Page 338 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

their petticoats, ran splashing through the mud with bare
legs, still white, not yet brown from the sun, waving brush
wood in their hands, chasing the calves that frolicked in
the mirth of spring.

After admiring the young ones of that year, who were
particularly fine—the early calves were the size of a
peasant’s cow, and Pava’s daughter, at three months old,
was a big as a yearling— Levin gave orders for a trough to
be brought out and for them to be fed in the paddock. But
it appeared that as the paddock had not been used during
the winter, the hurdles made in the autumn for it were
broken. He sent for the carpenter, who, according to his
orders, ought to have been at work at the thrashing
machine. But it appeared that the carpenter was repairing
the harrows, which ought to have been repaired before
Lent. This was very annoying to Levin. It was annoying to
come upon that everlasting slovenliness in the farm work
against which he had been striving with all his might for
so many years. The hurdles, as he ascertained, being not
wanted in winter, had been carried to the cart-horses’
stable; and there broken, as they were of light
construction, only meant for folding calves. Moreover, it
was apparent also that the harrows and all the agricultural
implements, which he had directed to be looked over and

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