Page 385 - ANNA KARENINA
P. 385
Anna Karenina
Chapter 19
On the day of the races at Krasnoe Selo, Vronsky had
come earlier than usual to eat beefsteak in the common
messroom of the regiment. He had no need to be strict
with himself, as he had very quickly been brought down
to the required light weight; but still he had to avoid
gaining flesh, and so he eschewed farinaceous and sweet
dishes. He sat with his coat unbuttoned over a white
waistcoat, resting both elbows on the table, and while
waiting for the steak he had ordered he looked at a French
novel that lay open on his plate. He was only looking at
the book to avoid conversation with the officers coming
in and out; he was thinking.
He was thinking of Anna’s promise to see him that day
after the races. But he had not seen her for three days, and
as her husband had just returned from aborad, he did not
know whether she would be able to meet him today or
not, and he did not know how to find out. He had had his
last interview with her at his cousin Betsy’s summer villa.
He visited the Karenins’ summer villa as rarely as possible.
Now he wanted to go there, and he pondered the
question how to do it.
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