Page 1103 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

aid, immediately started in a prominent position in the
service, and from that time forward he had devoted
himself exclusively to political ambition. In the high
school and the university, and afterwards in the service,

Alexey Alexandrovitch had never formed a close
friendship with anyone. His brother had been the person
nearest to his heart, but he had a post in the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, and was always abroad, where he had died
shortly after Alexey Alexandrovitch’s marriage.
While he was governor of a province, Anna’s aunt, a
wealthy provincial lady, had thrown him—middle-aged as
he was, though young for a governor—with her niece,
and had succeeded in putting him in such a position that
he had either to declare himself or to leave the town.
Alexey Alexandrovitch was not long in hesitation. There
were at the time as many reasons for the step as against it,
and there was no overbalancing consideration to outweigh
his invariable rule of abstaining when in doubt. But Anna’s
aunt had through a common acquaintance insinuated that
he had already compromised the girl, and that he was in
honor bound to make her an offer. He made the offer, and
concentrated on his betrothed and his wife all the feeling
of which he was capable.

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