Anna Karenina - Part 1 - Page 92/119

"Sergey Ivanovitch? I'll tell you what for!" Nikolay Levin

shrieked suddenly at the name of Sergey Ivanovitch. "I'll tell

you what for.... But what's the use of talking? There's only one

thing.... What did you come to me for? You look down on this,

and you're welcome to,--and go away, in God's name go away!" he

shrieked, getting up from his chair. "And go away, and go away!"

"I don't look down on it at all," said Konstantin Levin timidly.

"I don't even dispute it."

At that instant Marya Nikolaevna came back. Nikolay Levin

looked round angrily at her. She went quickly to him, and

whispered something.

"I'm not well; I've grown irritable," said Nikolay Levin, getting

calmer and breathing painfully; "and then you talk to me of

Sergey Ivanovitch and his article. It's such rubbish, such

lying, such self-deception. What can a man write of justice who

knows nothing of it? Have you read his article?" he asked

Kritsky, sitting down again at the table, and moving back off

half of it the scattered cigarettes, so as to clear a space.

"I've not read it," Kritsky responded gloomily, obviously not

desiring to enter into the conversation.

"Why not?" said Nikolay Levin, now turning with exasperation upon

Kritsky.

"Because I didn't see the use of wasting my time over it."

"Oh, but excuse me, how did you know it would be wasting your

time? That article's too deep for many people--that's to say

it's over their heads. But with me, it's another thing; I see

through his ideas, and I know where its weakness lies."

Everyone was mute. Kritsky got up deliberately and reached his

cap.

"Won't you have supper? All right, good-bye! Come round

tomorrow with the locksmith."

Kritsky had hardly gone out when Nikolay Levin smiled and winked.

"He's no good either," he said. "I see, of course..."

But at that instant Kritsky, at the door, called him...

"What do you want now?" he said, and went out to him in the

passage. Left alone with Marya Nikolaevna, Levin turned to her.

"Have you been long with my brother?" he said to her.

"Yes, more than a year. Nikolay Dmitrievitch's health has become

very poor. Nikolay Dmitrievitch drinks a great deal," she said.

"That is...how does he drink?"

"Drinks vodka, and it's bad for him."

"And a great deal?" whispered Levin.

"Yes," she said, looking timidly towards the doorway, where

Nikolay Levin had reappeared.