Part Seven: Chapter 21

by Leo Tolstoy

　　After a capital dinner and a great deal of cognac drunk atBartnyansky's, Stepan Arkadyevitch, only a little later than theappointed time, went in to Countess Lidia Ivanovna's.

　　"Who else is with the countess?--a Frenchman?" StepanArkadyevitch asked the hall porter, as he glanced at the familiarovercoat of Alexey Alexandrovitch and a queer, ratherartless-looking overcoat with clasps.

　　"Alexey Alexandrovitch Karenin and Count Bezzubov," the porteranswered severely.

　　"Princess Myakaya guessed right," thought Stepan Arkadyevitch, ashe went upstairs. "Curious! It would be quite as well, though,to get on friendly terms with her. She has immense influence.If she would say a word to Pomorsky, the thing would be acertainty."

　　It was still quite light out-of-doors, but in Countess LidiaIvanovna's little drawing room the blinds were drawn and thelamps lighted. At a round table under a lamp sat the countessand Alexey Alexandrovitch, talking softly. A short, thinnishman, very pale and handsome, with feminine hips and knock-kneedlegs, with fine brilliant eyes and long hair lying on the collarof his coat, was standing at the end of the room gazing at theportraits on the wall. After greeting the lady of the house andAlexey Alexandrovitch, Stepan Arkadyevitch could not resistglancing once more at the unknown man.

　　"Monsieur Landau!" the countess addressed him with a softness andcaution that impressed Oblonsky. And she introduced them.

　　Landau looked round hurriedly, came up, and smiling, laid hismoist, lifeless hand in Stepan Arkadyevitch's outstretched handand immediately walked away and fell to gazing at the portraitsagain. The countess and Alexey Alexandrovitch looked at eachother significantly.

　　"I am very glad to see you, particularly today," said CountessLidia Ivanovna, pointing Stepan Arkadyevitch to a seat besideKarenin.

　　"I introduced you to him as Landau," she said in a soft voice,glancing at the Frenchman and again immediately after at AlexeyAlexandrovitch, "but he is really Count Bezzubov, as you'reprobably aware. Only he does not like the title."

　　"Yes, I heard so," answered Stepan Arkadyevitch; "they say hecompletely cured Countess Bezzubova."

　　"She was here today, poor thing!" the countess said, turning toAlexey Alexandrovitch. "This separation is awful for her. It'ssuch a blow to her!"

　　"And he positively is going?" queried Alexey Alexandrovitch.

　　"Yes, he's going to Paris. He heard a voice yesterday," saidCountess Lidia Ivanovna, looking at Stepan Arkadyevitch.

　　"Ah, a voice!" repeated Oblonsky, feeling that he must be ascircumspect as he possibly could in this society, where somethingpeculiar was going on, or was to go on, to which he had not thekey.

　　A moment's silence followed, after which Countess Lidia Ivanovna,as though approaching the main topic of conversation, said with afine smile to Oblonsky:

　　"I've known you for a long while, and am very glad to make acloser acquaintance with you. Les amis de nos amis sont nosamis. But to be a true friend, one must enter into the spiritualstate of one's friend, and I fear that you are not doing so inthe case of Alexey Alexandrovitch. You understand what I mean?"she said, lifting her fine pensive eyes.

　　"In part, countess, I understand the position of AlexeyAlexandrovitch..." said Oblonsky. Having no clear idea what theywere talking about, he wanted to confine himself to generalities.

　　"The change is not in his external position," Countess LidiaIvanovna said sternly, following with eyes of love the figure ofAlexey Alexandrovitch as he got up and crossed over to Landau;"his heart is changed, a new heart has been vouchsafed him, andI fear you don't fully apprehend the change that has taken placein him."

　　"Oh, well, in general outlines I can conceive the change. Wehave always been friendly, and now..." said Stepan Arkadyevitch,responding with a sympathetic glance to the expression of thecountess, and mentally balancing the question with which of thetwo ministers she was most intimate, so as to know about which toask her to speak for him.

　　"The change that has taken place in him cannot lessen his lovefor his neighbors; on the contrary, that change can onlyintensify love in his heart. But I am afraid you do notunderstand me. Won't you have some tea?" she said, with her eyesindicating the footman, who was handing round tea on a tray.

　　"Not quite, countess. Of course, his misfortune..."

　　"Yes, a misfortune which has proved the highest happiness, whenhis heart was made new, was filled full of it," she said, gazingwith eyes full of love at Stepan Arkadyevitch.

　　"I do believe I might ask her to speak to both of them," thoughtStepan Arkadyevitch.

　　"Oh, of course, countess," he said; "but I imagine such changesare a matter so private that no one, even the most intimatefriend, would care to speak of them."

　　"On the contrary! We ought to speak freely and help oneanother."

　　"Yes, undoubtedly so, but there is such a difference ofconvictions, and besides..." said Oblonsky with a soft smile.

　　"There can be no difference where it is a question of holytruth."

　　"Oh, no, of course; but..." and Stepan Arkadyevitch paused inconfusion. He understood at last that they were talking ofreligion.

　　"I fancy he will fall asleep immediately," said AlexeyAlexandrovitch in a whisper full of meaning, going up to LidiaIvanovna.

　　Stepan Arkadyevitch looked round. Landau was sitting at thewindow, leaning on his elbow and the back of his chair, his headdrooping. Noticing that all eyes were turned on him he raisedhis head and smiled a smile of childlike artlessness.

　　"Don't take any notice," said Lidia Ivanovna, and she lightlymoved a chair up for Alexey Alexandrovitch. "I have observed..."she was beginning, when a footman came into the room with aletter. Lidia Ivanovna rapidly ran her eyes over the note, andexcusing herself, wrote an answer with extraordinary rapidity,handed it to the man, and came back to the table. "I haveobserved," she went on, "that Moscow people, especially the men,are more indifferent to religion than anyone."

　　"Oh, no, countess, I thought Moscow people had the reputation ofbeing the firmest in the faith," answered Stepan Arkadyevitch.

　　"But as far as I can make out, you are unfortunately one of theindifferent ones," said Alexey Alexandrovitch, turning to himwith a weary smile.

　　"How anyone can be indifferent!" said Lidia Ivanovna.

　　"I am not so much indifferent on that subject as I am waiting insuspense," said Stepan Arkadyevitch, with his most deprecatingsmile. "I hardly think that the time for such questions has comeyet for me."

　　Alexey Alexandrovitch and Lidia Ivanovna looked at each other.

　　"We can never tell whether the time has come for us or not," saidAlexey Alexandrovitch severely. "We ought not to think whetherwe are ready or not ready. God's grace is not guided by humanconsiderations: sometimes it comes not to those that strive forit, and comes to those that are unprepared, like Saul."

　　"No, I believe it won't be just yet," said Lidia Ivanovna, whohad been meanwhile watching the movements of the Frenchman.Landau got up and came to them.

　　"Do you allow me to listen?" he asked.

　　"Oh, yes; I did not want to disturb you," said Lidia Ivanovna,gazing tenderly at him; "sit here with us."

　　"One has only not to close one's eyes to shut out the light,"Alexey Alexandrovitch went on.

　　"Ah, if you knew the happiness we know, feeling His presence everin our hearts!" said Countess Lidia Ivanovna with a rapturoussmile.

　　"But a man may feel himself unworthy sometimes to rise to thatheight," said Stepan Arkadyevitch, conscious of hypocrisy inadmitting this religious height, but at the same time unable tobring himself to acknowledge his free-thinking views before aperson who, by a single word to Pomorsky, might procure him thecoveted appointment.

　　"That is, you mean that sin keeps him back?" said Lidia Ivanovna."But that is a false idea. There is no sin for believers, theirsin has been atoned for. Pardon," she added, looking at thefootman, who came in again with another letter. She read it andgave a verbal answer: "Tomorrow at the Grand Duchess's, say.""For the believer sin is not," she went on.

　　"Yes, but faith without works is dead," said Stepan Arkadyevitch,recalling the phrase from the catechism, and only by his smileclinging to his independence.

　　"There you have it--from the epistle of St. James," said AlexeyAlexandrovitch, addressing Lidia Ivanovna, with a certainreproachfulness in his tone. It was unmistakably a subject theyhad discussed more than once before. "What harm has been done bythe false interpretation of that passage! Nothing holds men backfrom belief like that misinterpretation. 'I have not works, so Icannot believe,' though all the while that is not said. But thevery opposite is said."

　　"Striving for God, saving the soul by fasting," said CountessLidia Ivanovna, with disgusted contempt, "those are the crudeideas of our monks.... Yet that is nowhere said. It is farsimpler and easier," she added, looking at Oblonsky with the sameencouraging smile with which at court she encouraged youthfulmaids of honor, disconcerted by the new surroundings of thecourt.

　　"We are saved by Christ who suffered for us. We are saved byfaith," Alexey Alexandrovitch chimed in, with a glance ofapproval at her words.

　　"Vous comprenez l'anglais?" asked Lidia Ivanovna, and receiving areply in the affirmative, she got up and began looking through ashelf of books.

　　"I want to read him 'Safe and Happy,' or 'Under the Wing,'" shesaid, looking inquiringly at Karenin. And finding the book, andsitting down again in her place, she opened it. "It's veryshort. In it is described the way by which faith can be reached,and the happiness, above all earthly bliss, with which it fillsthe soul. The believer cannot be unhappy because he is notalone. But you will see." She was just settling herself to readwhen the footman came in again. "Madame Borozdina? Tell her,tomorrow at two o'clock. Yes," she said, putting her finger inthe place in the book, and gazing before her with her finepensive eyes, "that is how true faith acts. You know MarieSanina? You know about her trouble? She lost her only child.She was in despair. And what happened? She found thiscomforter, and she thanks God now for the death of her child.Such is the happiness faith brings!"

　　"Oh, yes, that is most..." said Stepan Arkadyevitch, glad theywere going to read, and let him have a chance to collect hisfaculties. "No, I see I'd better not ask her about anythingtoday," he thought. "If only I can get out of this withoutputting my foot in it!"

　　"It will be dull for you," said Countess Lidia Ivanovna,addressing Landau; "you don't know English, but it's short."

　　"Oh, I shall understand," said Landau, with the same smile, andhe closed his eyes. Alexey Alexandrovitch and Lidia Ivanovnaexchanged meaningful glances, and the reading began.