Page 1691 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

be more convenient to put Katavasov, to sleep alone or to
share Sergey Ivanovitch’s room. And then an idea
suddenly struck her, which made her shudder and even
disturb Mitya, who glanced severely at her. ‘I do believe

the laundress hasn’t sent the washing yet, and all the best
sheets are in use. If I don’t see to it, Agafea Mihalovna will
give Sergey Ivanovitch the wrong sheets,’ and at the very
idea of this the blood rushed to Kitty’s face.
‘Yes, I will arrange it,’ she decided, and going back to
her former thoughts, she remembered that some spiritual
question of importance had been interrupted, and she
began to recall what. ‘Yes, Kostya, an unbeliever,’ she
thought again with a smile.
‘Well, an unbeliever then! Better let him always be one
than like Madame Stahl, or what I tried to be in those days
abroad. No, he won’t ever sham anything.’
And a recent instance of his goodness rose vividly to
her mind. A fortnight ago a penitent letter had come from
Stepan Arkadyevitch to Dolly. He besought her to save his
honor, to sell her estate to pay his debts. Dolly was in
despair, she detested her husband, despised him, pitied
him, resolved on a separation, resolved to refuse, but
ended by agreeing to sell part of her property. After that,
with an irrepressible smile of tenderness, Kitty recalled her

1690 of 1759