Page 1039 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

talent was propped up by his own need of Vronsky’s
sympathy and approval for his own articles and ideas, and
he felt that the praise and support must be mutual.
In another man’s house, and especially in Vronsky’s

palazzo, Mihailov was quite a different man from what he
was in his studio. He behaved with hostile courtesy, as
though he were afraid of coming closer to people he did
not respect. He called Vronsky ‘your excellency,’ and
notwithstanding Anna’s and Vronsky’s invitations, he
would never stay to dinner, nor come except for the
sittings. Anna was even more friendly to him than to other
people, and was very grateful for her portrait. Vronsky was
more than cordial with him, and was obviously interested
to know the artist’s opinion of his picture. Golenishtchev
never let slip an opportunity of instilling sound ideas about
art into Mihailov. But Mihailov remained equally chilly to
all of them. Anna was aware from his eyes that he liked
looking at her, but he avoided conversation with her.
Vronsky’s talk about his painting he met with stubborn
silence, and he was as stubbornly silent when he was
shown Vronsky’s picture. He was unmistakably bored by
Golenishtchev’s conversation, and he did not attempt to
oppose
him.

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