Part Four: Chapter 4

by Leo Tolstoy

　　Alexey Alexandrovitch, after meeting Vronsky on his own steps,drove, as he had intended, to the Italian opera. He satthrough two acts there, and saw everyone he had wanted to see.On returning home, he carefully scrutinized the hat stand, andnoticing that there was not a military overcoat there, he went,as usual, to his own room. But, contrary to his usual habits, hedid not go to bed, he walked up and down his study till threeo'clock in the morning. The feeling of furious anger with hiswife, who would not observe the proprieties and keep to the onestipulation he had laid on her, not to receive her lover in herown home, gave him no peace. She had not complied with hisrequest, and he was bound to punish her and carry out histhreat--obtain a divorce and take away his son. He knew all thedifficulties connected with this course, but he had said he woulddo it, and now he must carry out his threat. Countess LidiaIvanovna had hinted that this was the best way out of hisposition, and of late the obtaining of divorces had been broughtto such perfection that Alexey Alexandrovitch saw a possibilityof overcoming the formal difficulties. Misfortunes never comesingly, and the affairs of the reorganization of the nativetribes, and of the irrigation of the lands of the Zaraiskyprovince, had brought such official worries upon AlexeyAlexandrovitch that he had been of late in a continual conditionof extreme irritability.

　　He did not sleep the whole night, and his fury, growing in a sortof vast, arithmetical progression, reached its highest limits inthe morning. He dressed in haste, and as though carrying his cupfull of wrath, and fearing to spill any over, fearing to losewith his wrath the energy necessary for the interview with hiswife, he went into her room directly he heard she was up.

　　Anna, who had thought she knew her husband so well, was amazed athis appearance when he went in to her. His brow was lowering,and his eyes stared darkly before him, avoiding her eyes; hismouth was tightly and contemptuously shut. In his walk, in hisgestures, in the sound of his voice there was a determination andfirmness such as his wife had never seen in him. He went intoher room, and without greeting her, walked straight up to herwriting-table, and taking her keys, opened a drawer.

　　"What do you want?" she cried.

　　"Your lover's letters," he said.

　　"They're not here," she said, shutting the drawer; but from thataction he saw he had guessed right, and roughly pushing away herhand, he quickly snatched a portfolio in which he knew she usedto put her most important papers. She tried to pull theportfolio away, but he pushed her back.

　　"Sit down! I have to speak to you," he said, putting theportfolio under his arm, and squeezing it so tightly with hiselbow that his shoulder stood up. Amazed and intimidated, shegazed at him in silence.

　　"I told you that I would not allow you to receive your lover inthis house."

　　"I had to see him to..."

　　She stopped, not finding a reason.

　　"I do not enter into the details of why a woman wants to see herlover."

　　"I meant, I only..." she said, flushing hotly. This coarsenessof his angered her, and gave her courage. "Surely you must feelhow easy it is for you to insult me?" she said.

　　"An honest man and an honest woman may be insulted, but to tell athief he's a thief is simply la constatation d'un fait."

　　"This cruelty is something new I did not know in you."

　　"You call it cruelty for a husband to give his wife liberty,giving her the honorable protection of his name, simply on thecondition of observing the proprieties: is that cruelty?"

　　"It's worse than cruel--it's base, if you want to know!" Annacried, in a rush of hatred, and getting up, she was going away.

　　"No!" he shrieked in his shrill voice, which pitched a notehigher than usual even, and his big hands clutching her by thearm so violently that red marks were left from the bracelet hewas squeezing, he forcibly sat her down in her place.

　　"Base! If you care to use that word, what is base is to forsakehusband and child for a lover, while you eat your husband'sbread!"

　　She bowed her head. She did not say what she had said theevening before to her lover, that he was her husband, and herhusband was superfluous; she did not even think that. She feltall the justice of his words, and only said softly:

　　"You cannot describe my position as worse than I feel it to bemyself; but what are you saying all this for?"

　　"What am I saying it for? what for?" he went on, as angrily."That you may know that since you have not carried out my wishesin regard to observing outward decorum, I will take measures toput an end to this state of things."

　　"Soon, very soon, it will end, anyway," she said; and again, atthe thought of death near at hand and now desired, tears cameinto her eyes.

　　"It will end sooner than you and your lover have planned! If youmust have the satisfaction of animal passion..."

　　"Alexey Alexandrovitch! I won't say it's not generous, but it'snot like a gentleman to strike anyone who's down."

　　"Yes, you only think of yourself! But the sufferings of a manwho was your husband have no interest for you. You don't carethat his whole life is ruined, that he is thuff...thuff..."

　　Alexey Alexandrovitch was speaking so quickly that he stammered,and was utterly unable to articulate the word "suffering." Inthe end he pronounced it "thuffering." She wanted to laugh, andwas immediately ashamed that anything could amuse her at such amoment. And for the first time, for an instant, she felt forhim, put herself in his place, and was sorry for him. But whatcould she say or do? Her head sank, and she sat silent. He toowas silent for some time, and then began speaking in a frigid,less shrill voice, emphasizing random words that had nosignificance.

　　"I came to tell you..." he said.

　　She glanced at him. "No, it was my fancy," she thought,recalling the expression of his face when he stumbled over theword "suffering." "No; can a man with those dull eyes, with thatself-satisfied complacency, feel anything?"

　　"I cannot change anything," she whispered.

　　"I have come to tell you that I am going tomorrow to Moscow, andshall not return again to this house, and you will receive noticeof what I decide through the lawyer into whose hands I shallintrust the task of getting a divorce. My son is going to mysister's," said Alexey Alexandrovitch, with an effort recallingwhat he had meant to say about his son.

　　"You take Seryozha to hurt me," she said, looking at him fromunder her brows. "You do not love him.... Leave me Seryozha!"

　　"Yes, I have lost even my affection for my son, because he isassociated with the repulsion I feel for you. But still Ishall take him. Goodbye!"

　　And he was going away, but now she detained him.

　　"Alexey Alexandrovitch, leave me Seryozha!" she whispered oncemore. "I have nothing else to say. Leave Seryozha till my...Ishall soon be confined; leave him!"

　　Alexey Alexandrovitch flew into a rage, and, snatching his handfrom her, he went out of the room without a word.