The next day was Sunday. Stepan Arkadyevitch went to the Grand

Theater to a rehearsal of the ballet, and gave Masha Tchibisova,

a pretty dancing-girl whom he had just taken under his

protection, the coral necklace he had promised her the evening

before, and behind the scenes in the dim daylight of the theater,

managed to kiss her pretty little face, radiant over her present.

Besides the gift of the necklace he wanted to arrange with her

about meeting after the ballet. After explaining that he could

not come at the beginning of the ballet, he promised he would

come for the last act and take her to supper. From the theater

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Stepan Arkadyevitch drove to Ohotny Row, selected himself the

fish and asparagus for dinner, and by twelve o'clock was at

Dussot's, where he had to see three people, luckily all staying

at the same hotel: Levin, who had recently come back from abroad

and was staying there; the new head of his department, who had

just been promoted to that position, and had come on a tour of

revision to Moscow; and his brother-in-law, Karenin, whom he must

see, so as to be sure of bringing him to dinner.

Stepan Arkadyevitch liked dining, but still better he liked to

give a dinner, small, but very choice, both as regards the food

and drink and as regards the selection of guests. He

particularly liked the program of that day's dinner. There would

be fresh perch, asparagus, and _la pièce de resistance_--

first-rate, but quite plain, roast beef, and wines to suit: so

much for the eating and drinking. Kitty and Levin would be of

the party, and that this might not be obtrusively evident, there

would be a girl cousin too, and young Shtcherbatsky, and _la pièce

de resistance_ among the guests--Sergey Koznishev and Alexey

Alexandrovitch. Sergey Ivanovitch was a Moscow man, and a

philosopher; Alexey Alexandrovitch a Petersburger, and a

practical politician. He was asking, too, the well-known

eccentric enthusiast, Pestsov, a liberal, a great talker, a

musician, an historian, and the most delightfully youthful person

of fifty, who would be a sauce or garnish for Koznishev and

Karenin. He would provoke them and set them off.

The second installment for the forest had been received from the

merchant and was not yet exhausted; Dolly had been very amiable

and goodhumored of late, and the idea of the dinner pleased

Stepan Arkadyevitch from every point of view. He was in the most

light-hearted mood. There were two circumstances a little

unpleasant, but these two circumstances were drowned in the sea

of good-humored gaiety which flooded the soul of Stepan

Arkadyevitch. These two circumstances were: first, that on

meeting Alexey Alexandrovitch the day before in the street he had

noticed that he was cold and reserved with him, and putting the

expression of Alexey Alexandrovitch's face and the fact that he

had not come to see them or let them know of his arrival with the

rumors he had heard about Anna and Vronsky, Stepan Arkadyevitch

guessed that something was wrong between the husband and wife.




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