Emma Watson Pussy
Books:
Anna Karenina
War And Peace
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but
with a characteristic and intelligent face. Liza Merkalova was
his wifes niece, and he spent all his leisure hours with her.
On meeting Anna Karenina, as he was Alexey Alexandrovitchs enemy
in the government, he tried, like a shrewd man and a man of the
world, to be particularly cordial with her, the wife of his
enemy.
"Nothing," he put in with a subtle smile, "thats the very best
way. I told you long ago," he said, turning to Liza Merkalova,
"that if you dont want to be bored, you mustnt think youre
going to be bored. Its just as you mustnt be afraid of not
being able to fall asleep, if youre afraid of sleeplessness.
Thats just what Anna Arkadyevna has just said."
"I should be very glad if I had said it, for its not only
clever but true," said Anna, smiling.
"No, do tell me why it is one cant go to sleep, and one cant
help being bored?"
"To sleep well one ought to work, and to enjoy oneself one ought
to work too."
"What am I to work for when my work is no use to anybody? And I
cant and wont knowingly make a pretense about it."
"Youre incorrigible," said Stremov, not looking at her, and he
spoke again to Anna. As he rarely met Anna, he could say nothing
but commonplaces to her, but he said those commonplaces as to
when she was returning to Petersburg, and how fond Countess Lidia
Ivanovna was of her, with an expression which suggested that he
longed with his whole soul to please her and show his regard for
her and even more than that.
Tushkevitch came in, announcing that the party were awaiting the
other players to begin croquet.
"No, dont go away, please dont," pleaded Liza Merkalova,
hearing that Anna was going. Stremov joined in her entreaties.
"Its too violent a transition," he said, "to go from such
company to old Madame Vrede. And besides, you will only give her
a chance for talking scandal, while here you arouse none but such
different feelings of the highest and most opposite kind," he
said to her.
Anna pondered for an instant in uncertainty. This shrewd mans
flattering words, the naive, childlike affection shown her by
Liza Merkalova, and all the social atmosphere she was used to,--
it was all so easy, and what was in store for her was so
difficult, that she was for a minute in uncertainty whether to
remain, whether to put off a little longer the painful moment of
explanation. But remembering what was in store for her alone at
home, if she did not come to some decision, remembering that
gesture--terrible even in memory--when she had clutched her
hair in both hands--she said good-bye and went away.
Chapter 19
In spite of Vronskys apparently frivolous life in society, he
was a man who hated irregularity. In early youth in the Corps of
Pages, he had experienced the humiliation of a refusal, when he
had tried, being in difficulties, to borrow money, and since then
he had never once put himself in the same position again.
In order to keep his affairs in some sort of order, he used about
five times a year (more or less frequently, according to
circumstances) to shut himself up alone and put all his affairs
into definite shape. This he used to call his day of reckoning
or _faire la lessive_.
On waking up the day after the races, Vronsky put on a white
linen coat, and without shaving or taking his bath, he
distributed about the table moneys, bills, and letters, and set
to work. Petritsky, who knew he was ill-tempered on such
occasions, on waking up and seeing his comrade at the
writing-table, quietly dressed and went out without getting in
his way.
Every man who knows to the minutest details all the complexity of
the conditions surrounding him, cannot help imagining that the
complexity of these conditions, and the difficulty of making them
clear, is something exceptional and personal, peculiar to
himself, and never supposes that others are surrounded by just as
complicated an array of personal affairs as he is. So indeed it
seemed to Vronsky. And not without inward pride, and not
without reason, he thought that any other man would long ago have
been in difficulties, would have been forced to some dishonorable
course, if he had found himself in such a difficult position.
But Vronsky felt that now especially it was essential for him to
clear up and define his
Anna Karenina page 173 Anna Karenina page 175
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