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Vronsky, but I won’t talk about that. I tell you straight out, if I were you,
I should go back with me to Moscow, and...”
“No; I don’t know whether you know it or not, but I don’t care. And
I tell you—I did make an offer and was rejected, and Katerina
Alexandrovna is nothing now to me but a painful and humiliating
reminiscence.”
“What ever for? What nonsense!”
“But we won’t talk about it. Please forgive me, if I’ve been nasty,”
said Levin. Now that he had opened his heart, he became as he had
been in the morning. “You’re not angry with me, Stiva? Please don’t be
angry,” he said, and smiling, he took his hand.
“Of course not; not a bit, and no reason to be. I’m glad we’ve
spoken openly. And do you know, stand-shooting in the morning is
unusually good—why not go? I couldn’t sleep the night anyway, but I
might go straight from shooting to the station.”
“Capital.”
Chapter 18.
Although all Vronsky’s inner life was absorbed in his passion, his
external life unalterably and inevitably followed along the old accus-
tomed lines of his social and regimental ties and interests. The inter-
ests of his regiment took an important place in Vronsky’s life, both
because he was fond of the regiment, and because the regiment was
fond of him. They were not only fond of Vronsky in his regiment, they
respected him too, and were proud of him; proud that this man, with
his immense wealth, his brilliant education and abilities, and the path
open before him to every kind of success, distinction, and ambition,
had disregarded all that, and of all the interests of life had the interests
of his regiment and his comrades nearest to his heart. Vronsky was
aware of his comrades’ view of him, and in addition to his liking for the
life, he felt bound to keep up that reputation.
It need not be said that he did not speak of his love to any of his
comrades, nor did he betray his secret even in the wildest drinking
bouts (though indeed he was never so drunk as to lose all control of
himself ). And he shut up any of his thoughtless comrades who at-
tempted to allude to his connection. But in spite of that, his love was
known to all the town; everyone guessed with more or less confidence
at his relations with Madame Karenina. The majority of the younger
men envied him for just what was the most irksome factor in his love—