Page 1010 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

complete ownership of him was a continual joy to her.
His presence was always sweet to her. All the traits of his
character, which she learned to know better and better,
were unutterably dear to her. His appearance, changed by

his civilian dress, was as fascinating to her as though she
were some young girl in love. In everything he said,
thought, and did, she saw something particularly noble
and elevated. Her adoration of him alarmed her indeed;
she sought and could not find in him anything not fine.
She dared not show him her sense of her own
insignificance beside him. It seemed to her that, knowing
this, he might sooner cease to love her; and she dreaded
nothing now so much as losing his love, though she had
no grounds for fearing it. But she could not help being
grateful to him for his attitude to her, and showing that
she appreciated it. He, who had in her opinion such a
marked aptitude for a political career, in which he would
have been certain to play a leading part—he had sacrificed
his ambition for her sake, and never betrayed the slightest
regret. He was more lovingly respectful to her than ever,
and the constant care that she should not feel the
awkwardness of her position never deserted him for a
single instant. He, so manly a man, never opposed her,
had indeed, with her, no will of his own, and was anxious,

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