Page 975 - ANNA KARENINA
P. 975
Anna Karenina
addressed Stepan Arkadyevitch, who was smoking
serenely.
‘Was ever a man in such a fearful fool’s position?’ he
said.
‘Yes, it is stupid,’ Stepan Arkadyevitch asserted, smiling
soothingly. ‘But don’t worry, it’ll be brought directly.’
‘No, what is to be done!’ said Levin, with smothered
fury. ‘And these fools of open waistcoats! Out of the
question!’ he said, looking at the crumpled front of his
shirt. ‘And what if the things have been taken on to the
railway station!’ he roared in desperation.
‘Then you must put on mine.’
‘I ought to have done so long ago, if at all.’
‘It’s not nice to look ridiculous.... Wait a bit! it will
come round.’
The point was that when Levin asked for his evening
suit, Kouzma, his old servant, had brought him the coat,
waistcoat, and everything that was wanted.
‘But the shirt!’ cried Levin.
‘You’ve got a shirt on,’ Konzma answered, with a
placid smile.
Kouzma had not thought of leaving out a clean shirt,
and on receiving instructions to pack up everything and
send it round to the Shtcherbatskys’ house, from which
974 of 1759