadwaitedandwaitedforhim,allofthemhadfeltdull,thesistershaddeparted,andshehadbeenleftalone。
`Well,andwhathaveyoubeendoing?’sheaskedhim,lookingstraightintohiseyes,whichshonewithratherasuspiciousbrightness。Butthatshemightnotpreventhistellinghereverything,sheconcealedherclosescrutinyofhim,andwithanapprovingsmilelistenedtohisaccountofhowhehadspenttheevening。
`Well,I’mverygladImetVronsky。Ifeltquiteateaseandnaturalwithhim。Youunderstand,Ishalltrynottoseehim,butI’mgladthatthisawkwardnessisallover,’hesaid,andrememberingthat,bywayoftryingnottoseehim,hehadimmediatelygonetocallonAnna,heblushed。
`Wetalkaboutthepeasantsdrinking;Idon’tknowwhodrinksmost,thepeasantryorourownclass;thepeasantsdoitonholidays,but……’
ButKittytooknottheslightestinterestindiscussingthedrinkinghabitsofthepeasants。Shesawthatheblushed,andshewantedtoknowwhy。
`Well,andthenwheredidyougo?’
`StivaurgedmeawfullytogoandseeAnnaArkadyevna。’
Andashesaidthis,Levinblushedevenmore,andhisdoubtsastowhetherhehaddonerightingoingtoseeAnnaweresettledonceforall。Heknewnowthatheoughtnottohavedoneso。
Kitty’seyesopenedinacuriouswayandgleamedatAnna’sname,butcontrollingherselfwithaneffort,sheconcealedheremotionanddeceivedhim。
`Oh!’wasallshesaid。
`I’msureyouwon’tbeangryatmygoing。Stivabeggedmeto,andDollywishedit,’Levinwenton。
`Oh,no!’shesaid,buthesawinhereyesaconstraintthatbodedhimnogood。
`Sheisaverysweet,avery,veryunhappy,goodwoman,’hesaid,tellingheraboutAnna,heroccupations,andwhatshehadtoldhimtosaytoher。
`Yes,ofcourse,sheisverymuchtobepitied,’saidKitty,whenhehadfinished。`Whomwasyourletterfrom?’
Hetoldher,andbelievinginhercalmtone,hewenttochangehiscoat。
Comingback,hefoundKittyinthesameeasychair。Whenhewentuptoher,sheglancedathimandbrokeintosobs。
`What?Whatisit?’heasked,knowingbeforehandwhat。
`You’reinlovewiththathatefulwoman;shehasbewitchedyou!
Isawitinyoureyes。Yes,yes!Whatcanitallleadto?Youweredrinkingattheclub,drinkingandgambling,andthenyouwent……Where?No,wemustgoaway……Ishallgoawaytomorrow。’
ItwasalongwhilebeforeLevincouldsoothehiswife。Atlasthesucceededincalmingher,onlybyconfessingthatafeelingofpity,inconjunctionwiththewinehehaddrunk,hadbeentoomuchforhim;thathehadsuccumbedtoAnna’sartfulinfluence,andthathewouldavoidher。
OnethinghedidwithmoresincerityconfesstowasthatlivingsolonginMoscow,alifeofnothingbutconversation,eatinganddrinking,hewasgrowingcrazy。Theytalkedtillthreeo’clockinthemorning。Onlyatthreeo’clockweretheysufficientlyreconciledtobeabletogotosleep。
[NextChapter][TableofContents]TOLSTOY:AnnaKareninaPart7,Chapter12[PreviousChapter][TableofContents]Chapter12Aftertakingleaveofherguests,Annadidnotsitdown,butbeganwalkingupanddowntheroom。ShehadunconsciouslythewholeeveningdoneherutmosttoarouseinLevinafeelingoflove-asoflateshehadfallenintodoingwithallyoungmen-andsheknewshehadattainedheraim,asfaraswaspossibleinoneevening,withamarriedandconscientiousman。Shelikedhimverymuchindeed,and,inspiteofthestrikingdifference,fromthemasculinepointofview,betweenVronskyandLevin,asawomanshesawsomethingtheyhadincommon,whichhadmadeKittyabletoloveboth。Yetassoonashewasoutoftheroom,sheceasedtothinkofhim。
Onethought,andoneonly,pursuedherindifferentforms,andrefusedtobeshakenoff。`IfIhavesomucheffectonothers,onthisman,wholoveshishomeandhiswife,whyisitheissocoldtome?……
Notcoldexactly-helovesme,Iknowthat!Butsomethingnewisdrawingusapartnow。Whywasn’theherealltheevening?HetoldStivatosayhecouldnotleaveIashvin,andmustwatchoverhisplay。IsIashvinachild?Butsupposingit’strue。Henevertellsahe。Butthere’ssomethingelseinitifit’strue。Heisgladofanopportunityofshowingmethathehasotherduties;Iknowthat,Isubmittothat。Butwhyprovethattome?Hewantstoshowmethathisloveformeisnottointerferewithhisfreedom。ButIneednoproofs-Ineedlove。HeoughttounderstandallthebitternessofthislifeformehereinMoscow。Isthislife?I
amnotliving,butwaitingforanevent,whichiscontinuallyputoffandputoff。Noansweragain!AndStivasayshecannotgotoAlexeiAlexandrovich。
AndIcan’twriteagain。Icandonothing,canbeginnothing,canalternothing;Iholdmyselfin,Iwait,inventingamusementsformyself-theEnglishfamily,writing,reading-butit’sallnothingbutasham,it’sallthesameasmorphine。Heoughttofeelforme,’shesaid,feelingtearsofself-pitycomingintohereyes。
SheheardVronsky’sabruptringandhurriedlydriedhertears-notonlydriedhertears,butsatdownbyalampandopenedabook,affectingcomposure。Shewantedtoshowhimthatshewasdispleasedthathehadnotcomehomeashehadpromised-displeasedonly,andnotonanyaccounttolethimseeherdistress,and,leastofall,herself-pity。Shemightpityherself,buthemustnotpityher。Shedidnotwantstrife,sheblamedhimforwantingtoquarrel,butunconsciouslyputherselfintoanattitudeofantagonism。
`Well,you’venotbeendull?’hesaid,eagerlyandgood-humoredly,goinguptoher。`Whataterriblepassionitis-gambling!’
`No,I’venotbeendull;I’velearnedlongagonottobedull。
Stivahasbeenhere,andLevin。’
`Yes,theymeanttocomeandseeyou。Well,howdidyoulikeLevin?’
hesaid,sittingdownbesideher。
`Verymuch。Theyhavenotbeengonelong。WhatwasIashvindoing?’
`Hewaswinning-seventeenthousand。Igothimaway。Hehadreallystartedhome,buthewentbackagain,andnowhe’slosing。’
`Thenwhatdidyoustayfor?’sheasked,suddenlyliftinghereyestohim。Theexpressionofherfacewascoldandungracious。`YoutoldStivayouwerestayingontogetIashvinaway。Andyouhavelefthimthere。’
Thesameexpressionofcoldreadinessfortheconflictappearedonhisfacetoo。
`Inthefirstplace,Ididnotaskhimtogiveyouanymessage;
andsecondly,Inevertelllies。Butthechiefpointis,Iwantedtostay,andIstayed,’hesaid,frowning。`Anna,whatisitfor,whywillyoudothis?’hesaidafteramoment’ssilence,bendingovertowardher;andheopenedhishand,hopingshewouldlayhersinit。
Shewasgladofthisappealfortenderness。Butsomestrangeforceofevilwouldnotlethergiveherselfuptoherfeelings,asthoughtherulesofwarfarewouldnotpermithertosurrender。
`Ofcourseyouwantedtostay,andyoustayed。Youdoeverythingyouwantto。Butwhatdoyoutellmethatfor?Withwhatobject?’shesaid,gettingmoreandmoreexcited。`Doesanyonecontestyourrights?Butyouwanttoberight,andyou’rewelcometoberight。’
Hishandclosed,heturnedaway,andhisfaceworeastillmoreobstinateexpression。
`Foryouit’samatterofobstinacy,’shesaid,watchinghimintentlyandsuddenlyfindingtherightwordforthatexpressionthatirritatedher,`simplyobstinacy。Foryouit’saquestionofwhetheryoukeeptheupperhandofme,whileforme……’Againshefeltsorryforherself,andshealmostburstintotears。`Ifyouknewwhatitisforme!WhenIfeelasIdonow,thatyouarehostile-yes,hostiletome-ifyouknewwhatthismeansforme!IfyouknewhowIfeelonthebrinkofcalamityatthisinstant,howafraidIamofmyself!’Andsheturnedaway,hidinghersobs。
`Butwhatareyoutalkingabout?’hesaid,horrifiedatherexpressionofdespairandagainbendingoverher,hetookherhandandkissedit。
`Whatisitfor?DoIseekamusementsoutsideourhome?Don’tIavoidthesocietyofwomen?’
`Well,yes!Ifthatwereall!’shesaid。
`Come,tellmewhatIoughttodotogiveyoupeaceofmind?I
amreadytodoanythingtomakeyouhappy,’hesaid,touchedbyherexpressionofdespair;`whatwouldn’tIdotosaveyoufromdistressofanysort,asnow,Anna!’hesaid。
`It’snothing,nothing!’shesaid。`Idon’tknowmyselfwhetherit’sthesolitarylife,mynerves……Come,don’tletustalkofit。Whatabouttherace?Youhaven’ttoldme!’sheinquired,tryingtoconcealhertriumphatthevictory,whichhadbeenonhersideafterall。
Heaskedforsupper,andbegantellingherabouttheraces;butinhistone,inhiseyes,whichbecamemoreandmorecold,shesawthathedidnotforgiveherforhervictory,thatthefeelingofobstinacywithwhichshehadbeenstrugglinghadasserteditselfagaininhim。Hewascoldertoherthanbefore,asthoughhewereregrettinghissurrender。
Andshe,rememberingthewordsthathadgivenherthevictory,`howIfeelonthebrinkofcalamity,howafraidIamofmyself,’sawthatthisweaponwasadangerousone,andthatitcouldnotbeusedasecondtime。Andshefeltthatbesidethelovethatboundthemtogethertherehadgrownupbetweenthemsomeevilspiritofstrife,whichshecouldnotexorcisefromhisheart,andstilllessfromherown。
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TOLSTOY:AnnaKareninaPart7,Chapter13[PreviousChapter][TableofContents]Chapter13Therearenoconditionstowhichamancannotbecomeused,especiallyifheseesthatallaroundhimarelivinginthesameway。Levincouldnothavebelievedthreemonthsbeforethathecouldhavegonequietlytosleepinthestateinwhichhewasthatday-thatleadinganaimless,irrationallife,alsolivingbeyondhismeans,afterdrinkingtoexcesshecouldnotcallwhathappenedattheclubanythingelse,forminginappropriatelyfriendlyrelationswithamanwithwhomhiswifehadoncebeeninlove,andafterastillmoreinappropriatecalluponawomanwhocouldonlybecalledalostwoman,afterbeingfascinatedbythatwomanandcausinghiswifedistress-hecouldstillgoquietlytosleep。Butundertheinfluenceoffatigue,asleeplessnight,andthewinehehaddrunk,hissleepwassoundanduntroubled。
Atfiveo’clockthecreakofadooropeningwakedhim。Hejumpedupandlookedround。Kittywasnotinbedbesidehim。Buttherewasalightmovingbehindthescreen,andheheardhersteps。
`Whatisit?……Whatisit?’hesaid,half-asleep。`Kitty!Whatisit?’
`Nothing,’shesaid,comingfrombehindthescreenwithacandleinherhand。`Ifeltunwell,’shesaid,smilingaparticularlysweetandmeaningsmile。
`What?Hasitbegun?’hesaidinterror。`Weoughttosend……’
andhurriedlyhereachedafterhisclothes。
`No,no,’shesaid,smilingandholdinghishand。`It’ssuretobenothing。Iwasratherunwell,onlyalittle。It’sallovernow。’
And,gettingintobed,sheblewoutthecandle,laydownandwasstill。Thoughhethoughtherstillnesssuspicious,asthoughshewereholdingherbreath,andstillmoresuspicioustheexpressionofpeculiartendernessandexcitementwithwhich,asshecamefrombehindthescreen,shehadsaid`Nothing,’hewassosleepythathefellasleepatonce。Onlylaterherememberedthestillnessofherbreathing,andunderstoodallthatmusthavebeenpassinginhersweet,preciousheartwhileshelaybesidehim,notstirring,inanticipationofthegreatesteventinawoman’slife。
Atseveno’clockhewaswakedbythetouchofherhandonhisshoulder,andagentlewhisper。Sheseemedstrugglingbetweenregretatwakinghim,andthedesiretotalktohim。
`Kostia,don’tbefrightened。It’sallright。ButIfancy……WeoughttosendforLizavetaPetrovna。’
Thecandlewaslightedagain。Shewassittingupinbed,holdingsomeknitting,whichshehadbeenbusyuponduringthelastfewdays。
`Please,don’tbefrightened,it’sallright。I’mnotabitafraid,’
shesaid,seeinghisscaredface,andshepressedhishandtoherbosomandthentoherlips。
Hehurriedlyjumpedup,hardlyawake,andkepthiseyesfixedonher,asheputonhisdressinggown;thenhestopped,stilllookingather。Hehadtogo,buthecouldnottearhimselfawayfromhereyes。
Hethoughthelovedherface,knewherexpression,hereyes,butneverhadheseenitlikethis。Howhatefulandhorribleheseemedtohimself,thinkingofthedistresshehadcausedheryesterday。Herflushedface,fringedwithsoftcurlinghairunderhernightcap,wasradiantwithjoyandcourage。
ThoughtherewassolittlethatwasartificialorpretendedinKitty’scharacteringeneral,Levinwasstruckbywhatwasrevealednow,whensuddenlyalldisguiseswerethrownoffandtheverykernelofhersoulshoneinhereyes。Andinthissimplicityandnakednessofhersoul,she,theverywomanhelovedinher,wasmoremanifestthanever。Shelookedathim,smiling;butallatonceherbrowstwitched,shethrewupherhead,and,goingquicklyuptohim,clutchedhishandandpressedcloseuptohim,breathingherhotbreathuponhim。Shewasinpainandwas,asitwere,complainingtohimofhersuffering。Andforthefirstminute,fromhabit,itseemedtohimthathewastoblame。Butinhereyestherewasatendernessthattoldhimthatshewasfarfromreproachinghim,thatshelovedhimforhersufferings。`IfnotI,whoistoblameforit?’hethoughtunconsciously,seekingsomeoneresponsibleforthissufferingforhimtopunish;buttherewasnooneresponsible。Shewassuffering,complaining,andtriumphinginhersufferings,andrejoicinginthem,andlovingthem。
Hesawthatsomethingsublimewasbeingaccomplishedinhersoul,butwhat?
Hecouldnotmakeitout。Itwasbeyondhisunderstanding。
`Ihavesenttomamma。YougoquicklytofetchLizavetaPetrovna……
Kostia!……Nevermind-it’sover。’
Shemovedawayfromhimandrangthebell。
`Well,gonow;Pasha’scoming。Iamallright。’
AndLevinsawwithastonishmentthatshehadtakenuptheknittingshehadbroughtininthenight,andhadbegunworkingatitagain。
AsLevinwasgoingoutofonedoor,heheardthemaidservantcomeinattheother。HestoodatthedoorandheardKittygivingexactdirectionstothemaid,andbeginningtohelphermovethebedstead。
Hedressed,andwhiletheywereputtinginhishorse,astherewerenohacksaboutasyet,heranagainuptothebedroom,notontiptoe,itseemedtohim,butonwings。Twomaidservantswerecarefullyshiftingsomethingaboutinthebedroom。Kittywaswalkingaboutknittingrapidlyandgivingdirections。
`I’mgoingforthedoctor。TheyhavesentforLizavetaPetrovna,butI’llgoontheretoo。Isn’tthereanythingwanted?Yes-shallIgotoDolly’s?’
Shelookedathim,obviouslynothearingwhathewassaying。
`Yes,yes。Dogo,’shesaidquickly,frowningandwavingherhandtohim。
Hehadjustgoneintothedrawingroom,whensuddenlyaplaintivemoansoundedfromthebedroom,smotheredinstantly。Hestoodstill,andforalongwhilehecouldnotunderstand。
`Yes,thatisshe,’hesaidtohimself,and,clutchingathishead,herandownstairs。
`Lordhavemercyonus!Forgiveus!Helpus!’herepeatedthewordsthatforsomereasoncamesuddenlytohislips。Andhe,anunbeliever,repeatedthesewordsnotwithhislipsonly。Atthatinstantheknewthatallhisdoubts,eventheimpossibilityofbelievingwithhisreason,ofwhichhewasawareinhimself,didnotintheleasthinderhisturningtoGod。Allofthatnowfloatedoutofhissoullikedust。TowhomwashetoturnifnottoHiminwhosehandshefelthimself,hissoul,andhislove?
Thehorsewasnotyetready,butfeelingapeculiarconcentrationofhisphysicalforcesandhisintellectonwhathehadtodo,he,losingnominute,startedoffonfootwithoutwaitingforthehorse,andtoldKouzmatoovertakehim。
Atthecornerhemetanighthackdrivinghurriedly。Inthelittlesleigh,wrappedinavelvetcloak,satLizavetaPetrovnawithakerchiefroundherhead。`ThankGod!thankGod!’hesaid,overjoyedtorecognizeherlittlefairfacewhichworeapeculiarlyserious,evensternexpression。
Tellingthedrivernottostop,heranalongbesideher。
`Fortwohours,then?Notmore?’sheinquired。`YoushouldletPiotrDmitrievichknow,butdon’thurryhim。Andgetsomeopiumatthechemist’s。’
`Soyouthinkthatitwillgowell?Lordhavemercyonusandhelpus!’Levinsaid,seeinghisownhorsedrivingoutofthegate。JumpingintothesleighbesideKouzma,hetoldhimtodrivetothedoctor’s。
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TOLSTOY:AnnaKareninaPart7,Chapter14[PreviousChapter][TableofContents]Chapter14Thedoctorwasnotyetup,andthefootmansaidthat`hehadbeenuplate,andhadgivenordersnottobewaked,butwouldgetupsoon。’Thefootmanwascleaningthelampchimneys,andseemedverybusyaboutthem。Thisconcentrationofthefootmanuponhislamps,andhisindifferencetowhatwaspassinginLevin,atfirstastoundedhim,butimmediatelyonconsideringthequestionherealizedthatnoonekneworwasboundtoknowhisfeelings,andthatitwasallthemorenecessarytoactcalmly,sensibly,andresolutelytogetthroughthiswallofindifferenceandattainhisaim。`Don’tbeinahurryorletanythingslip,’Levinsaidtohimself,feelingagreaterandgreaterflowofphysicalenergyandattentiontoallhehadyettodo。
Havingascertainedthatthedoctorwasnotgettingup,Levinconsideredvariousplans,anddecidedonthefollowingone;thatKouzmashouldgoforanotherdoctor,whilehehimselfshouldgotothechemist’sforopium,andif,whenhecameback,thedoctorhadnotyetbeguntogetup,hewould,eitherbytippingthefootman,orbyforce,wakethedoctoratallhazards。
Atthechemist’sthelankpharmacistwaferedapacketofpowdersforacoachmanwhostoodwaiting,andrefusedhimopiumwiththesamecallousnesswithwhichthedoctor’sfootmanhadcleanedhislampchimneys。Tryingnottogetflusteredoroutoftemper,Levinmentionedthenamesofthedoctorandmidwife,andexplainingwhattheopiumwasneededfor,triedtopersuadehim。TheassistantinquiredinGermanwhetherheshouldgiveit,andreceivinganaffirmativereplyfrombehindthepartition,hetookoutabottleandafunnel,deliberatelypouredtheopiumfromabiggerbottleintoalittleone,stuckonalabel,sealeditup,inspiteofLevin’srequestthathewouldnotdoso,andwasabouttowrapituptoo。ThiswasmorethanLevincouldstand;hetookthebottlefirmlyoutofhishands,andrantothebigglassdoors。Thedoctorwasnotevennowgettingup,andthefootman,busynowinputtingdowntherugs,refusedtowakehim。Levindeliberatelytookoutaten-roublenote,andcarefultospeakslowly,thoughlosingnotimeoverthebusiness,hehandedhimthenote,andexplainedthatPiotrDmitrievichwhatagreatandimportantpersonageheseemedtoLevinnow,thisPiotrDmitrievich,whohadbeenofsolittleconsequenceinhiseyesbeforehadpromisedtocomeatanytime;thathewouldcertainlynotbeangry!Andthathemustthereforewakehimatonce。
Thefootmanagreed,andwentupstairs,takingLevinintothewaitingroom。
Levincouldhearthroughthedoorthedoctorcoughing,movingabout,washing,andsayingsomething。Threeminutespassed;itseemedtoLevinthatmorethananhourhadgoneby。Hecouldnotwaitanylonger。
`PiotrDmitrievich,PiotrDmitrievich?’hesaidinanimploringvoiceattheopendoor。`ForGod’ssake,forgiveme!Seemeasyouare。
It’sbeengoingonmorethantwohoursalready。’
`Inaminute;inaminute!’answeredavoice,andtohisamazementheardthatthedoctorwassmilingashespoke。
`Foroneinstant!’……
`Inaminute。’
Twominutesmorepassedwhilethedoctorwasputtingonhisboots,andtwominutesmorewhilethedoctorputonhiscoatandcombedhishair。
`PiotrDmitrievich!’Levinwasbeginningagaininaplaintivevoice,justasthedoctorcamein,dressedandready。`Thesepeoplehavenoconscience,’thoughtLevin。`Combinghishair,whilewe’redying!’
`Goodmorning!’thedoctorsaidtohim,shakinghands,and,asitwere,teasinghimwithhiscomposure。`There’snohurry。Well,now?’
Tryingtobeasaccurateaspossible,Levinbegantotellhimeveryunnecessarydetailofhiswife’scondition,interruptinghisaccountrepeatedlywithentreatiesthatthedoctorwouldcomewithhimatonce。
`Oh,youneedn’tbeinanyhurry。Youdon’tunderstand,youknow。
I’mcertainI’mnotwanted;stillI’vepromised,and,ifyoulike,I’llcome。Butthere’snohurry。Pleasesitdown;won’tyouhavesomecoffee?’
Levinstaredathimwitheyesthataskedwhetherhewaslaughingathim;butthedoctorhadnonotionofmakingfunofhim。
`Iknow,Iknow,’thedoctorsaid,smiling;`I’mamarriedmanmyself;andatthesemomentswehusbandsareverymuchtobepitied。I’veapatientwhosehusbandalwaystakesrefugeinthestablesonsuchoccasions。’
`Butwhatdoyouthink,PiotrDmitrievich?Doyousupposeitwillgoallright?’
`Everythingpointstoafavorableissue。’
`Soyou’llcomeimmediately?’saidLevin,lookingwrathfullyattheservantwhowasbringinginthecoffee。
`Injustanhour。’
`Oh,forGod’ssake!’
`Well,letmedrinkmycoffee,anyway。’
Thedoctorstarteduponhiscoffee。Bothweresilent。
`TheTurksarereallygettingbeaten,though。Didyoureadyesterday’stelegrams?’saidthedoctor,thoroughlymasticatingaroll。
`No,Ican’tstandit!’saidLevin,jumpingup。`Soyou’llbewithusinaquarterofanhour?’
`Inhalfanhour。’
`Onyourhonor?’
WhenLevingothome,hedroveupatthesametimeasthePrincess,andtheywentuptothebedroomtogether。ThePrincesshadtearsinhereyes,andherhandswereshaking。SeeingLevin,sheembracedhim,andburstintotears。
`Well,mydearLizavetaPetrovna?’shequeried,claspingthehandofthemidwife,whocameouttomeetthemwithabeamingandanxiousface。
`Everythingisgoingonwell,’shesaid;`persuadehertoliedown。Shewillfeeleasierthatway。’
Fromthemomentwhenhehadwakedupandunderstoodwhatwasgoingon,Levinhadpreparedhismindtobearresolutelywhatwasbeforehim,andwithoutconsideringoranticipatinganything,toavoidupsettinghiswife,and,onthecontrary,tosootheherandkeepuphercourage。Withoutallowinghimselfeventothinkofwhatwastocome,ofhowitwouldend,judgingfromhisinquiriesastotheusualdurationoftheseordeals,Levinhadinhisimaginationbracedhimselftobearupandtokeepatightreinonhisfeelingsforfivehours,andithadseemedtohimhecoulddothis。
Butwhenhecamebackfromthedoctor’sandsawhersufferingsagain,hefelltorepeatingmoreandmorefrequently:`Lord,havemercyonus,andsuccorus!’Hesighed,andflunghisheadup,andbegantofeelafraidhecouldnotbearit,thathewouldburstintotearsorrunaway-suchagonyitwastohim。Yetonlyonehourhadpassed。
Butafterthathourtherepassedanotherhour,twohours,three,thefullfivehourshehadfixedasthefurthestlimitofhissufferings,andthesituationwasstillunchanged;andhewasstillbearingitbecausetherewasnothingtobedonebutbearit-everyinstantfeelingthathehadreachedtheutmostlimitsofhisendurance,andthathisheartwouldbreakwithsympathyandpain。
Butstilltheminutespassedby,andthehours,andstillmorehours,andhismiseryandhorrorgrewandweremoreandmoreintense。
Alltheordinaryconditionsoflife,withoutwhichonecanformnoconceptionofanything,hadceasedtoexistforLevin。Helostallsenseoftime。Minutes-thoseminuteswhenshesentforhimandheheldhermoisthand,thatwouldsqueezehishandwithextraordinaryviolenceandthenpushitaway-seemedtohimhours,andhoursseemedtohimminutes。
HewassurprisedwhenLizavetaPetrovnaaskedhimtolightacandlebehindascreen,andhefoundthatitwasfiveo’clockintheafternoon。Ifhehadbeentolditwasonlyteno’clockinthemorninghewouldnothavebeensurprised。Wherehewasallthistime,heknewaslittleasthetimeofanything。Hesawherswollenface,sometimesbewilderedandinagony,sometimessmilingandtryingtoreassurehim。HesawtheoldPrincesstoo,flushedandoverwrought,withhergraycurlsindisorder,forcingherselftogulpdownhertears,bitingherlips;hesawDollytoo,andthedoctor,smokingthickcigarettes,andLizavetaPetrovnawithafirm,resolute,reassuringface,andtheoldPrincewalkingupanddownthehallwithafrowningface。Butwhytheycameinandwentout,wheretheywere,hedidnotknow。ThePrincesswaswiththedoctorinthebedroom,theninthestudy,whereatablesetfordinnersuddenlyappeared;thenshewasnotthere,butDollywas。ThenLevinrememberedhehadbeensentsomewhere。
Oncehehadbeensenttomoveatableandsofa。Hehaddonethiseagerly,thinkingithadtobedoneforhersake,andonlylateronhefounditwashisownbedhehadbeengettingready。Thenhehadbeensenttothestudytoaskthedoctorsomething。Thedoctorhadansweredandthenhadsaidsomethingabouttheirregularitiesinthemunicipalcouncil。ThenhehadbeensenttothebedroomtohelptheoldPrincessmovetheholyimageinitssilver-giltsetting,andwiththePrincess’soldwaitingmaidhehadclamberedonashelftoreachitandhadbrokenthelampad,andtheoldservanthadtriedtoreassurehimaboutthelampadandabouthiswife,andhecarriedtheholyimageinandsetitattheheadofKitty’sbed,carefullytuckingtheimageinbehindthepillow。Butwhere,when,andwhyallthishadhappened,hecouldnottell。HedidnotunderstandwhytheoldPrincesstookhishand,andlookingcompassionatelyathim,beggedhimnottoworryhimself,andDollypersuadedhimtoeatsomethingandledhimoutoftheroom,andeventhedoctorlookedseriouslyandwithcommiserationathim,andofferedhimadropofsomething。
AllheknewandfeltwasthatwhatwashappeningwaswhathadhappenednearlyayearbeforeinthehotelofthecountrytownatthedeathbedofhisbrotherNikolai。Butthathadbeengrief-thiswasjoy。Yetthatgriefandthisjoywerealikeoutsidealltheordinaryconditionsoflife;
theywereloopholes,asitwere,inthatordinarylife,throughwhichtherecameglimpsesofsomethingsublime。Andinthecontemplationofthissublimesomethingthesoulwasexaltedtoinconceivableheightsofwhichithadbeforehadnoconception,whilereasonlaggedbehind,unabletokeepupwithit。
`Lord,havemercyonus,andsuccorus!’herepeatedtohimselfincessantly,feeling,inspiteofhislongand,asitseemed,completealienationfromreligion,thatheturnedtoGodjustastrustfullyandsimplyashehadinhischildhoodandfirstyouth。
Allthistimehehadtwodistinctmoods。Onewasawayfromher,withthedoctor,whokeptsmokingonethickcigaretteafteranotherandextinguishingthemontheedgeofafullashtray;withDolly,andwiththeoldPrince,wheretherewastalkaboutdinner,aboutpolitics,aboutMariaPetrovna’sillness,andwhereLevinsuddenlyforgotforaminutewhatwashappening,andfeltasthoughhehadwakedupfromsleep;theothermoodwasinherpresence,atherpillow,wherehisheartseemedbreaking,andstilldidnotbreak,fromsympatheticsuffering,andheprayedtoGodwithoutceasing。Andeverytimehewasbroughtbackfromamomentofoblivionbyascreamreachinghimfromthebedroom,hefellintothesamestrangeterrorthathadcomeuponhimthefirstminute。Everytimeheheardashriek,hejumpedup,rantojustifyhimself,rememberedonthewaythathewasnottoblame,andhelongedtodefendher,tohelpher。Butashelookedather,hesawagainthathelpwasimpossible,andhewasfilledwithterrorandprayed:`Lord,havemercyonus,andhelpus!’Andastimewenton,boththesemoodsbecamemoreintense;thecalmerhebecameawayfromher,completelyforgettingher,themoreagonizingbecamebothhersufferingsandhisfeelingofhelplessnessbeforethem。Hejumpedup,wouldhavelikedtorunaway,butrantoher。
Sometimes,whenagainandagainshecalleduponhim,heblamedher;butseeinghersubmissive,smilingface,andhearingthewords`I
amworryingyou,’hethrewtheblameonGod;butthinkingofGod,atoncehefellbeseechingGodtoforgivehimandhavemercy。
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