Part One: Chapter 20

by Leo Tolstoy

　　The whole of that day Anna spent at home, that's to say at theOblonskys', and received no one, though some of her acquaintanceshad already heard of her arrival, and came to call; the same day.Anna spent the whole morning with Dolly and the children. Shemerely sent a brief note to her brother to tell him that he mustnot fail to dine at home. "Come, God is merciful," she wrote.

　　Oblonsky did dine at home: the conversation was general, and hiswife, speaking to him, addressed him as "Stiva," as she had notdone before. In the relations of the husband and wife the sameestrangement still remained, but there was no talk now ofseparation, and Stepan Arkadyevitch saw the possibility ofexplanation and reconciliation.

　　Immediately after dinner Kitty came in. She knew AnnaArkadyevna, but only very slightly, and she came now to hersister's with some trepidation, at the prospect of meeting thisfashionable Petersburg lady, whom everyone spoke so highly of.But she made a favorable impression on Anna Arkadyevna--she sawthat at once. Anna was unmistakably admiring her loveliness andher youth: before Kitty knew where she was she found herself notmerely under Anna's sway, but in love with her, as young girls dofall in love with older and married women. Anna was not like afashionable lady, nor the mother of a boy of eight years old. Inthe elasticity of her movements, the freshness and the unflaggingeagerness which persisted in her face, and broke out in her smileand her glance, she would rather have passed for a girl oftwenty, had it not been for a serious and at times mournful lookin her eyes, which struck and attracted Kitty. Kitty felt thatAnna was perfectly simple and was concealing nothing, but thatshe had another higher world of interests inaccessible to her,complex and poetic.

　　After dinner, when Dolly went away to her own room, Anna rosequickly and went up to her brother, who was just lighting acigar.

　　"Stiva," she said to him, winking gaily, crossing him andglancing towards the door, "go, and God help you."

　　He threw down the cigar, understanding her, and departed throughthe doorway.

　　When Stepan Arkadyevitch had disappeared, she went back to thesofa where she had been sitting, surrounded by the children.Either because the children saw that their mother was fond ofthis aunt, or that they felt a special charm in her themselves,the two elder ones, and the younger following their lead, aschildren so often do, had clung about their new aunt sincebefore dinner, and would not leave her side. And it had become asort of game among them to sit a close as possible to their aunt,to touch her, hold her little hand, kiss it, play with her ring,or even touch the flounce of her skirt.

　　"Come, come, as we were sitting before," said Anna Arkadyevna,sitting down in her place.

　　And again Grisha poked his little face under her arm, and nestledwith his head on her gown, beaming with pride and happiness.

　　"And when is your next ball?" she asked Kitty.

　　"Next week, and a splendid ball. One of those balls where onealways enjoys oneself."

　　"Why, are there balls where one always enjoys oneself?" Annasaid, with tender irony.

　　"It's strange, but there are. At the Bobrishtchevs' one alwaysenjoys oneself, and at the Nikitins' too, while at the Mezhkovs'it's always dull. Haven't you noticed it?"

　　"No, my dear, for me there are no balls now where one enjoysoneself," said Anna, and Kitty detected in her eyes thatmysterious world which was not open to her. "For me there aresome less dull and tiresome."

　　"How can you be dull at a ball?"

　　"Why should not _I_ be dull at a ball?" inquired Anna.

　　Kitty perceived that Anna knew what answer would follow.

　　"Because you always look nicer than anyone."

　　Anna had the faculty of blushing. She blushed a little, andsaid:

　　"In the first place it's never so; and secondly, if it were, whatdifference would it make to me?"

　　"Are you coming to this ball?" asked Kitty.

　　"I imagine it won't be possible to avoid going. Here, take it,"she said to Tanya, who was bulling the loosely-fitting ring offher white, slender-tipped finger.

　　"I shall be so glad if you go. I should so like to see you at aball."

　　"Anyway, if I do go, I shall comfort myself with the thought thatit's a pleasure to you...Grisha, don't pull my hair. It's untidyenough without that," she said, putting up a straying lock, whichGrisha had been playing with.

　　"I imagine you at the ball in lilac."

　　"And why in lilac precisely?" asked Anna, smiling. "Now,children, run along, run along. Do you hear? Miss Hoole iscalling you to tea," she said, tearing the children form her, andsending them off to the dining room.

　　"I know why you press me to come to the ball. You expect a greatdeal of this ball, and you want everyone to be there to take partin it."

　　"How do you know? Yes."

　　"Oh! what a happy time you are at," pursued Anna. "I remember,and I know that blue haze like the mist on the mountains inSwitzerland. That mist which covers everything in that blissfultime when childhood is just ending, and out of that vast circle,happy and gay, there is a path growing narrower and narrower, andit is delightful and alarming to enter the ballroom, bright andsplendid as it is.... Who has not been through it?"

　　Kitty smiled without speaking. "But how did she go through it?How I should like to know all her love story!" thought Kitty,recalling the unromantic appearance of Alexey Alexandrovitch, herhusband.

　　"I know something. Stiva told me, and I congratulate you. Iliked him so much," Anna continued. "I met Vronsky at therailway station."

　　"Oh, was he there?" asked Kitty, blushing. "What was it Stivatold you?"

　　"Stiva gossiped about it all. And I should be so glad...Itraveled yesterday with Vronsky's mother," she went on; "and hismother talked without a pause of him, he's her favorite. I knowmothers are partial, but..."

　　"What did his mother tell you?"

　　"Oh, a great deal! And I know that he's her favorite; still onecan see how chivalrous he is.... Well, for instance, she told methat he had wanted to give up all his property to his brother,that he had done something extraordinary when he was quite achild, saved a woman out of the water. He's a hero, in fact,"said Anna, smiling and recollecting the two hundred roubles hehad given at the station.

　　But she did not tell Kitty about the two hundred roubles. Forsome reason it was disagreeable to her to think of it. She feltthat there was something that had to do with her in it, andsomething that ought not to have been.

　　"She pressed me very much to go and see her," Anna went on; "andI shall be glad to go to see her tomorrow. Stiva is staying along while in Dolly's room, thank God," Anna added, changing thesubject, and getting up, Kitty fancied, displeased withsomething.

　　"No, I'm first! No, I!" screamed the children, who had finishedtea, running up to their Aunt Anna.

　　"All together," said Anna, and she ran laughing to meet them, andembraced and swung round all the throng of swarming children,shrieking with delight.