Page 1158 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

servants, but at any cost see her son and overturn the
hideous deception with which they were encompassing
the unhappy child.
She went to a toy shop, bought toys and thought over

a plan of action. She would go early in the morning at
eight o’clock, when Alexey Alexandrovitch would be
certain not to be up. She would have money in her hand
to give the hall porter and the footman, so that they
should let her in, and not raising her veil, she would say
that she had come from Seryozha’s godfather to
congratulate him, and that she had been charged to leave
the toys at his bedside. She had prepared everything but
the words she should say to her son. Often as she had
dreamed of it, she could never think of anything.
The next day, at eight o’clock in the morning, Anna
got out of a hired sledge and rang at the front entrance of
her former home.
‘Run and see what’s wanted. Some lady,’ said
Kapitonitch, who, not yet dressed, in his overcoat and
galoshes, had peeped out of the window and seen a lady in
a veil standing close up to the door. His assistant, a lad
Anna did not know, had no sooner opened the door to
her than she came in, and pulling a three-rouble note out
of her muff put it hurriedly into his hand.

1157 of 1759