Anna Karenina (Louise Maude's Translation). Leo Tolstoy

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      And she began to tell about what interested her most, her grandson’s christening, for which she had gone to Petersburg, and the special favour the Emperor had shown to her eldest son.

      ‘Here is Lavrenty at last,’ said Vronsky looking out of the window. ‘We can go now if you like.’

      The old major-domo, who had accompanied the Countess on her journey, came in and announced that everything was ready, and the Countess rose to go.

      ‘Come, there is not much of a crowd now,’ said Vronsky.

      The maid took one bag and the little dog, the major-domo and the porter took the other bags. Vronsky gave his arm to his mother, but, just as they were coming out of the carriage, several people ran past them with frightened faces. The station-master with his peculiar coloured cap also ran past them.

      Evidently something unusual had happened. The people were running back from the train.

      ‘What? … What? … Where? … Thrown himself under … Run over …’ shouted the passers-by.

      Oblonsky, with his sister on his arm, also turned back, and, avoiding the crowd, stood with frightened faces beside the carriage. The ladies re-entered the carriage, while Vronsky and Oblonsky followed the crowd, to find out about the accident.

      A watchman, either tipsy or too much muffled up because of the severe frost, had not heard a train that was being shunted, and had been run over.

      Before Vronsky and Oblonsky returned the ladies had heard this from the major-domo.

      Oblonsky and Vronsky had both seen the mangled corpse. Oblonsky was evidently suffering. His face was puckered and he seemed ready to cry.

      ‘Ah, how terrible! Oh Anna, if you had seen it! Ah, how terrible!’ he kept saying.

      Vronsky remained silent. His handsome face was serious but perfectly calm.

      ‘Oh, if you had seen it, Countess,’ said Oblonsky. ‘And his wife was there… . It was dreadful to see her. She threw herself on the body. They say he was the sole support of a very large family. It is terrible!’

      ‘Can nothing be done for her?’ said Mrs. Karenina in an agitated whisper.

      Vronsky glanced at her and at once went out. ‘I will be back directly, maman,’ he added, turning at the doorway.

      When he returned a few minutes later Oblonsky was already talking to the Countess about the new opera singer, while she was impatiently glancing at the door in expectation of her son.

      ‘Now let’s go,’ said Vronsky as he came in.

      They went together, Vronsky walking in front with his mother, Mrs. Karenina following with her brother. At the exit the station-master overtook them, and said to Vronsky:

      ‘You gave my assistant 200 roubles. Please be so kind as to say whom you intended it for.’

      ‘For the widow,’ said Vronsky, shrugging his shoulders. ‘I don’t understand what need there is to ask.’

      ‘You have given it!’ exclaimed Oblonsky behind Vronsky, and pressing his sister’s arm he added, ‘Very kind, very kind! Isn’t he a fine fellow? My respects to you, Countess,’ and he remained behind with his sister, seeking her maid.

      When they came out, the Vronskys’ carriage had already started. The people coming from the station were still talking about the accident.

      ‘What a terrible death!’ said some gentleman as he passed them; ‘cut in half, I hear.’

      ‘On the contrary, I think it is a very easy death, instantaneous,’ said another.

      ‘How is it that precautions are not taken?’ said a third.

      Mrs. Karenina got into her brother’s carriage, and Oblonsky noticed with surprise that her lips were trembling and that it was with difficulty she kept back her tears.

      ‘What is the matter with you, Anna?’ he asked when they had gone a few hundred yards.

      ‘It’s a bad omen,’ she replied.

      ‘What nonsense!’ said Oblonsky. ‘You’re here, and that is the chief thing. You can’t think how my hopes rest on you.’

      ‘And have you known Vronsky long?’ she asked.

      ‘Yes. Do you know we hope he will marry Kitty?’

      ‘Yes?’ said Anna softly. ‘But let us talk about your affairs,’ she added, shaking her head as if she wished physically to drive away something superfluous that hampered her. ‘Let us talk of your affairs. I’ve received your letter and have come.’

      ‘Yes, all my hopes are fixed on you,’ said her brother.

      ‘Well, tell me all about it.’

      And Oblonsky began his story.

      On reaching his house, he helped his sister out of the carriage, pressed her hand, and drove off to his office.

      Chapter 19

      WHEN Anna arrived Dolly was sitting in her little drawing-room giving a fair-haired, plump little boy (who already resembled his father) a French reading-lesson. The boy, as he read, kept twisting and trying to pull off a loose button that hung from his jacket. His mother moved his plump little hand away several times, but it always returned to the button. At last she pulled the button off and put it into her pocket.

      ‘Keep your hands quiet, Grisha,’ she said, and again took up the rug she was knitting, a piece of work begun long ago, to which she always returned in times of trouble, and which she was now knitting, nervously throwing the stitches over with her fingers and counting them. Though she had sent word to her husband the day before that she did not care whether his sister came or not, she had prepared everything for her visit and awaited her with agitation.

      Dolly was overpowered by her sorrow and was quite absorbed by it. Nevertheless, she remembered that her sister-in-law, Anna, was the wife of one of the most important men in Petersburg, and a grande dame. Thanks to that circumstance she did not carry out her threat to her husband, and did not forget that her sister-in-law was coming.

      ‘After all, it is not in the least Anna’s fault,’ thought she. ‘I know nothing but good about her, and she has never shown me anything but kindness and friendship.’

      It was true that, as far as she could remember her visit to the Karenins in Petersburg, she had not liked their house: there seemed to be something false in the tone of their family life. ‘But why should I not receive her? If only she does not try to console me!’ thought Dolly. ‘All these consolations and exhortations and Christian forgiveness, I have considered them a thousand times, and they are all no good.’

      All these last days Dolly had been alone with her children. She did not wish to talk about her sorrow, yet with that on her mind she could not talk about indifferent matters. She knew that, one way or another, she would tell Anna everything, and now it pleased her to think how she would say it, and then she СКАЧАТЬ