Page 369 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

‘I did not venture to disregard your excellency’s
commands, though the road was extremely bad. I
positively walked the whole way, but I am here at my
time. Konstantin Dmitrievitch, my respects"; he turned to

Levin, trying to seize his hand too. But Levin, scowling,
made as though he did not notice his hand, and took out
the snipe. ‘Your honors have been diverting yourselves
with the chase? What kind of bird may it be, pray?’ added
Ryabinin, looking contemptuously at the snipe: ‘a great
delicacy, I suppose.’ And he shook his head
disapprovingly, as though he had grave doubts whether
this game were worth the candle.
‘Would you like to go into my study?’ Levin said in
French to Stepan Arkadyevitch, scowling morosely. ‘Go
into my study; you can talk there.’
‘Quite so, where you please,’ said Ryabinin with
contemptuous dignity, as though wishing to make it felt
that others might be in difficulties as to how to behave,
but that he could never be in any difficulty about
anything.
On entering the study Ryabinin looked about, as his
habit was, as though seeking the holy picture, but when
he had found it, he did not cross himself. He scanned the
bookcases and bookshelves, and with the same dubious air

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