Page 1583 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

turned on him he raised his head and smiled a smile of
childlike artlessness.
‘Don’t take any notice,’ said Lidia Ivanovna, and she
lightly moved a chair up for Alexey Alexandrovitch. ‘I

have observed...’ she was beginning, when a footman
came into the room with a letter. Lidia Ivanovna rapidly
ran her eyes over the note, and excusing herself, wrote an
answer with extraordinary rapidity, handed it to the man,
and came back to the table. ‘I have observed,’ she went
on, ‘that Moscow people, especially the men, are more
indifferent to religion than anyone.’
‘Oh, no, countess, I thought Moscow people had the
reputation of being the firmest in the faith,’ answered
Stepan Arkadyevitch.
‘But as far as I can make out, you are unfortunately one
of the indifferent ones,’ said Alexey Alexandrovitch,
turning to him with a weary smile.
‘How anyone can be indifferent!’ said Lidia Ivanovna.
‘I am not so much indifferent on that subject as I am
waiting in suspense,’ said Stepan Arkadyevitch, with his
most deprecating smile. ‘I hardly think that the time for
such questions has come yet for me.’
Alexey Alexandrovitch and Lidia Ivanovna looked at
each other.

1582 of 1759