Page 376 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

it— innocence. Here a Polish speculator bought for half its
value a magnificent estate from a young lady who lives in
Nice. And there a merchant will get three acres of land,
worth ten roubles, as security for the loan of one rouble.

Here, for no kind of reason, you’ve made that rascal a
present of thirty thousand roubles.’
‘Well, what should I have done? Counted every tree?’
‘Of course, they must be counted. You didn’t count
them, but Ryabinin did. Ryabinin’s children will have
means of livelihood and education, while yours maybe
will not!’
‘Well, you must excuse me, but there’s something
mean in this counting. We have our business and they
have theirs, and they must make their profit. Anyway, the
thing’s done, and there’s an end of it. And here come
some poached eggs, my favorite dish. And Agafea
Mihalovna will give us that marvelous herb-brandy..’
Stepan Arkadyevitch sat down at the table and began
joking with Agafea Mihalovna, assuring her that it was
long since he had tasted such a dinner and such a supper.
‘Well, you do praise it, anyway,’ said Agafea
Mihalovna, ‘but Konstantin Dmitrievitch, give him what
you will—a crust of bread—he’ll eat it and walk away.’

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