Anna Karenina - Part 6 - Page 97/121

In October there were the provincial elections in the Kashinsky

province, where were the estates of Vronsky, Sviazhsky,

Koznishev, Oblonsky, and a small part of Levin's land.

These elections were attracting public attention from several

circumstances connected with them, and also from the people

taking part in them. There had been a great deal of talk about

them, and great preparations were being made for them. Persons

who never attended the elections were coming from Moscow, from

Petersburg, and from abroad to attend these. Vronsky had long

before promised Sviazhsky to go to them. Before the elections

Sviazhsky, who often visited Vozdvizhenskoe, drove over to fetch

Vronsky. On the day before there had been almost a quarrel

between Vronsky and Anna over this proposed expedition. It was

the very dullest autumn weather, which is so dreary in the

country, and so, preparing himself for a struggle, Vronsky, with

a hard and cold expression, informed Anna of his departure as he

had never spoken to her before. But, to his surprise, Anna

accepted the information with great composure, and merely asked

when he would be back. He looked intently at her, at a loss to

explain this composure. She smiled at his look. He knew that

way she had of withdrawing into herself, and knew that it only

happened when she had determined upon something without letting

him know her plans. He was afraid of this; but he was so anxious

to avoid a scene that he kept up appearances, and half sincerely

believed in what he longed to believe in--her reasonableness.

"I hope you won't be dull?"

"I hope not," said Anna. "I got a box of books yesterday from

Gautier's. No, I shan't be dull."

"She's trying to take that tone, and so much the better," he

thought, "or else it would be the same thing over and over

again."

And he set off for the elections without appealing to her for a

candid explanation. It was the first time since the beginning of

their intimacy that he had parted from her without a full

explanation. From one point of view this troubled him, but on

the other side he felt that it was better so. "At first there

will be, as this time, something undefined kept back, and then

she will get used to it. In any case I can give up anything for

her, but not my masculine independence," he thought.