Page 1406 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

‘O sancta simplicitas!’ said Stepan Arkadyevitch, and
briefly and clearly he explained it to Levin. If, as at
previous elections, all the districts asked the marshal of the
province to stand, then he would be elected without a

ballot. That must not be. Now eight districts had agreed to
call upon him: if two refused to do so, Snetkov might
decline to stand at all; and then the old party might choose
another of their party, which would throw them
completely out in their reckoning. But if only one district,
Sviazhsky’s, did not call upon him to stand, Snetkov
would let himself be balloted for. They were even, some
of them, going to vote for him, and purposely to let him
get a good many votes, so that the enemy might be
thrown off the scent, and when a candidate of the other
side was put up, they too might give him some votes.
Levin understood to some extent, but not fully, and would
have put a few more questions, when suddenly everyone
began talking and making a noise and they moved towards
the big room.
‘What is it? eh? whom?’ ‘No guarantee? whose? what?’
‘They won’t pass him?’ ‘No guarantee?’ ‘They won’t let
Flerov in?’ ‘Eh, because of the charge against him?’ ‘Why,
at this rate, they won’t admit anyone. It’s a swindle!’ ‘The
law!’ Levin heard exclamations on all sides, and he moved

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