Anna Karenina - LimpidSoft

PART FIVE CHAPTER 3
to and fro in his room at the hotel, continually putting his head out of the door and
looking up and down the corridor. But in the corridor there was no sign of the person
he was looking for and he came back in despair, and frantically waving his hands
addressed Stepan Arkadyevitch, who was smoking serenely.
“Was ever a man in such a fearful fool’s position?” he said.
“Yes, it is stupid,” Stepan Arkadyevitch assented, smiling soothingly. “But don’t
worry, it’ll be brought directly.”
“No, what is to be done!” said Levin, with smothered fury. “And these fools of
open waistcoats! Out of the question!” he said, looking at the crumpled front of his
shirt. “And what if the things have been taken on to the railway station!” he roared
in desperation.
“Then you must put on mine.”
“I ought to have done so long ago, if at all.”
“It’s not nice to look ridiculous.... Wait a bit! it will come round.”
The point was that when Levin asked for his evening suit, Kouzma, his old servant,
had brought him the coat, waistcoat, and everything that was wanted.
“But the shirt!” cried Levin.
“You’ve got a shirt on,” Kouzma answered, with a placid smile.
Kouzma had not thought of leaving out a clean shirt, and on receiving instructions
to pack up everything and send it round to the Shtcherbatskys’ house, from
which the young people were to set out the same evening, he had done so, packing
everything but the dress suit. The shirt worn since the morning was crumpled and
out of the question with the fashionable open waistcoat. It was a long way to send
to the Shtcherbatskys’. They sent out to buy a shirt. The servant came back; everything
was shut up–it was Sunday. They sent to Stepan Arkadyevitch’s and brought
a shirt–it was impossibly wide and short. They sent finally to the Shtcherbatskys’ to
unpack the things. The bridegroom was expected at the church while he was pacing
up and down his room like a wild beast in a cage, peeping out into the corridor, and
with horror and despair recalling what absurd things he had said to Kitty and what
she might be thinking now.
At last the guilty Kouzma flew panting into the room with the shirt.
“Only just in time. They were just lifting it into the van,” said Kouzma.
Three minutes later Levin ran full speed into the corridor, not looking at his watch
for fear of aggravating his sufferings.
“You won’t help matters like this,” said Stepan Arkadyevitch with a smile, hurrying
with more deliberation after him. “It will come round, it will come round...I tell
you.”
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