Page 1480 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

Levin answered, and repeated an inquiry about
Madame Apraksina’s sudden death.
‘But she was always in weak health.’
‘Were you at the opera yesterday?’

‘Yes, I was.’
‘Lucca was very good.’
‘Yes, very good,’ he said, and as it was utterly of no
consequence to him what they thought of him, he began
repeating what they had heard a hundred times about the
characteristics of the singer’s talent. Countess Bola
pretended to be listening. Then, when he had said enough
and paused, the colonel, who had been silent till then,
began to talk. The colonel too talked of the opera, and
about culture. At last, after speaking of the proposed folle
journee at Turin’s, the colonel laughed, got up noisily,
and went away. Levin too rose, but he saw by the face of
the countess that it was not yet time for him to go. He
must stay two minutes longer. He sat down.
But as he was thinking all the while how stupid it was,
he could not find a subject for conversation, and sat silent.
‘You are not going to the public meeting? They say it
will be very interesting,’ began the countess.
‘No, I promised my belle-soeur to fetch her from it,’
said Levin.

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