On the terrace were assembled all the ladies of the party. They

always liked sitting there after dinner, and that day they had

work to do there too. Besides the sewing and knitting of

baby clothes, with which all of them were busy, that afternoon

jam was being made on the terrace by a method new to Agafea

Mihalovna, without the addition of water. Kitty had introduced

this new method, which had been in use in her home. Agafea

Mihalovna, to whom the task of jam-making had always been

intrusted, considering that what had been done in the Levin

household could not be amiss, had nevertheless put water with the

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strawberries, maintaining that the jam could not be made without

it. She had been caught in the act, and was now making jam

before everyone, and it was to be proved to her conclusively that

jam could be very well made without water.

Agafea Mihalovna, her face heated and angry, her hair untidy, and

her thin arms bare to the elbows, was turning the preserving-pan

over the charcoal stove, looking darkly at the raspberries and

devoutly hoping they would stick and not cook properly. The

princess, conscious that Agafea Mihalovna's wrath must be chiefly

directed against her, as the person responsible for the raspberry

jam-making, tried to appear to be absorbed in other things and

not interested in the jam, talked of other matters, but cast

stealthy glances in the direction of the stove.

"I always buy my maids' dresses myself, of some cheap material,"

the princess said, continuing the previous conversation. "Isn't

it time to skim it, my dear?" she added, addressing Agafea

Mihalovna. "There's not the slightest need for you to do it, and

it's hot for you," she said, stopping Kitty.

"I'll do it," said Dolly, and getting up, she carefully passed

the spoon over the frothing sugar, and from time to time shook

off the clinging jam from the spoon by knocking it on a plate

that was covered with yellow-red scum and blood-colored syrup.

"How they'll enjoy this at tea-time!" she thought of her

children, remembering how she herself as a child had wondered how

it was the grown-up people did not eat what was best of all--the

scum of the jam.

"Stiva says it's much better to give money." Dolly took up

meanwhile the weighty subject under discussion, what presents

should be made to servants. "But..."

"Money's out of the question!" the princess and Kitty exclaimed

with one voice. "They appreciate a present..."

"Well, last year, for instance, I bought our Matrona Semyenovna,

not a poplin, but something of that sort," said the princess.




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