Page 1651 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

invent means of deceiving each other. And when one sees
the truth, what is one to do?’
‘That’s what reason is given man for, to escape from
what worries him,’ said the lady in French, lisping

affectedly, and obviously pleased with her phrase.
The words seemed an answer to Anna’s thoughts.
‘To escape from what worries him,’ repeated Anna.
And glancing at the red-checked husband and the thin
wife, she saw that the sickly wife considered herself
misunderstood, and the husband deceived her and
encouraged her in that idea of herself. Anna seemed to see
all their history and all the crannies of their souls, as it
were turning a light upon them. But there was nothing
interesting in them, and she pursued her thought.
‘Yes, I’m very much worried, and that’s what reason
was given me for, to escape; so then one must escape: why
not put out the light when there’s nothing more to look
at, when it’s sickening to look at it all? But how? Why did
the conductor run along the footboard, why are they
shrieking, those young men in that train? why are they
talking, why are they laughing? It’s all falsehood, all lying,
all humbug, all cruelty!..’
When the train came into the station, Anna got out
into the crowd of passengers, and moving apart from them

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