Anna Karenina - LimpidSoft

PART ONE CHAPTER 14
And Vronsky stood up, looking for a little table.
Kitty got up to fetch a table, and as she passed, her eyes met Levin’s. She felt for
him with her whole heart, the more because she was pitying him for suffering of
which she was herself the cause. “If you can forgive me, forgive me,” said her eyes,
“I am so happy.”
“I hate them all, and you, and myself,” his eyes responded, and he took up his
hat. But he was not destined to escape. Just as they were arranging themselves
round the table, and Levin was on the point of retiring, the old prince came in, and
after greeting the ladies, addressed Levin.
“Ah!” he began joyously. “Been here long, my boy? I didn’t even know you were
in town. Very glad to see you.” The old prince embraced Levin, and talking to him
did not observe Vronsky, who had risen, and was serenely waiting till the prince
should turn to him.
Kitty felt how distasteful her father’s warmth was to Levin after what had happened.
She saw, too, how coldly her father responded at last to Vronsky’s bow, and
how Vronsky looked with amiable perplexity at her father, as though trying and failing
to understand how and why anyone could be hostilely disposed towards him,
and she flushed.
“Prince, let us have Konstantin Dmitrievitch,” said Countess Nordston; “we want
to try an experiment.”
“What experiment? Table-turning? Well, you must excuse me, ladies and gentlemen,
but to my mind it is better fun to play the ring game,” said the old prince,
looking at Vronsky, and guessing that it had been his suggestion. “There’s some
sense in that, anyway.”
Vronsky looked wonderingly at the prince with his resolute eyes, and, with a faint
smile, began immediately talking to Countess Nordston of the great ball that was to
come off next week.
“I hope you will be there?” he said to Kitty. As soon as the old prince turned
away from him, Levin went out unnoticed, and the last impression he carried away
with him of that evening was the smiling, happy face of Kitty answering Vronsky’s
inquiry about the ball.
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