Levin came back to the house only when they sent to summon him to

supper. On the stairs were standing Kitty and Agafea Mihalovna,

consulting about wines for supper.

"But why are you making all this fuss? Have what we usually do."

"No, Stiva doesn't drink...Kostya, stop, what's the matter?"

Kitty began, hurrying after him, but he strode ruthlessly away to

the dining room without waiting for her, and at once joined in

the lively general conversation which was being maintained there

by Vassenka Veslovsky and Stepan Arkadyevitch.

"Well, what do you say, are we going shooting tomorrow?" said

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Stepan Arkadyevitch.

"Please, do let's go," said Veslovsky, moving to another chair,

where he sat down sideways, with one fat leg crossed under him.

"I shall be delighted, we will go. And have you had any shooting

yet this year?" said Levin to Veslovsky, looking intently at his

leg, but speaking with that forced amiability that Kitty knew so

well in him, and that was so out of keeping with him. "I can't

answer for our finding grouse, but there are plenty of snipe.

Only we ought to start early. You're not tired? Aren't you

tired, Stiva?"

"Me tired? I've never been tired yet. Suppose we stay up all

night. Let's go for a walk!"

"Yes, really, let's not go to bed at all! Capital!" Veslovsky

chimed in.

"Oh, we all know you can do without sleep, and keep other people

up too," Dolly said to her husband, with that faint note of irony

in her voice which she almost always had now with her husband.

"But to my thinking, it's time for bed now.... I'm going, I

don't want supper."

"No, do stay a little, Dolly," said Stepan Arkadyevitch, going

round to her side behind the table where they were having supper.

"I've so much still to tell you."

"Nothing really, I suppose."

"Do you know Veslovsky has been at Anna's, and he's going to them

again? You know they're hardly fifty miles from you, and I too

must certainly go over there. Veslovsky, come here!"

Vassenka crossed over to the ladies, and sat down beside Kitty.

"Ah, do tell me, please; you have stayed with her? How was she?"

Darya Alexandrovna appealed to him.

Levin was left at the other end of the table, and though never

pausing in his conversation with the princess and Varenka, he saw

that there was an eager and mysterious conversation going on

between Stepan Arkadyevitch, Dolly, Kitty, and Veslovsky. And

that was not all. He saw on his wife's face an expression of

real feeling as she gazed with fixed eyes on the handsome face of

Vassenka, who was telling them something with great animation.




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