Part One: Chapter 12

by Leo Tolstoy

　　The young Princess Kitty Shtcherbatskaya was eighteen. It wasthe first winter that she had been out in the world. Her successin society had been greater than that of either of her eldersisters, and greater even than her mother had anticipated. Tosay nothing of the young men who danced at the Moscow balls beingalmost all in love with Kitty, two serious suitors had alreadythis first winter made their appearance: Levin, and immediatelyafter his departure, Count Vronsky.

　　Levin's appearance at the beginning of the winter, his frequentvisits, and evident love for Kitty, had led to the first seriousconversations between Kitty's parents as to her future, and todisputes between them. The prince was on Levin's side; he saidhe wished for nothing better for Kitty. The princess for herpart, going round the question in the manner peculiar to women,maintained that Kitty was too young, that Levin had done nothingto prove that he had serious intentions, that Kitty felt no greatattraction to him, and other side issues; but she did not statethe principal point, which was that she looked for a better matchfor her daughter, and that Levin was not to her liking, and shedid not understand him. When Levin had abruptly departed, theprincess was delighted, and said to her husband triumphantly:"You see I was right." When Vronsky appeared on the scene, shewas still more delighted, confirmed in her opinion that Kitty wasto make not simply a good, but a brilliant match.

　　In the mother's eyes there could be no comparison between Vronskyand Levin. She disliked in Levin his strange and uncompromisingopinions and his shyness in society, founded, as she supposed, onhis pride and his queer sort of life, as she considered it,absorbed in cattle and peasants. She did not very much like itthat he, who was in love with her daughter, had kept coming tothe house for six weeks, as though he were waiting for something,inspecting, as though he were afraid he might be doing them toogreat an honor by making an offer, and did not realize that aman, who continually visits at a house where there is a youngunmarried girl, is bound to make his intentions clear. Andsuddenly, without doing so, he disappeared. "It's as well he'snot attractive enough for Kitty to have fallen in love with him,"thought the mother.

　　Vronsky satisfied all the mother's desires. Very wealthy,clever, of aristocratic family, on the highroad to a brilliantcareer in the army and at court, and a fascinating man. Nothingbetter could be wished for.

　　Vronsky openly flirted with Kitty at balls, danced with her, andcame continually to the house, consequently there could be nodoubt of the seriousness of his intentions. But, in spite ofthat, the mother had spent the whole of that winter in a state ofterrible anxiety and agitation.

　　Princess Shtcherbatskaya had herself been married thirty yearsago, her aunt arranging the match. Her husband, about whomeverything was well known before hand, had come, looked at hisfuture bride, and been looked at. The match-making aunt hadascertained and communicated their mutual impression. Thatimpression had been favorable. Afterwards, on a day fixedbeforehand, the expected offer was made to her parents, andaccepted. All had passed very simply and easily. So it seemed,at least, to the princess. But over her own daughters she hadfelt how far from simple and easy is the business, apparently socommonplace, of marrying off one's daughters. The panics thathad been lived through, the thoughts that had been brooded over,the money that had been wasted, and the disputes with her husbandover marrying the two elder girls, Darya and Natalia! Now, sincethe youngest had come out, she was going through the sameterrors, the same doubts, and still more violent quarrels withher husband than she had over the elder girls. The old prince,like all fathers indeed, was exceedingly punctilious on the scoreof the honor and reputation of his daughters. He wasirrationally jealous over his daughters, especially over Kitty,who was his favorite. At every turn he had scenes with theprincess for compromising her daughter. The princess had grownaccustomed to this already with her other daughters, but now shefelt that there was more ground for the prince's touchiness. Shesaw that of late years much was changed in the manners ofsociety, that a mother's duties had become still more difficult.She saw that girls of Kitty's age formed some sort of clubs, wentto some sort of lectures, mixed freely in men's society; droveabout the streets alone, many of them did not curtsey, and, whatwas the most important thing, all the girls were firmly convincedthat to choose their husbands was their own affair, and not theirparents'. "Marriages aren't made nowadays as they used to be,"was thought and said by all these young girls, and even by theirelders. But how marriages were made now, the princess could notlearn from any one. The French fashion--of the parentsarranging their children's future--was not accepted; it wascondemned. The English fashion of the complete independence ofgirls was also not accepted, and not possible in Russian society.The Russian fashion of match-making by the offices ifintermediate persons was for some reason considered unseemly; itwas ridiculed by every one, and by the princess herself. But howgirls were to be married, and how parents were to marry them, noone knew. Everyone with whom the princess had chanced to discussthe matter said the same thing: "Mercy on us, it's high time inour day to cast off all that old-fashioned business. It's theyoung people have to marry; and not their parents; and so weought to leave the young people to arrange it as they choose." Itwas very easy for anyone to say that who had no daughters, butthe princess realized that in the process of getting to know eachother, her daughter might fall in love, and fall in love withsomeone who did not care to marry her or who was quite unfit tobe her husband. And, however much it was instilled into theprincess that in our times young people ought to arrange theirlives for themselves, she was unable to believe it, just as shewould have been unable to believe that, at any time whatever, themost suitable playthings for children five years old ought to beloaded pistols. And so the princess was more uneasy over Kittythan she had been over her elder sisters.

　　Now she was afraid that Vronsky might confine himself to simplyflirting with her daughter. She saw that her daughter was inlove with him, but tried to comfort herself with the thought thathe was an honorable man, and would not do this. But at the sametime she knew how easy it is, with the freedom of manners oftoday, to turn a girl's head, and how lightly men generallyregard such a crime. The week before, Kitty had told her motherof a conversation she had with Vronsky during a mazurka. Thisconversation had partly reassured the princess; but perfectly atease she could not be. Vronsky had told Kitty that both he andhis brother were so used to obeying their mother that they nevermade up their minds to any important undertaking withoutconsulting her. "And just now, I am impatiently awaiting mymother's arrival from Petersburg, as peculiarly fortunate," hetold her.

　　Kitty had repeated this without attaching any significance to thewords. But her mother saw them in a different light. She knewthat the old lady was expected from day to day, that she would bepleased at her son's choice, and she felt it strange that heshould not make his offer through fear of vexing his mother.However, she was so anxious for the marriage itself, and stillmore for relief from her fears, that she believed it was so.Bitter as it was for the princess to see the unhappiness of hereldest daughter, Dolly, on the point of leaving her husband, heranxiety over the decision of her youngest daughter's fateengrossed all her feelings. Today, with Levin's reappearance, afresh source of anxiety arose. She was afraid that her daughter,who had at one time, as she fancied, a feeling for Levin, might,from extreme sense of honor, refuse Vronsky, and that Levin'sarrival might generally complicate and delay the affair so nearbeing concluded.

　　"Why, has be been here long?" the princess asked about Levin, asthey returned home.

　　"He came today, mamma."

　　"There's one thing I want to say..." began the princess, and fromher serious and alert face, Kitty guessed what it would be.

　　"Mamma," she said, flushing hotly and turning quickly to her,"please, please don't say anything about that. I know, I knowall about it."

　　She wished for what her mother wished for, but the motives of hermother's wishes wounded her.

　　"I only want to say that to raise hopes..."

　　"Mamma, darling, for goodness' sake, don't talk about it. It'sso horrible to talk about it."

　　"I won't," said her mother, seeing the tears in her daughter'seyes; "but one thing, my love; you promised me you would have nosecrets from me. You won't?"

　　"Never, mamma, none," answered Kitty, flushing a little, andlooking her mother straight in the face, "but there's no use inmy telling you anything, and I...I...if I wanted to, I don't knowwhat to say or how...I don't know..."

　　"No, she could not tell an untruth with those eyes," thought themother, smiling at her agitation and happiness. The princesssmiled that what was taking place just now in her soul seemed tothe poor child so immense and so important.