Page 368 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

them; I know them. They’re not merchants, you know:
they’re speculators. He wouldn’t look at a bargain that
gave him ten, fifteen per cent profit, but holds back to buy
a rouble’s worth for twenty kopecks.’

‘Well, enough of it! You’re out of temper.’
‘Not the least,’ said Levin gloomily, as they drove up to
the house.
At the steps there stood a trap tightly covered with iron
and leather, with a sleek horse tightly harnessed with
broad collar-straps. In the trap sat the chubby, tightly
belted clerk who served Ryabinin as coachman. Ryabinin
himself was already in the house, and met the friends in
the hall. Ryabinin was a tall, thinnish, middle-aged man,
with mustache and a projecting clean-shaven chin, and
prominent muddy-looking eyes. He was dressed in a long-
skirted blue coat, with buttons below the waist at the
back, and wore high boots wrinkled over the ankles and
straight over the calf, with big galoshes drawn over them.
He rubbed his face with his handkerchief, and wrapping
round him his coat, which sat extremely well as it was, he
greeted them with a smile, holding out his hand to Stepan
Arkadyevitch, as though he wanted to catch something.
‘So here you are,’ said Stepan Arkadyevitch, giving him
his hand. ‘That’s capital.’

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