Page 835 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

been introduced to Karenin, was trying to look as though
he were not in the least conscious of it. Karenin himself
had followed the Petersburg fashion for a dinner with
ladies and was wearing evening dress and a white tie.

Stepan Arkadyevitch saw by his face that he had come
simply to keep his promise, and was performing a
disagreeable duty in being present at this gathering. He
was indeed the person chiefly responsible for the chill
benumbing all the guests before Stepan Arkadyevitch
came in.
On entering the drawing room Stepan Arkadyevitch
apologized, explaining that he had been detained by that
prince, who was always the scapegoat for all his absences
and unpunctualities, and in one moment he had made all
the guests acquainted with each other, and, bringing
together Alexey Alexandrovitch and Sergey Koznishev,
started them on a discussion of the Russification of
Poland, into which they immediately plunged with
Pestsov. Slapping Turovtsin on the shoulder, he whispered
something comic in his ear, and set him down by his wife
and the old prince. Then he told Kitty she was looking
very pretty that evening, and presented Shtcherbatsky to
Karenin. In a moment he had so kneaded together the
social dough that the drawing room became very lively,

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