Anna Karenina - LimpidSoft

PART ONE CHAPTER 8
“What did you say?” Levin cried with horror. “How do you know?”
“Prokofy saw him in the street.”
“Here in Moscow? Where is he? Do you know?” Levin got up from his chair, as
though on the point of starting off at once.
“I am sorry I told you,” said Sergey Ivanovitch, shaking his head at his younger
brother’s excitement. “I sent to find out where he is living, and sent him his IOU to
Trubin, which I paid. This is the answer he sent me.”
And Sergey Ivanovitch took a note from under a paper-weight and handed it to
his brother.
Levin read in the queer, familiar handwriting: “I humbly beg you to leave me in
peace. That’s the only favor I ask of my gracious brothers.–Nikolay Levin.”
Levin read it, and without raising his head stood with the note in his hands opposite
Sergey Ivanovitch.
There was a struggle in his heart between the desire to forget his unhappy brother
for the time, and the consciousness that it would be base to do so.
“He obviously wants to offend me,” pursued Sergey Ivanovitch; “but he cannot
offend me, and I should have wished with all my heart to assist him, but I know it’s
impossible to do that.”
“Yes, yes,” repeated Levin. “I understand and appreciate your attitude to him; but
I shall go and see him.”
“If you want to, do; but I shouldn’t advise it,” said Sergey Ivanovitch. “As regards
myself, I have no fear of your doing so; he will not make you quarrel with me; but
for your own sake, I should say you would do better not to go. You can’t do him any
good; still, do as you please.”
“Very likely I can’t do any good, but I feel–especially at such a moment–but that’s
another thing–I feel I could not be at peace.”
“Well, that I don’t understand,” said Sergey Ivanovitch. “One thing I do understand,”
he added; “it’s a lesson in humility. I have come to look very differently and
more charitably on what is called infamous since brother Nikolay has become what
he is...you know what he did...”
“Oh, it’s awful, awful!” repeated Levin.
After obtaining his brother’s address from Sergey Ivanovitch’s footman, Levin
was on the point of setting off at once to see him, but on second thought he decided
to put off his visit till the evening. The first thing to do to set his heart at rest
was to accomplish what he had come to Moscow for. From his brother’s Levin went
to Oblonsky’s office, and on getting news of the Shtcherbatskys from him, he drove
to the place where he had been told he might find Kitty.
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