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By Root 1378 0

who was the perennial scapegoat each time he was late or absent, and in a moment he got everyone acquainted with everyone else, and, putting Alexei Alexandrovich together with Sergei Koznyshev, slipped them the topic of the russification of Poland,7 which they both seized upon at once, along with Pestsov. Patting Turovtsyn on the shoulder, he whispered something funny to him and sat him down with his wife and the prince. Then he told Kitty how beautiful she was that evening, and introduced Shcherbatsky to Karenin. In a moment he had kneaded this social dough so well that the drawing room was in fine form and ringing with voices. Only Konstantin Levin was missing. But that was for the better, because, going out to the dining room, Stepan Arkadyich saw to his horror that the port and sherry had been bought at Deprez’s and not at Levet‘s, and gave orders for the coachman to be sent to Levet’s as soon as possible. Then he turned to go back to the drawing room.

In the dining room he met Konstantin Levin.

‘I’m not late?’

‘As if you could be anything else!’ Stepan Arkadyich said, taking him under the arm.

‘You have a lot of people? Who’s here?’ Levin asked, blushing, as he knocked the snow off his hat with his glove.

‘All our own. Kitty’s here. Let’s go, I’ll introduce you to Karenin.’

Despite his liberalism, Stepan Arkadyich knew that acquaintance with Karenin could not but be flattering and therefore treated his best friends to it. But just then Konstantin Levin was unable to feel all the pleasure of this acquaintance. He had not seen Kitty since that evening, so memorable for him, on which he had met Vronsky, unless he were to count the moment when he had seen her on the high road. In the depths of his soul he had known that he would see her here tonight. But, maintaining his inner freedom of thought, he tried to assure himself that he had not known it. Yet now, when he heard that she was there, he suddenly felt such joy, and at the same time such fear, that his breath was taken away and he could not bring out what he wanted to say.

‘How is she? How? The way she was before, or the way she was in the carriage? And what if what Darya Alexandrovna said is true? Why shouldn’t it be true?’ he thought.

‘Ah, do please introduce me to Karenin,’ he barely uttered, and with a desperately determined step he went into the drawing room and saw her.

She was neither the way she had been before, nor the way she had been in the carriage; she was quite different.

She was frightened, timid, shamefaced, and all the more lovely because of it. She saw him the instant he came into the room. She had been waiting for him. She was joyful and so embarrassed by her joy that there was a moment - as he went up to the hostess and glanced at her again - when it seemed to her, and to him, and to Dolly, who saw it all, that she would not be able to stand it and would start to cry. She blushed, paled, blushed again and froze, her lips quivering a little, waiting for him. He came up to her, bowed and silently gave her his hand. Had it not been for the slight trembling of her lips and the moisture that came to her eyes, giving them an added brilliance, her smile would have been almost calm as she said:

‘It’s so long since we’ve seen each other!’ and with desperate resolution pressed his hand with her cold hand.

‘You haven’t seen me, but I saw you,’ said Levin, radiant with a smile of happiness. ‘I saw you when you were driving to Yergushovo from the station.’

‘When?’ she asked with surprise.

‘You were going to Yergushovo,’ said Levin, feeling himself choking with the happiness that flooded his soul. And he thought to himself, ‘How could I connect this touching being with the thought of anything not innocent! And, yes, it seems that what Darya Alexandrovna said is true.’

Stepan Arkadyich took him by the arm and brought him to Karenin.

‘Allow me to introduce you.’ He gave their names.

‘Very pleased to meet you again,’ Alexei Alexandrovich said coldly, shaking Levin’s hand.

‘You’re acquainted?’ Stepan Arkadyich asked in surprise.

‘We spent three