Page 1410 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

afterwards, this syllogism: that it was necessary for the
public good to get rid of the marshal of the province; that
to get rid of the marshal it was necessary to have a
majority of votes; that to get a majority of votes it was

necessary to secure Flerov’s right to vote; that to secure
the recognition of Flerov’s right to vote they must decide
on the interpretation to be put on the act.
‘And one vote may decide the whole question and one
must be serious and consecutive, if one wants to be of use
in public life,’ concluded Sergey Ivanovitch. But Levin
forgot all that, and it was painful to him to see all these
excellent persons, for whom he had a respect, in such an
unpleasant and vicious state of excitement. To escape from
this painful feeling he went away into the other room
where there was nobody except the waiters at the
refreshment bar. Seeing the waiters busy over washing up
the crockery and setting in order their plates and wine
glasses, seeing their calm and cheerful faces, Levin felt an
unexpected sense of relief as though he had come out of a
stuffy room into the fresh air. He began walking up and
down, looking with pleasure at the waiters. He particularly
liked the way one gray-whiskered waiter, who showed his
scorn for the other younger ones and was jeered at by
them, was teaching them how to fold up napkins properly.

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