Anna Karenina - LimpidSoft

PART SIX CHAPTER 20
Chapter 20
“Here’s Dolly for you, princess, you were so anxious to see her,” said Anna, coming
out with Darya Alexandrovna onto the stone terrace where Princess Varvara was
sitting in the shade at an embroidery frame, working at a cover for Count Alexey
Kirillovitch’s easy chair. “She says she doesn’t want anything before dinner, but
please order some lunch for her, and I’ll go and look for Alexey and bring them all
in.”
Princess Varvara gave Dolly a cordial and rather patronizing reception, and began
at once explaining to her that she was living with Anna because she had always cared
more for her than her sister Katerina Pavlovna, the aunt that had brought Anna up,
and that now, when every one had abandoned Anna, she thought it her duty to help
her in this most difficult period of transition.
“Her husband will give her a divorce, and then I shall go back to my solitude; but
now I can be of use, and I am doing my duty, however difficult it may be for me–not
like some other people. And how sweet it is of you, how right of you to have come!
They live like the best of married couples; it’s for God to judge them, not for us. And
didn’t Biryuzovsky and Madame Avenieva...and Sam Nikandrov, and Vassiliev and
Madame Mamonova, and Liza Neptunova... Did no one say anything about them?
And it has ended by their being received by everyone. And then, c’est un intérieur si
joli, si comme il faut. Tout-à -fait à l’anglaise. On se réunit le matin au breakfast, et puis on
se sépare. Everyone does as he pleases till dinnertime. Dinner at seven o’clock. Stiva
did very rightly to send you. He needs their support. You know that through his
mother and brother he can do anything. And then they do so much good. He didn’t
tell you about his hospital? Ce sera admirable–everything from Paris.”
Their conversation was interrupted by Anna, who had found the men of the party
in the billiard room, and returned with them to the terrace. There was still a long time
before the dinner-hour, it was exquisite weather, and so several different methods
of spending the next two hours were proposed. There were very many methods
of passing the time at Vozdvizhenskoe, and these were all unlike those in use at
Pokrovskoe.
“Une partie de lawn-tennis,” Veslovsky proposed, with his handsome smile. “We’ll
be partners again, Anna Arkadyevna.”
“No, it’s too hot; better stroll about the garden and have a row in the boat, show
Darya Alexandrovna the river banks.” Vronsky proposed.
“I agree to anything,” said Sviazhsky.
“I imagine that what Dolly would like best would be a stroll– wouldn’t you? And
then the boat, perhaps,” said Anna.
So it was decided. Veslovsky and Tushkevitch went off to the bathing place,
promising to get the boat ready and to wait there for them.
They walked along the path in two couples, Anna with Sviazhsky, and Dolly with
Vronsky. Dolly was a little embarrassed and anxious in the new surroundings in
which she found herself. Abstractly, theoretically, she did not merely justify, she
positively approved of Anna’s conduct. As is indeed not unfrequent with women of
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