Page 1454 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

‘Put on your frock coat, so that you can go straight to
call on Countess Bola.’
‘But is it absolutely necessary?’
‘Oh, absolutely! He has been to see us. Come, what is

it? You go in, sit down, talk for five minutes of the
weather, get up and go away.’
‘Oh, you wouldn’t believe it! I’ve got so out of the
way of all this that it makes me feel positively ashamed. It’s
such a horrible thing to do! A complete outsider walks in,
sits down, stays on with nothing to do, wastes their time
and worries himself, and walks away!’
Kitty laughed.
‘Why, I suppose you used to pay calls before you were
married, didn’t you?’
‘Yes, I did, but I always felt ashamed, and now I’m so
out of the way of it that, by Jove! I’d sooner go two days
running without my dinner than pay this call! One’s so
ashamed! I feel all the while that they’re annoyed, that
they’re saying, ‘What has he come for?’ ‘
‘No, they won’t. I’ll answer for that,’ said Kitty,
looking into his face with a laugh. She took his hand.
‘Well, good-bye.... Do go, please.’
He was just going out after kissing his wife’s hand,
when she stopped him.

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