Page 979 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

face, of her eyes, of her lips was still her own characteristic
expression of guileless truthfulness.
‘I was beginning to think you meant to run away,’ she
said, and smiled to him.

‘It’s so stupid, what happened to me, I’m ashamed to
speak of it!’ he said, reddening, and he was obliged to turn
to Sergey Ivanovitch, who came up to him.
‘This is a pretty story of yours about the shirt!’ said
Sergey Ivanovitch, shaking his head and smiling.
‘Yes, yes!’ answered Levin, without an idea of what
they were talking about.
‘Now, Kostya, you have to decide,’ said Stepan
Arkadyevitch with an air of mock dismay, ‘a weighty
question. You are at this moment just in the humor to
appreciate all its gravity. They ask me, are they to light the
candles that have been lighted before or candles that have
never been lighted? It’s a matter of ten roubles,’ he added,
relaxing his lips into a smile. ‘I have decided, but I was
afraid you might not agree.’
Levin saw it was a joke, but he could not smile.
‘Well, how’s it to be then?—unlighted or lighted
candles? that’s the question.’
‘Yes, yes, unlighted.’

978 of 1759