Page 872 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

Chapter 14

When Kitty had gone and Levin was left alone, he felt
such uneasiness without her and such an impatient longing
to get as quickly, as quickly as possible, to tomorrow
morning, when he would see her again and be plighted to
her forever, that he felt afraid, as though of death, of those
fourteen hours that he had to get through without her. It
was essential for him to be with someone to talk to, so as
not to be left alone, to kill time. Stepan Arkadyevitch
would have been the companion most congenial to him,
but he was going out, he said, to a soiree, in reality to the
ballet. Levin only had time to tell him he was happy, and
that he loved him, and would never, never forget what he
had done for him. The eyes and the smile of Stepan
Arkadyevitch showed Levin that he comprehended that
feeling fittingly.
‘Oh, so it’s not time to die yet?’ said Stepan
Arkadyevitch, pressing Levin’s hand with emotion.
‘N-n-no!’ said Levin.
Darya Alexandrovna too, as she said good-bye to him,
gave him a sort of congratulation, saying, ‘How glad I am
you have met Kitty again! One must value old friends.’

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