Anna Karenina - Part 1 - Page 19/119

"No," answered Levin, after an instant's thought, "I have got to

go on somewhere else."

"All right, then, let's dine together."

"Dine together? But I have nothing very particular, only a few

words to say, and a question I want to ask you, and we can have a

talk afterwards."

"Well, say the few words, then, at once, and we'll gossip after

dinner."

"Well, it's this," said Levin; "but it's of no importance,

though."

His face all at once took an expression of anger from the effort

he was making to surmount his shyness.

"What are the Shtcherbatskys doing? Everything as it used to

be?" he said.

Stepan Arkadyevitch, who had long known that Levin was in love

with his sister-in-law, Kitty, gave a hardly perceptible smile,

and his eyes sparkled merrily.

"You said a few words, but I can't answer in a few words,

because.... Excuse me a minute..."

A secretary came in, with respectful familiarity and the modest

consciousness, characteristic of every secretary, of superiority

to his chief in the knowledge of their business; he went up to

Oblonsky with some papers, and began, under pretense of asking a

question, to explain some objection. Stepan Arkadyevitch,

without hearing him out, laid his hand genially on the

secretary's sleeve.

"No, you do as I told you," he said, softening his words with a

smile, and with a brief explanation of his view of the matter he

turned away from the papers, and said: "So do it that way, if you

please, Zahar Nikititch."

The secretary retired in confusion. During the consultation with

the secretary Levin had completely recovered from his

embarrassment. He was standing with his elbows on the back of a

chair, and on his face was a look of ironical attention.

"I don't understand it, I don't understand it," he said.

"What don't you understand?" said Oblonsky, smiling as brightly

as ever, and picking up a cigarette. He expected some queer

outburst from Levin.

"I don't understand what you are doing," said Levin, shrugging

his shoulders. "How can you do it seriously?"

"Why not?"

"Why, because there's nothing in it."

"You think so, but we're overwhelmed with work."

"On paper. But, there, you've a gift for it," added Levin.

"That's to say, you think there's a lack of something in me?"

"Perhaps so," said Levin. "But all the same I admire your

grandeur, and am proud that I've a friend in such a great person.

You've not answered my question, though," he went on, with a

desperate effort looking Oblonsky straight in the face.