Page 722 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

‘You teach in it yourself?’ asked Levin, trying to look
above the open neck, but feeling that wherever he looked
in that direction he should see it.
‘Yes; I used to teach in it myself, and do teach still, but

we have a first-rate schoolmistress now. And we’ve started
gymnastic exercises.’
‘No, thank you, I won’t have any more tea,’ said
Levin, and conscious of doing a rude thing, but incapable
of continuing the conversation, he got up, blushing. ‘I
hear a very interesting conversation,’ he added, and
walked to the other end of the table, where Sviazhsky was
sitting with the two gentlemen of the neighborhood.
Sviazhsky was sitting sideways, with one elbow on the
table, and a cup in one hand, while with the other hand
he gathered up his beard, held it to his nose and let it drop
again, as though he were smelling it. His brilliant black
eyes were looking straight at the excited country
gentleman with gray whiskers, and apparently he derived
amusement from his remarks. The gentleman was
complaining of the peasants. It was evident to Levin that
Sviazhsky knew an answer to this gentleman’s complaints,
which would at once demolish his whole contention, but
that in his position he could not give utterance to this

721 of 1759