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By Root 1155 0

his face and of his whole figure in the uniform, the crosses and white trousers with galloons, the hurried way he walked, reminded Levin of a hunted beast who sees that things are going badly for him. Levin found the expression on the marshal’s face especially touching because only yesterday he had called on him at his home on the matter of the trusteeship and had seen him in all the grandeur of a good family man. The big house with its old family furniture; the unfashionable and slightly shabby but deferential old servants, apparently former house serfs who had never changed masters; the fat and good-natured wife in a lace cap and Turkish shawl, caressing a pretty little grandchild, her daughter’s daughter; the fine fellow of a son, a sixth-grade student on holiday from school, who kissed his father’s big hand in greeting; the host’s imposing, benign conversation and gestures - all this had involuntarily called up respect and sympathy in Levin the day before. Now he found the old man touching and pitiful, and he wanted to say something nice to him.

‘So you’re to be our marshal again,’ he said.

‘Hardly,’ said the marshal, looking round fearfully. ‘I’m tired and old. There are others worthier and younger than I. Let them serve.’

And the marshal disappeared through the side door.

The most solemn moment arrived. The elections were about to begin. The leaders of both parties were tallying white and black ballots on their fingers.

The debate over Flerov had given the new party not only Flerov’s one vote but also a gain in time, so that three noblemen who had been kept from participating in the elections by the machinations of the old party could be brought in. Two of these noblemen, who had a weakness for wine, had been made drunk by Snetkov’s minions, and the third had had his uniform stolen.

Learning of it, the new party managed, during the debate over Flerov, to send two of their people in a cab to furnish the one nobleman with a uniform and bring one of the two drunk men to the meeting.

‘I poured water over one and brought him,’ said the landowner who had gone on the errand, coming up to Sviyazhsky. ‘Never mind, he’ll do.’

‘He’s not too drunk? He won’t fall down?’ Sviyazhsky said, shaking his head.

‘No, he’s fine. As long as they don’t give him any more to drink here ... I told the barman on no account to serve him.’

XXIX

The narrow room for smoking and refreshments was filled with noblemen. The excitement kept mounting, and anxiety could be noticed on all faces. Especially excited were the leaders, who knew all the details and the count of all the ballots. They were the directors of the impending battle. The rest, like rank-and-file soldiers, though readying themselves before the fight, meanwhile sought distraction. Some ate and drank, standing up or sitting at the table; others paced up and down the long room, smoking cigarettes and talking with friends they had not seen for a long time.

Levin did not want to eat and did not smoke; he also did not want to mix with his own people, that is, with Sergei Ivanovich, Stepan Arkadyich, Sviyazhsky and the others, because Vronsky was standing with them in his equerry’s uniform, engaged in an animated conversation. Levin had noticed him at the elections the day before and had carefully avoided him, not wishing to meet him. He went over to the window and sat down, looking at the groups and listening to what was being said around him. He felt sad, especially because he could see that everyone was animated, preoccupied and busy, and he alone, along with one extremely old, toothless man in a navy uniform, who sat next to him chewing his gums, had no interest and nothing to do.

‘He’s such a rogue! I told him, but no. Really! In three years he couldn’t collect it,’ a short, stooping landowner, with pomaded hair that hung over the embroidered collar of his uniform, was saying energetically, stomping solidly with the heels of his new boots, evidently donned for the elections. And, casting a displeased glance at Levin, he abruptly turned away.

‘Yes, it’s dirty work, say