Part Six: Chapter 7

by Leo Tolstoy

　　Levin came back to the house only when they sent to summon him tosupper. On the stairs were standing Kitty and Agafea Mihalovna,consulting about wines for supper.

　　"But why are you making all this fuss? Have what we usually do."

　　"No, Stiva doesn't drink...Kostya, stop, what's the matter?"Kitty began, hurrying after him, but he strode ruthlessly away tothe dining room without waiting for her, and at once joined inthe lively general conversation which was being maintained thereby Vassenka Veslovsky and Stepan Arkadyevitch.

　　"Well, what do you say, are we going shooting tomorrow?" saidStepan Arkadyevitch.

　　"Please, do let's go," said Veslovsky, moving to another chair,where he sat down sideways, with one fat leg crossed under him.

　　"I shall be delighted, we will go. And have you had any shootingyet this year?" said Levin to Veslovsky, looking intently at hisleg, but speaking with that forced amiability that Kitty knew sowell in him, and that was so out of keeping with him. "I can'tanswer for our finding grouse, but there are plenty of snipe.Only we ought to start early. You're not tired? Aren't youtired, Stiva?"

　　"Me tired? I've never been tired yet. Suppose we stay up allnight. Let's go for a walk!"

　　"Yes, really, let's not go to bed at all! Capital!" Veslovskychimed in.

　　"Oh, we all know you can do without sleep, and keep other peopleup too," Dolly said to her husband, with that faint note of ironyin her voice which she almost always had now with her husband."But to my thinking, it's time for bed now.... I'm going, Idon't want supper."

　　"No, do stay a little, Dolly," said Stepan Arkadyevitch, goinground to her side behind the table where they were having supper."I've so much still to tell you."

　　"Nothing really, I suppose."

　　"Do you know Veslovsky has been at Anna's, and he's going to themagain? You know they're hardly fifty miles from you, and I toomust certainly go over there. Veslovsky, come here!"

　　Vassenka crossed over to the ladies, and sat down beside Kitty.

　　"Ah, do tell me, please; you have stayed with her? How was she?"Darya Alexandrovna appealed to him.

　　Levin was left at the other end of the table, and though neverpausing in his conversation with the princess and Varenka, he sawthat there was an eager and mysterious conversation going onbetween Stepan Arkadyevitch, Dolly, Kitty, and Veslovsky. Andthat was not all. He saw on his wife's face an expression ofreal feeling as she gazed with fixed eyes on the handsome face ofVassenka, who was telling them something with great animation.

　　"It's exceedingly nice at their place," Veslovsky was tellingthem about Vronsky and Anna. "I can't, of course, take it uponmyself to judge, but in their house you feel the real feeling ofhome."

　　"What do they intend doing?"

　　"I believe they think of going to Moscow."

　　"How jolly it would be for us all to go over to them together'When are you going there?" Stepan Arkadyevitch asked Vassenka.

　　"I'm spending July there."

　　"Will you go?" Stepan Arkadyevitch said to his wife.

　　"I've been wanting to a long while; I shall certainly go," saidDolly. "I am sorry for her, and I know her. She's a splendidwoman. I will go alone, when you go back, and then I shall be inno one's way. And it will be better indeed without you."

　　"To be sure," said Stepan Arkadyevitch. "And you, Kitty?"

　　"I? Why should I go?" Kitty said, flushing all over, and sheglanced round at her husband.

　　"Do you know Anna Arkadyevna, then?" Veslovsky asked her. "She'sa very fascinating woman."

　　"Yes," she answered Veslovsky, crimsoning still more. She got upand walked across to her husband.

　　"Are you going shooting, then, tomorrow?" she said.

　　His jealousy had in these few moments, especially at the flushthat had overspread her cheeks while she was talking toVeslovsky, gone far indeed. Now as he heard her words, heconstrued them in his own fashion. Strange as it was to himafterwards to recall it, it seemed to him at the moment clearthat in asking whether he was going shooting, all she cared toknow was whether he would give that pleasure to VassenkaVeslovsky, with whom, as he fancied, she was in love.

　　"Yes, I'm going," he answered her in an unnatural voice,disagreeable to himself.

　　"No, better spend the day here tomorrow, or Dolly won't seeanything of her husband, and set off the day after," said Kitty.

　　The motive of Kitty's words was interpreted by Levin thus: "Don'tseparate me from him. I don't care about your going, but do letme enjoy the society of this delightful young man."

　　"Oh, if you wish, we'll stay here tomorrow," Levin answered,with peculiar amiability.

　　Vassenka meanwhile, utterly unsuspecting the misery his presencehad occasioned, got up from the table after Kitty, and watchingher with smiling and admiring eyes, he followed her.

　　Levin saw that look. He turned white, and for a minute he couldhardly breathe. "How dare he look at my wife like that!" was thefeeling that boiled within him.

　　"Tomorrow, then? Do, please, let us go," said Vassenka, sittingdown on a chair, and again crossing his leg as his habit was.

　　Levin's jealousy went further still. Already he saw himself adeceived husband, looked upon by his wife and her lover as simplynecessary to provide them with the conveniences and pleasures oflife.... But in spite of that he made polite and hospitableinquiries of Vassenka about his shooting, his gun, and his boots,and agreed to go shooting next day.

　　Happily for Levin, the old princess cut short his agonies bygetting up herself and advising Kitty to go to bed. But even atthis point Levin could not escape another agony. As he saidgood-night to his hostess, Vassenka would again have kissed herhand, but Kitty, reddening, drew back her hand and said with anaive bluntness, for which the old princess scolded herafterwards:

　　"We don't like that fashion."

　　In Levin's eyes she was to blame for having allowed suchrelations to arise, and still more to blame for showing soawkwardly that she did not like them.

　　"Why, how can one want to go to bed!" said Stepan Arkadyevitch,who, after drinking several glasses of wine at supper, was now inhis most charming and sentimental humor. "Look, Kitty," he said,pointing to the moon, which had just risen behind the lime trees--"how exquisite! Veslovsky, this is the time for a serenade.You know, he has a splendid voice; we practiced songs togetheralong the road. He has brought some lovely songs with him, twonew ones. Varvara Andreevna and he must sing some duets."

　　When the party had broken up, Stepan Arkadyevitch walked a longwhile about the avenue with Veslovsky; their voices could beheard singing one of the new songs.

　　Levin hearing these voices sat scowling in an easy-chair in hiswife's bedroom, and maintained an obstinate silence when sheasked him what was wrong. But when at last with a timid glanceshe hazarded the question: "Was there perhaps something youdisliked about Veslovsky?"--it all burst out, and he told herall. He was humiliated himself at what he was saying, and thatexasperated him all the more.

　　He stood facing her with his eyes glittering menacingly under hisscowling brows, and he squeezed his strong arms across his chest,as though he were straining every nerve to hold himself in. Theexpression of his face would have been grim, and even cruel, ifit had not at the same time had a look of suffering which touchedher. His jaws were twitching, and his voice kept breaking.

　　"You must understand that I'm not jealous, that's a nasty word.I can't be jealous, and believe that.... I can't say what Ifeel, but this is awful.... I'm not jealous, but I'm wounded,humiliated that anybody dare think, that anybody dare look atyou with eyes like that."

　　"Eyes like what?" said Kitty, trying as conscientiously aspossible to recall every word and gesture of that evening andevery shade implied in them.

　　At the very bottom of her heart she did think there had beensomething precisely at the moment when he had crossed over afterher to the other end of the table; but she dared not own it evento herself, and would have been even more unable to bring herselfto say so to him, and so increase his suffering.

　　"And what can there possibly be attractive about me as I amnow?..."

　　"Ah!" he cried, clutching at his head, "you shouldn't saythat!... If you had been attractive then..."

　　"Oh, no, Kostya, oh, wait a minute, oh, do listen!" she said,looking at him with an expression of pained commiseration. "Why,what can you be thinking about! When for me there's no one inthe world, no one, no one!... Would you like me never to seeanyone?"

　　For the first minute she had been offended at his jealousy; shewas angry that the slightest amusement, even the most innocent,should be forbidden her; but now she would readily havesacrificed, not merely such trifles, but everything, for hispeace of mind, to save him from the agony he was suffering.

　　"You must understand the horror and comedy of my position," hewent on in a desperate whisper; "that he's in my house, that he'sdone nothing improper positively except his free and easy airsand the way he sits on his legs. He thinks it's the bestpossible form, and so I'm obliged to be civil to him."

　　"But, Kostya, you're exaggerating," said Kitty, at the bottom ofher heart rejoicing at the depth of his love for her, shown nowin his jealousy.

　　"The most awful part of it all is that you're just as you alwaysare, and especially now when to me you're something sacred, andwe're so happy, so particularly happy--and all of a sudden alittle wretch.... He's not a little wretch; why should I abusehim? I have nothing to do with him. But why should my, andyour, happiness..."

　　"Do you know, I understand now what it's all come from," Kittywas beginning.

　　"Well, what? what?"

　　"I saw how you looked while we were talking at supper."

　　"Well, well!" Levin said in dismay.

　　She told him what they had been talking about. And as she toldhim, she was breathless with emotion. Levin was silent for aspace, then he scanned her pale and distressed face, and suddenlyhe clutched at his head.

　　"Katya, I've been worrying you! Darling, forgive me! It'smadness! Katya, I'm a criminal. And how could you be sodistressed at such idiocy?"

　　"Oh, I was sorry for you."

　　"For me? for me? How mad I am!... But why make you miserable?It's awful to think that any outsider can shatter our happiness."

　　"It's humiliating too, of course."

　　"Oh, then I'll keep him here all the summer, and will overwhelmhim with civility," said Levin, kissing her hands. "You shallsee. Tomorrow.... Oh, yes, we are going tomorrow."