Page 1427 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

uncalled for and stupid, and Levin felt it himself as he said
it.
‘Oh, this is such an original fellow!’ said Stepan
Arkadyevitch with his most soothing, almond-oil smile.

‘But come along; I think they’re voting...’
And they separated.
‘I can’t understand,’ said Sergey Ivanovitch, who had
observed his brother’s clumsiness, ‘I can’t understand how
anyone can be so absolutely devoid of political tact. That’s
where we Russians are so deficient. The marshal of the
province is our opponent, and with him you’re ami
cochon, and you beg him to stand. Count Vronsky, now
...I’m not making a friend of him; he’s asked me to dinner,
and I’m not going; but he’s one of our side—why make
an enemy of him? Then you ask Nevyedovsky if he’s
going to stand. That’s not a thing to do.’
‘Oh, I don’t understand it at all! And it’s all such
nonsense,’ Levin answered gloomily.
‘You say it’s all such nonsense, but as soon as you have
anything to do with it, you make a muddle.’
Levin did not answer, and they walked together into
the big room.
The marshal of the province, though he was vaguely
conscious in the air of some trap being prepared for him,

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