Page 43 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

of the district to make money. Formerly they had
wardships, courts of justice, now they have the district
council—not in the form of bribes, but in the form of
unearned salary,’ he said, as hotly as though someone of

those present had opposed his opinion.
‘Aha! You’re in a new phase again, I see—a
conservative,’ said Stepan Arkadyevitch. ‘However, we
can go into that later.’
‘Yes, later. But I wanted to see you,’ said Levin,
looking with hatred at Grinevitch’s hand.
Stepan Arkadyevitch gave a scarcely perceptible smile.
‘How was it you used to say you would never wear
European dress again?’ he said, scanning his new suit,
obviously cut by a French tailor. ‘Ah! I see: a new phase.’
Levin suddenly blushed, not as grown men blush,
slightly, without being themselves aware of it, but as boys
blush, feeling that they are ridiculous through their
shyness, and consequently ashamed of it and blushing still
more, almost to the point of tears. And it was so strange to
see this sensible, manly face in such a childish plight, that
Oblonsky left off looking at him.
‘Oh, where shall we meet? You know I want very
much to talk to you,’ said Levin.
Oblonsky seemed to ponder.

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