Page 464 - ANNA KARENINA
P. 464

Anna Karenina


                                  stood so as to screen her,  giving her time to recover
                                  herself.
                                     ‘For the third time I offer you my arm,’ he said to her
                                  after a little time, turning to her. Anna gazed at him and

                                  did not know what to say. Princess Betsy came to her
                                  rescue.
                                     ‘No, Alexey Alexandrovitch; I brought Anna and I
                                  promised to take her home,’ put in Betsy.
                                     ‘Excuse me, princess,’ he said, smiling courteously but
                                  looking her very firmly in the face, ‘but I see that Anna’s
                                  not very well, and I wish her to come home with me.’
                                     Anna looked about her in a frightened way, got up
                                  submissively, and laid her hand on her husband’s arm.
                                     ‘I’ll send to him and find out, and let you know,’ Betsy
                                  whispered to her.
                                     As they left the pavilion, Alexey Alexandrovitch, as
                                  always, talked to those he met, and Anna had, as always, to
                                  talk and answer; but she was utterly beside herself, and
                                  moved hanging on her husband’s arm as though in a
                                  dream.
                                     ‘Is he killed or not? Is it  true? Will he come or not?
                                  Shall I see him today?’ she was thinking.
                                     She took her seat in her husband’s carriage in silence,
                                  and in silence drove out of the crowd of carriages. I spite



                                                         463 of 1759
   459   460   461   462   463   464   465   466   467   468   469