Page 633 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

support was her son. In whatever position she might be
placed, she could not lose her son. Her husband might put
her to shame and turn her out, Vronsky might grow cold
to her and go on living his own life apart (she thought of

him again with bitterness and reproach); she could not
leave her son. She had an aim in life. And she must act; act
to secure this relation to her son, so that he might not be
taken from her. Quickly indeed, as quickly as possible, she
must take action before he was taken from her. She must
take her son and go away. Here was the one thing she had
to do now. She needed consolation. She must be calm,
and get out of this insufferable position. The thought of
immediate action binding her to her son, of going away
somewhere with him, gave her this consolation.
She dressed quickly, went downstairs, and with resolute
steps walked into the drawing room, where she found, as
usual, waiting for her, the coffee, Seryozha, and his
governess. Seryozha, all in white, with his back and head
bent, was standing at a table under a looking-glass, and
with an expression of intense concentration which she
knew well, and in which he resembled his father, he was
doing something to the flowers he carried.
The governess had a particularly severe expression.
Seryozha screamed shrilly, as he often did, ‘Ah, mamma!’

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