Anna Karenina - Part 6 - Page 68/121

"Where are you going to put the princess?" said Vronsky in

French, addressing Anna, and without waiting for a reply, he once

more greeted Darya Alexandrovna, and this time he kissed her

hand. "I think the big balcony room."

"Oh, no, that's too far off! Better in the corner room, we shall

see each other more. Come, let's go up," said Anna, as she gave

her favorite horse the sugar the footman had brought her.

"_Et vous oubliez votre devoir_," she said to Veslovsky, who came

out too on the steps.

"_Pardon, j'en ai tout plein les poches_," he answered, smiling,

putting his fingers in his waistcoat pocket.

"_Mais vous venez trop tard_," she said, rubbing her handkerchief

on her hand, which the horse had made wet in taking the sugar.

Anna turned to Dolly. "You can stay some time? For one day

only? That's impossible!"

"I promised to be back, and the children..." said Dolly, feeling

embarrassed both because she had to get her bag out of the

carriage, and because she knew her face must be covered with

dust.

"No, Dolly, darling!... Well, we'll see. Come along, come

along!" and Anna led Dolly to her room.

That room was not the smart guest chamber Vronsky had suggested,

but the one of which Anna had said that Dolly would excuse it.

And this room, for which excuse was needed, was more full of

luxury than any in which Dolly had ever stayed, a luxury that

reminded her of the best hotels abroad.

"Well, darling, how happy I am!" Anna said, sitting down in her

riding habit for a moment beside Dolly. "Tell me about all of

you. Stiva I had only a glimpse of, and he cannot tell one

about the children. How is my favorite, Tanya? Quite a big

girl, I expect?"

"Yes, she's very tall," Darya Alexandrovna answered shortly,

surprised herself that she should respond so coolly about her

children. "We are having a delightful stay at the Levins'," she

added.

"Oh, if I had known," said Anna, "that you do not despise me!...

You might have all come to us. Stiva's an old friend and a great

friend of Alexey's, you know," she added, and suddenly she

blushed.

"Yes, but we are all..." Dolly answered in confusion.

"But in my delight I'm talking nonsense. The one thing, darling,

is that I am so glad to have you!" said Anna, kissing her again.

"You haven't told me yet how and what you think about me, and I

keep wanting to know. But I'm glad you will see me as I am.

The chief thing I shouldn't like would be for people to imagine I

want to prove anything. I don't want to prove anything; I

merely want to live, to do no one harm but myself. I have the

right to do that, haven't I? But it is a big subject, and we'll

talk over everything properly later. Now I'll go and dress and

send a maid to you."