Anna Karenina - Part 1 - Page 57/119

At the end of the evening Kitty told her mother of her

conversation with Levin, and in spite of all the pity she felt

for Levin, she was glad at the thought that she had received an

_offer_. She had no doubt that she had acted rightly. But after

she had gone to bed, for a long while she could not sleep. One

impression pursued her relentlessly. It was Levin's face, with

his scowling brows, and his kind eyes looking out in dark

dejection below them, as he stood listening to her father, and

glancing at her and at Vronsky. And she felt so sorry for him

that tears came into her eyes. But immediately she thought of

the man for whom she had given him up. She vividly recalled his

manly, resolute face, his noble self-possession, and the

good nature conspicuous in everything towards everyone. She

remembered the love for her of the man she loved, and once more

all was gladness in her soul, and she lay on the pillow, smiling

with happiness. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry; but what could I do?

It's not my fault," she said to herself; but an inner voice told

her something else. Whether she felt remorse at having won

Levin's love, or at having refused him, she did not know. But

her happiness was poisoned by doubts. "Lord, have pity on us;

Lord, have pity on us; Lord, have pity on us!" she repeated to

herself, till she fell asleep.

Meanwhile there took place below, in the prince's little library,

one of the scenes so often repeated between the parents on

account of their favorite daughter.

"What? I'll tell you what!" shouted the prince, waving his arms,

and at once wrapping his squirrel-lined dressing-gown round him

again. "That you've no pride, no dignity; that you're

disgracing, ruining your daughter by this vulgar, stupid

match-making!"

"But, really, for mercy's sake, prince, what have I done?" said

the princess, almost crying.

She, pleased and happy after her conversation with her daughter,

had gone to the prince to say good-night as usual, and though

she had no intention of telling him of Levin's offer and Kitty's

refusal, still she hinted to her husband that she fancied things

were practically settled with Vronsky, and that he would declare

himself so soon as his mother arrived. And thereupon, at those

words, the prince had all at once flown into a passion, and began

to use unseemly language.

"What have you done? I'll tell you what. First of all, you're

trying to catch an eligible gentleman, and all Moscow will be

talking of it, and with good reason. If you have evening

parties, invite everyone, don't pick out the possible suitors.

Invite all the young bucks. Engage a piano player, and let them

dance, and not as you do things nowadays, hunting up good

matches. It makes me sick, sick to see it, and you've gone on

till you've turned the poor wench's head. Levin's a thousand

times the better man. As for this little Petersburg swell,

they're turned out by machinery, all on one pattern, and all

precious rubbish. But if he were a prince of the blood, my

daughter need not run after anyone."