"I want to warn you," he said in a low voice, "that through

thoughtlessness and lack of caution you may cause yourself to be

talked about in society. Your too animated conversation this

evening with Count Vronsky" (he enunciated the name firmly and

with deliberate emphasis) "attracted attention."

He talked and looked at her laughing eyes, which frightened him

now with their impenetrable look, and, as he talked, he felt all

the uselessness and idleness of his words.

"You're always like that," she answered, as though completely

misapprehending him, and of all he had said only taking in the

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last phrase. "One time you don't like my being dull, and another

time you don't like my being lively. I wasn't dull. Does that

offend you?"

Alexey Alexandrovitch shivered, and bent his hands to make the

joints crack.

"Oh, please, don't do that, I do so dislike it," she said.

"Anna, is this you?" said Alexey Alexandrovitch, quietly making

an effort over himself, and restraining the motion of his

fingers.

"But what is it all about?" she said, with such genuine and droll

wonder. "What do you want of me?"

Alexey Alexandrovitch paused, and rubbed his forehead and his

eyes. He saw that instead of doing as he had intended--that is

to say, warning his wife against a mistake in the eyes of the

world--he had unconsciously become agitated over what was the

affair of her conscience, and was struggling against the barrier

he fancied between them.

"This is what I meant to say to you," he went on coldly and

composedly, "and I beg you to listen to it. I consider jealousy,

as you know, a humiliating and degrading feeling, and I shall

never allow myself to be influenced by it; but there are certain

rules of decorum which cannot be disregarded with impunity. This

evening it was not I observed it, but judging by the impression

made on the company, everyone observed that your conduct and

deportment were not altogether what could be desired."

"I positively don't understand," said Anna, shrugging her

shoulders--"He doesn't care," she thought. "But other people

noticed it, and that's what upsets him."--"You're not well,

Alexey Alexandrovitch," she added, and she got up, and would have

gone towards the door; but he moved forward as though he would

stop her.

His face was ugly and forbidding, as Anna had never seen him.

She stopped, and bending her head back and on one side, began

with her rapid hand taking out her hairpins.




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