Part Four: Chapter 7

by Leo Tolstoy

　　The next day was Sunday. Stepan Arkadyevitch went to the GrandTheater to a rehearsal of the ballet, and gave Masha Tchibisova,a pretty dancing-girl whom he had just taken under hisprotection, the coral necklace he had promised her the eveningbefore, and behind the scenes in the dim daylight of the theater,managed to kiss her pretty little face, radiant over her present.Besides the gift of the necklace he wanted to arrange with herabout meeting after the ballet. After explaining that he couldnot come at the beginning of the ballet, he promised he wouldcome for the last act and take her to supper. From the theaterStepan Arkadyevitch drove to Ohotny Row, selected himself thefish and asparagus for dinner, and by twelve o'clock was atDussot's, where he had to see three people, luckily all stayingat the same hotel: Levin, who had recently come back from abroadand was staying there; the new head of his department, who hadjust been promoted to that position, and had come on a tour ofrevision to Moscow; and his brother-in-law, Karenin, whom he mustsee, so as to be sure of bringing him to dinner.

　　Stepan Arkadyevitch liked dining, but still better he liked togive a dinner, small, but very choice, both as regards the foodand drink and as regards the selection of guests. Heparticularly liked the program of that day's dinner. There wouldbe fresh perch, asparagus, and la piece de resistance--first-rate, but quite plain, roast beef, and wines to suit: somuch for the eating and drinking. Kitty and Levin would be ofthe party, and that this might not be obtrusively evident, therewould be a girl cousin too, and young Shtcherbatsky, and la piecede resistance among the guests--Sergey Koznishev and AlexeyAlexandrovitch. Sergey Ivanovitch was a Moscow man, and aphilosopher; Alexey Alexandrovitch a Petersburger, and apractical politician. He was asking, too, the well-knowneccentric enthusiast, Pestsov, a liberal, a great talker, amusician, an historian, and the most delightfully youthful personof fifty, who would be a sauce or garnish for Koznishev andKarenin. He would provoke them and set them off.

　　The second installment for the forest had been received from themerchant and was not yet exhausted; Dolly had been very amiableand goodhumored of late, and the idea of the dinner pleasedStepan Arkadyevitch from every point of view. He was in the mostlight-hearted mood. There were two circumstances a littleunpleasant, but these two circumstances were drowned in the seaof good-humored gaiety which flooded the soul of StepanArkadyevitch. These two circumstances were: first, that onmeeting Alexey Alexandrovitch the day before in the street he hadnoticed that he was cold and reserved with him, and putting theexpression of Alexey Alexandrovitch's face and the fact that hehad not come to see them or let them know of his arrival with therumors he had heard about Anna and Vronsky, Stepan Arkadyevitchguessed that something was wrong between the husband and wife.

　　That was one disagreeable thing. The other slightly disagreeablefact was that the new head of his department, like all new heads,had the reputation already of a terrible person, who got up atsix o'clock in the morning, worked like a horse, and insisted onhis subordinates working in the same way. Moreover, this newhead had the further reputation of being a bear in his manners,and was, according to all reports, a man of a class in allrespects the opposite of that to which his predecessor hadbelonged, and to which Stepan Arkadyevitch had hitherto belongedhimself. On the previous day Stepan Arkadyevitch had appeared atthe office in a uniform, and the new chief had been very affableand had talked to him as to an acquaintance. Consequently StepanArkadyevitch deemed it his duty to call upon him in hisnon-official dress. The thought that the new chief might nottender him a warm reception was the other unpleasant thing. ButStepan Arkadyevitch instinctively felt that everything would comeround all right. "They're all people, all men, like us poorsinners; why be nasty and quarrelsome?" he thought as he wentinto the hotel.

　　"Good-day, Vassily," he said, walking into the corridor with hishat cocked on one side, and addressing a footman he knew; "why,you've let your whiskers grow! Levin, number seven, eh? Take meup, please. And find out whether Count Anitchkin" (this was thenew head) "is receiving."

　　"Yes, sir," Vassily responded, smiling. "You've not been to seeus for a long while."

　　"I was here yesterday, but at the other entrance. Is thisnumber seven?"

　　Levin was standing with a peasant from Tver in the middle of theroom, measuring a fresh bearskin, when Stepan Arkadyevitch wentin.

　　"What! you killed him?" cried Stepan Arkadyevitch. "Well done!A she-bear? How are you, Arhip!"

　　He shook hands with the peasant and sat down on the edge of achair, without taking off his coat and hat.

　　"Come, take off your coat and stay a little," said Levin, takinghis hat.

　　"No, I haven't time; I've only looked in for a tiny second,"answered Stepan Arkadyevitch. He threw open his coat, butafterwards did take it off, and sat on for a whole hour, talkingto Levin about hunting and the most intimate subjects.

　　"Come, tell me, please, what you did abroad? Where have youbeen?" said Stepan Arkadyevitch, when the peasant had gone.

　　"Oh, I stayed in Germany, in Prussia, in France, and in England--not in the capitals, but in the manufacturing towns, and saw agreat deal that was new to me. And I'm glad I went."

　　"Yes, I knew your idea of the solution of the labor question."

　　"Not a bit: in Russia there can be no labor question. In Russiathe question is that of the relation of the working people to theland; though the question exists there too--but there it's amatter of repairing what's been ruined, while with us..."

　　Stepan Arkadyevitch listened attentively to Levin.

　　"Yes, yes!" he said, "it's very possible you're right. But I'mglad you're in good spirits, and are hunting bears, and working,and interested. Shtcherbatsky told me another story--he metyou--that you were in such a depressed state, talking of nothingbut death...."

　　"Well, what of it? I've not given up thinking of death," saidLevin. "It's true that it's high time I was dead; and that allthis is nonsense. It's the truth I'm telling you. I do valuemy idea and my work awfully; but in reality only consider this:all this world of ours is nothing but a speck of mildew, whichhas grown up on a tiny planet. And for us to suppose we can havesomething great--ideas, work--it's all dust and ashes."

　　"But all that's as old as the hills, my boy!"

　　"It is old; but do you know, when you grasp this fully, thensomehow everything becomes of no consequence. When youunderstand that you will die tomorrow, if not today, and nothingwill be left, then everything is so unimportant! And I considermy idea very important, but it turns out really to be asunimportant too, even if it were carried out, as doing for thatbear. So one goes on living, amusing oneself with hunting, withwork--anything so as not to think of death!"

　　Stepan Arkadyevitch smiled a subtle affectionate smile as helistened to Levin.

　　"Well, of course! Here you've come round to my point. Do youremember you attacked me for seeking enjoyment in life? Don't beso severe, O moralist!"

　　"No; all the same, what's fine in life is..." Levin hesitated--"oh, I don't know. All I know is that we shall soon be dead."

　　"Why so soon?"

　　"And do you know, there's less charm in life, when one thinks ofdeath, but there's more peace."

　　"On the contrary, the finish is always the best. But I must begoing," said Stepan Arkadyevitch, getting up for the tenth time.

　　"Oh, no, stay a bit!" said Levin, keeping him. "Now, when shallwe see each other again? I'm going tomorrow."

　　"I'm a nice person! Why, that's just what I came for! You simplymust come to dinner with us today. Your brother's coming, andKarenin, my brother-in-law."

　　"You don't mean to say he's here?" said Levin, and he wanted toinquire about Kitty. He had heard at the beginning of the winterthat she was at Petersburg with her sister, the wife of thediplomat, and he did not know whether she had come back or not;but he changed his mind and did not ask. "Whether she's comingor not, I don't care," he said to himself.

　　"So you'll come?"

　　"Of course."

　　"At five o'clock, then, and not evening dress."

　　And Stepan Arkadyevitch got up and went down below to the newhead of his department. Istinct had not misled StepanArkadyevitch. The terrible new head turned out to be anextremely amenable person, and Stepan Arkadyevitch lunched withhim and stayed on, so that it was four o'clock before he got toAlexey Alexandrovitch.