Anna Karenina - LimpidSoft

PART TWO CHAPTER 7
Chapter 7
STEPS were heard at the door, and Princess Betsy, knowing it was Madame Karenina,
glanced at Vronsky. He was looking towards the door, and his face wore a
strange new expression. Joyfully, intently, and at the same time timidly, he gazed at
the approaching figure, and slowly he rose to his feet. Anna walked into the drawing
room. Holding herself extremely erect, as always, looking straight before her,
and moving with her swift, resolute, and light step, that distinguished her from all
other society women, she crossed the short space to her hostess, shook hands with
her, smiled, and with the same smile looked around at Vronsky. Vronsky bowed low
and pushed a chair up for her.
She acknowledged this only by a slight nod, flushed a little, and frowned. But
immediately, while rapidly greeting her acquaintances, and shaking the hands proffered
to her, she addressed Princess Betsy:
“I have been at Countess Lidia’s, and meant to have come here earlier, but I stayed
on. Sir John was there. He’s very interesting.”
“Oh, that’s this missionary?”
“Yes; he told us about the life in India, most interesting things.”
The conversation, interrupted by her coming in, flickered up again like the light
of a lamp being blown out.
“Sir John! Yes, Sir John; I’ve seen him. He speaks well. The Vlassieva girl’s quite
in love with him.”
“And is it true the younger Vlassieva girl’s to marry Topov?”
“Yes, they say it’s quite a settled thing.”
“I wonder at the parents! They say it’s a marriage for love.”
“For love? What antediluvian notions you have! Can one talk of love in these
days?” said the ambassador’s wife.
“What’s to be done? It’s a foolish old fashion that’s kept up still,” said Vronsky.
“So much the worse for those who keep up the fashion. The only happy marriages
I know are marriages of prudence.”
“Yes, but then how often the happiness of these prudent marriages flies away like
dust just because that passion turns up that they have refused to recognize,” said
Vronsky.
“But by marriages of prudence we mean those in which both parties have sown
their wild oats already. That’s like scarlatina–one has to go through it and get it
over.”
“Then they ought to find out how to vaccinate for love, like smallpox.”
“I was in love in my young days with a deacon,” said the Princess Myakaya. “I
don’t know that it did me any good.”
“No; I imagine, joking apart, that to know love, one must make mistakes and then
correct them,” said Princess Betsy.
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