Page 996 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

They enjoyed hearing the epistle read, and the roll of
the head deacon’s voice at the last verse, awaited with
such impatience by the outside public. They enjoyed
drinking out of the shallow cup of warm red wine and

water, and they were still more pleased when the priest,
flinging back his stole and taking both their hands in his,
led them round the lectern to the accompaniment of bass
voices chanting ‘Glory to God.’
Shtcherbatsky and Tchirikov, supporting the crowns
and stumbling over the bride’s train, smiling too and
seeming delighted at something, were at one moment left
behind, at the next treading on the bridal pair as the priest
came to a halt. The spark of joy kindled in Kitty seemed
to have infected everyone in the church. It seemed to
Levin that the priest and the deacon too wanted to smile
just as he did.
Taking the crowns off their heads the priest read the
last prayer and congratulated the young people. Levin
looked at Kitty, and he had never before seen her look as
she did. She was charming with the new radiance of
happiness in her face. Levin longed to say something to
her, but he did not know whether it was all over. The
priest got him out of his difficulty. He smiled his kindly

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