Page 286 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

‘You describe it with such feeling that I fancy you must
be one of the two.’
‘And after what you said, just now! Well, the young
men go in to their comrade’s; he was giving a farewell

dinner. There they certainly did drink a little too much, as
one always does at farewell dinners. And at dinner they
inquire who lives at the top in that house. No one knows;
only their host’s valet, in answer to their inquiry whether
any ‘young ladies’ are living on the top floor, answered
that there were a great many of them about there. After
dinner the two young men go into their host’s study, and
write a letter to the unknown fair one. They compose an
ardent epistle, a declaration in fact, and they carry the
letter upstairs themselves, so as to elucidate whatever
might appear not perfectly intelligible in the letter.’
‘Why are you telling me these horrible stories? Well?’
‘They ring. A maidservant opens the door, they hand
her the letter, and assure the maid that they’re both so in
love that they’ll die on the spot at the door. The maid,
stupefied, carries in their messages. All at once a gentleman
appears with whiskers like sausages, as red as a lobster,
announces that there is no one living in the flat except his
wife, and sends them both about their business.’

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