"I know nothing about it, princess. Do as you think fit," he

said.

"You must decide when you will move."

"I really don't know. I know millions of children are born away

from Moscow, and doctors...why..."

"But if so..."

"Oh, no, as Kitty wishes."

"We can't talk to Kitty about it! Do you want me to frighten

her? Why, this spring Natalia Golitzina died from having an

ignorant doctor."

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"I will do just what you say," he said gloomily.

The princess began talking to him, but he did not hear her.

Though the conversation with the princess had indeed jarred upon

him, he was gloomy, not on account of that conversation, but from

what he saw at the samovar.

"No, it's impossible," he thought, glancing now and then at

Vassenka bending over Kitty, telling her something with his

charming smile, and at her, flushed and disturbed.

There was something not nice in Vassenka's attitude, in his eyes,

in his smile. Levin even saw something not nice in Kitty's

attitude and look. And again the light died away in his eyes.

Again, as before, all of a sudden, without the slightest

transition, he felt cast down from a pinnacle of happiness,

peace, and dignity, into an abyss of despair, rage, and

humiliation. Again everything and everyone had become hateful to

him.

"You do just as you think best, princess," he said again, looking

round.

"Heavy is the cap of Monomach," Stepan Arkadyevitch said

playfully, hinting, evidently, not simply at the princess's

conversation, but at the cause of Levin's agitation, which he had

noticed.

"How late you are today, Dolly!"

Everyone got up to greet Darya Alexandrovna. Vassenka only rose

for an instant, and with the lack of courtesy to ladies

characteristic of the modern young man, he scarcely bowed, and

resumed his conversation again, laughing at something.

"I've been worried about Masha. She did not sleep well, and is

dreadfully tiresome today," said Dolly.

The conversation Vassenka had started with Kitty was running on

the same lines as on the previous evening, discussing Anna, and

whether love is to be put higher than worldly considerations.

Kitty disliked the conversation, and she was disturbed both by

the subject and the tone in which it was conducted, and also by

the knowledge of the effect it would have on her husband. But

she was too simple and innocent to know how to cut short this

conversation, or even to conceal the superficial pleasure

afforded her by the young man's very obvious admiration. She

wanted to stop it, but she did not know what to do. Whatever she

did she knew would be observed by her husband, and the worst

interpretation put on it. And, in fact, when she asked Dolly

what was wrong with Masha, and Vassenka, waiting till this

uninteresting conversation was over, began to gaze indifferently

at Dolly, the question struck Levin as an unnatural and

disgusting piece of hypocrisy.




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