Part Four: Chapter 21

by Leo Tolstoy

　　Before Betsy had time to walk out of the drawing-room, she wasmet in the doorway by Stepan Arkadyevitch, who had just come fromYeliseev's, where a consignment of fresh oysters had beenreceived.

　　"Ah! princess! what a delightful meeting!" he began. "I've beento see you."

　　"A meeting for one minute, for I'm going," said Betsy, smilingand putting on her glove.

　　"Don't put on your glove yet, princess; let me kiss your hand.There's nothing I'm so thankful to the revival of the oldfashions for as the kissing the hand." He kissed Betsy's hand."When shall we see each other?"

　　"You don't deserve it," answered Betsy, smiling.

　　"Oh, yes, I deserve a great deal, for I've become a most seriousperson. I don't only manage my own affairs, but other people'stoo," he said with a significant expression.

　　"Oh, I'm so glad!" answered Betsy, at once understanding that hewas speaking of Anna. And going back into the drawing room, theystood in a corner. "He's killing her," said Betsy in a whisperfull of meaning. "It's impossible, impossible..."

　　"I'm so glad you think so," said Stepan Arkadyevitch, shaking hishead with a serious and sympathetically distressed expression,"that's what I've come to Petersburg for."

　　"The whole town's talking of it," she said. "It's an impossibleposition. She pines and pines away. He doesn't understand thatshe's one of those women who can't trifle with their feelings.One of two things! either let him take her away, act withenergy, or give her a divorce. This is stifling her."

　　"Yes, yes...just so..." Oblonsky said, sighing. "That's whatI've come for. At least not solely for that...I've been made aKammerherr; of course, one has to say thank you. But the chiefthing was having to settle this."

　　"Well, God help you!" said Betsy.

　　After accompanying Betsy to the outside hall, once more kissingher hand above the glove, at the point where the pulse beats, andmurmuring to her such unseemly nonsense that she did not knowwhether to laugh or be angry, Stepan Arkadyevitch went to hissister. He found her in tears.

　　Although he happened to be bubbling over with good spirits,Stepan Arkadyevitch immediately and quite naturally fell into thesympathetic, poetically emotional tone which harmonized with hermood. He asked her how she was, and how she had spent themorning.

　　"Very, very miserably. Today and this morning and all past daysand days to come," she said.

　　"I think you're giving way to pessimism. You must rouseyourself, you must look life in the face. I know it's hard,but..."

　　"I have heard it said that women love men even for their vices,"Anna began suddenly, "but I hate him for his virtues. I can'tlive with him. Do you understand? the sight of him has aphysical effect on me, it makes me beside myself. I can't, Ican't live with him. What am I to do? I have been unhappy, andused to think one couldn't be more unhappy, but the awful stateof things I am going through now, I could never have conceived.Would you believe it, that knowing he's a good man, a splendidman, that I'm not worth his little finger, still I hate him. Ihate him for his generosity. And there's nothing left for mebut..."

　　She would have said death, but Stepan Arkadyevitch would not lether finish.

　　"You are ill and overwrought," he said; "believe me, you'reexaggerating dreadfully. There's nothing so terrible in it."

　　And Stepan Arkadyevitch smiled. No one else in StepanArkadyevitch's place, having to do with such despair, would haveventured to smile (the smile would have seemed brutal); but inhis smile there was so much of sweetness and almost femininetenderness that his smile did not wound, but softened andsoothed. His gentle, soothing words and smiles were as soothingand softening as almond oil. And Anna soon felt this.

　　"No, Stiva," she said, "I'm lost, lost! worse than lost! I can'tsay yet that all is over; on the contrary, I feel that it's notover. I'm an overstrained string that must snap. But it's notended yet...and it will have a fearful end."

　　"No matter, we must let the string be loosened, little by little.There's no position from which there is no way of escape."

　　"I have thought, and thought. Only one..."

　　Again he knew from her terrified eyes that this one way of escapein her thought was death, and he would not let her say it.

　　"Not at all," he said. "Listen to me. You can't see your ownposition as I can. Let me tell you candidly my opinion." Againhe smiled discreetly his almond-oil smile. "I'll begin from thebeginning. You married a man twenty years older than yourself.You married him without love and not knowing what love was. Itwas a mistake, let's admit."

　　"A fearful mistake!" said Anna.

　　"But I repeat, it's an accomplished fact. Then you had, let ussay, the misfortune to love a man not your husband. That was amisfortune; but that, too, is an accomplished fact. And yourhusband knew it and forgave it." He stopped at each sentence,waiting for her to object, but she made no answer. "That's so.Now the question is: can you go on living with your husband? Doyou wish it? Does he wish it?"

　　"I know nothing, nothing."

　　"But you said yourself that you can't endure him."

　　"No, I didn't say so. I deny it. I can't tell, I don't knowanything about it."

　　"Yes, but let..."

　　"You can't understand. I feel I'm lying head downwards in a sortof pit, but I ought not to save myself. And I can't . . ."

　　"Never mind, we'll slip something under and pull you out. Iunderstand you: I understand that you can't take it on yourselfto express your wishes, your feelings."

　　"There's nothing, nothing I wish...except for it to be allover."

　　"But he sees this and knows it. And do you suppose it weighs onhim any less than on you? You're wretched, he's wretched, andwhat good can come of it? while divorce would solve thedifficulty completely." With some effort Stepan Arkadyevitchbrought out his central idea, and looked significantly at her.

　　She said nothing, and shook her cropped head in dissent. Butfrom the look in her face, that suddenly brightened into its oldbeauty, he saw that if she did not desire this, it was simplybecause it seemed to her unattainable happiness.

　　"I'm awfully sorry for you! And how happy I should be if I couldarrange things!" said Stepan Arkadyevitch, smiling more boldly."Don't speak, don't say a word! God grant only that I may speakas I feel. I'm going to him."

　　Anna looked at him with dreamy, shining eyes, and said nothing.