Part Seven: Chapter 25

by Leo Tolstoy

　　Feeling that the reconciliation was complete, Anna set eagerly toto work in the morning preparing for their departure. Though itwas not settled whether they should go on Monday or Tuesday, asthey had each given way to the other, Anna packed busily, feelingabsolutely indifferent whether they went a day earlier or later.She was standing in her room over an open box, taking things outof it, when he came in to see her earlier than usually, dressedto go out.

　　"I'm going off at once to see maman; she can send me the money byYegorov. And I shall be ready to go tomorrow," he said.

　　Though she was in such a good mood, the thought of his visit tohis mother's gave her a pang.

　　"No, I shan't be ready by then myself," she said; and at oncereflected, "so then it was possible to arrange to do as Iwished." "No, do as you meant to do. Go into the dining room,I'm coming directly. It's only to turn out those things thataren't wanted," she said, putting something more on the heap offrippery that lay in Annushka's arms.

　　Vronsky was eating his beefsteak when she came into the dining-room.

　　"You wouldn't believe how distasteful these rooms have become tome," she said, sitting down beside him to her coffee. "There'snothing more awful than these chambres garnies. There's noindividuality in them, no soul. These clocks, and curtains, and,worst of all, the wallpapers--they're a nightmare. I think ofVozdvizhenskoe as the promised land. You're not sending thehorses off yet?"

　　"No, they will come after us. Where are you going to?"

　　"I wanted to go to Wilson's to take some dresses to her. So it'sreally to be tomorrow?" she said in a cheerful voice; butsuddenly her face changed.

　　Vronsky's valet came in to ask him to sign a receipt for atelegram from Petersburg. There was nothing out of the way inVronsky's getting a telegram, but he said, as though anxious toconceal something from her, that the receipt was in his study,and he turned hurriedly to her.

　　"By tomorrow, without fail, I will finish it all."

　　"From whom is the telegram?" she asked, not hearing him.

　　"From Stiva," he answered reluctantly.

　　"Why didn't you show it to me? What secret can there be betweenStiva and me?"

　　Vronsky called the valet back, and told him to bring thetelegram.

　　"I didn't want to show it to you, because Stiva has such apassion for telegraphing: why telegraph when nothing is settled?"

　　"About the divorce?"

　　"Yes; but he says he has not been able to come at anything yet.He has promised a decisive answer in a day or two. But here itis; read it."

　　With trembling hands Anna took the telegram, and read whatVronsky had told her. At the end was added: "Little hope; but Iwill do everything possible and impossible."

　　"I said yesterday that it's absolutely nothing to me when I get,or whether I never get, a divorce," she said, flushing crimson."There was not the slightest necessity to hide it from me." "Sohe may hide and does hide his correspondence with women from me,"she thought.

　　"Yashvin meant to come this morning with Voytov," said Vronsky;"I believe he's won from Pyevtsov all and more than he can pay,about sixty thousand."

　　"No," she said, irritated by his so obviously showing by thischange of subject that he was irritated, "why did you supposethat this news would affect me so, that you must even try tohide it? I said I don't want to consider it, and I should haveliked you to care as little about it as I do."

　　"I care about it because I like definiteness," he said.

　　"Definiteness is not in the form but the love," she said, moreand more irritated, not by his words, but by the tone of coolcomposure in which he spoke. "What do you want it for?"

　　"My God! love again," he thought, frowning.

　　"Oh, you know what for; for your sake and your children's in thefuture."

　　"There won't be children in the future."

　　"That's a great pity," he said.

　　"You want it for the children's sake, but you don't think of me?"she said, quite forgetting or not having heard that he had said,"for your sake and the children's."

　　The question of the possibility of having children had long beena subject of dispute and irritation to her. His desire to havechildren she interpreted as a proof he did not prize her beauty.

　　"Oh, I said: for your sake. Above all for your sake," herepeated, frowning as though in pain, "because I am certain thatthe greater part of your irritability comes from theindefiniteness of the position."

　　"Yes, now he has laid aside all pretense, and all his cold hatredfor me is apparent," she thought, not hearing his words, butwatching with terror the cold, cruel judge who looked mocking herout of his eyes.

　　"The cause is not that," she said, "and, indeed, I don't see howthe cause of my irritability, as you call it, can be that I amcompletely in your power. What indefiniteness is there in theposition? on the contrary..."

　　"I am very sorry that you don't care to understand," heinterrupted, obstinately anxious to give utterance to histhought. "The indefiniteness consists in your imagining that Iam free."

　　"On that score you can set your mind quite at rest," she said,and turning away from him, she began drinking her coffee.

　　She lifted her cup, with her little finger held apart, and put itto her lips. After drinking a few sips she glanced at him, andby his expression, she saw clearly that he was repelled by herhand, and her gesture, and the sound made by her lips.

　　"I don't care in the least what your mother thinks, and whatmatch she wants to make for you," she said, putting the cup downwith a shaking hand.

　　"But we are not talking about that."

　　"Yes, that's just what we are talking about. And let me tell youthat a heartless woman, whether she's old or not old, your motheror anyone else, is of no consequence to me, and I would notconsent to know her."

　　"Anna, I beg you not to speak disrespectfully of my mother."

　　"A woman whose heart does not tell her where her son's happinessand honor lie has no heart."

　　"I repeat my request that you will not speak disrespectfully ofmy mother, whom I respect," he said, raising his voice andlooking sternly at her

　　She did not answer. Looking intently at him, at his face, hishands, she recalled all the details of their reconciliation theprevious day, and his passionate caresses. "There, just suchcaresses he has lavished, and will lavish, and longs to lavish onother women!" she thought.

　　"You don't love your mother. That's all talk, and talk, andtalk!" she said, looking at him with hatred in her eyes.

　　"Even if so, you must..."

　　"Must decide, and I have decided," she said, and she would havegone away, but at that moment Yashvin walked into the room. Annagreeted him and remained.

　　Why, when there was a tempest in her soul, and she felt she wasstanding at a turning point in her life, which might have fearfulconsequences--why, at that minute, she had to keep up appearancesbefore an outsider, who sooner or later must know it all--she didnot know. But at once quelling the storm within her, she satdown and began talking to their guest.

　　"Well, how are you getting on? Has your debt been paid you?" sheasked Yashvin.

　　"Oh, pretty fair; I fancy I shan't get it all, but I shall get agood half. And when are you off?" said Yashvin, looking atVronsky, and unmistakably guessing at a quarrel.

　　"The day after tomorrow, I think," said Vronsky.

　　"You've been meaning to go so long, though."

　　"But now it's quite decided," said Anna, looking Vronsky straightin the face with a look which told him not to dream of thepossibility of reconciliation.

　　"Don't you feel sorry for that unlucky Pyevtsov?" she went on,talking to Yashvin.

　　"I've never asked myself the question, Anna Arkadyevna, whetherI'm sorry for him or not. You see, all my fortune's here"--hetouched his breast pocket--"and just now I'm a wealthy man. Buttoday I'm going to the club, and I may come out a beggar. Yousee, whoever sits down to play with me--he wants to leave mewithout a shirt to my back, and so do I him. And so we fight itout, and that's the pleasure of it."

　　"Well, but suppose you were married," said Anna, "how would it befor your wife?"

　　Yashvin laughed.

　　"That's why I'm not married, and never mean to be."

　　"And Helsingfors?" said Vronsky, entering into the conversationand glancing at Anna's smiling face. Meeting his eyes, Anna'sface instantly took a coldly severe expression as though she weresaying to him: "It's not forgotten. It's all the same."

　　"Were you really in love?" she said to Yashvin.

　　"Oh heavens! ever so many times! But you see, some men can playbut only so that they can always lay down their cards when thehour of a rendezvous comes, while I can take up love, but only soas not to be late for my cards in the evening. That's how Imanage things."

　　"No, I didn't mean that, but the real thing." She would havesaid Helsingfors, but would not repeat the word used by Vronsky.

　　Voytov, who was buying the horse, came in. Anna got up and wentout of the room.

　　Before leaving the house, Vronsky went into her room. She wouldhave pretended to be looking for something on the table, butashamed of making a pretense, she looked straight in his facewith cold eyes.

　　"What do you want?" she asked in French.

　　"To get the guarantee for Gambetta, I've sold him," he said, in atone which said more clearly than words, "I've no time fordiscussing things, and it would lead to nothing."

　　"I'm not to blame in any way," he thought. "If she will punishherself, tant pis pour elle." But as he was going he fanciedthat she said something, and his heart suddenly ached with pityfor her.

　　"Eh, Anna?" he queried.

　　"I said nothing," she answered just as coldly and calmly.

　　"Oh, nothing, tant pis then," he thought, feeling cold again, andhe turned and went out. As he was going out he caught a glimpsein the looking glass of her face, white, with quivering lips. Heeven wanted to stop and to say some comforting word to her, buthis legs carried him out of the room before he could think whatto say. The whole of that day he spent away from home, and whenhe came in late in the evening the maid told him that AnnaArkadyevna had a headache and begged him not to go in to her.