Anna Karenina - LimpidSoft

PART FIVE CHAPTER 29
“This coldness–this pretense of feeling!” she said to herself. “They must needs
insult me and torture the child, and I am to submit to it! Not on any consideration!
She is worse than I am. I don’t lie, anyway.” And she decided on the spot that next
day, Seryozha’s birthday, she would go straight to her husband’s house, bribe or
deceive the servants, but at any cost see her son and overturn the hideous deception
with which they were encompassing the unhappy child.
She went to a toy shop, bought toys and thought over a plan of action. She would
go early in the morning at eight o’clock, when Alexey Alexandrovitch would be
certain not to be up. She would have money in her hand to give the hall porter and
the footman, so that they should let her in, and not raising her veil, she would say
that she had come from Seryozha’s godfather to congratulate him, and that she had
been charged to leave the toys at his bedside. She had prepared everything but the
words she should say to her son. Often as she had dreamed of it, she could never
think of anything.
The next day, at eight o’clock in the morning, Anna got out of a hired sledge and
rang at the front entrance of her former home.
“Run and see what’s wanted. Some lady,” said Kapitonitch, who, not yet dressed,
in his overcoat and galoshes, had peeped out of the window and seen a lady in a veil
standing close up to the door. His assistant, a lad Anna did not know, had no sooner
opened the door to her than she came in, and pulling a three-rouble note out of her
muff put it hurriedly into his hand.
“Seryozha–Sergey Alexeitch,” she said, and was going on. Scrutinizing the note,
the porter’s assistant stopped her at the second glass door.
“Whom do you want?” he asked.
She did not hear his words and made no answer.
Noticing the embarrassment of the unknown lady, Kapitonitch went out to her,
opened the second door for her, and asked her what she was pleased to want.
“From Prince Skorodumov for Sergey Alexeitch,” she said.
“His honor’s not up yet,” said the porter, looking at her attentively.
Anna had not anticipated that the absolutely unchanged hall of the house where
she had lived for nine years would so greatly affect her. Memories sweet and painful
rose one after another in her heart, and for a moment she forgot what she was here
for.
“Would you kindly wait?” said Kapitonitch, taking off her fur cloak.
As he took off the cloak, Kapitonitch glanced at her face, recognized her, and made
her a low bow in silence.
“Please walk in, your excellency,” he said to her.
She tried to say something, but her voice refused to utter any sound; with a guilty
and imploring glance at the old man she went with light, swift steps up the stairs.
Bent double, and his galoshes catching in the steps, Kapitonitch ran after her, trying
to overtake her.
“The tutor’s there; maybe he’s not dressed. I’ll let him know.”
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