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rang for her maid and went to her dressing room. As she dressed, she
took more care over her appearance than she had done all those days,
as though he might, if he had grown cold to her, fall in love with her
again because she had dressed and arranged her hair in the way most
becoming to her.
She heard the bell ring before she was ready. When she went into
the drawing room it was not he, but Yashvin, who met her eyes. Vronsky
was looking through the photographs of her son, which she had forgot-
ten on the table, and he made no haste to look round at her.
“We have met already,” she said, putting her little hand into the
huge hand of Yashvin, whose bashfulness was so queerly out of keep-
ing with his immense frame and coarse face. “We met last year at the
races. Give them to me,” she said, with a rapid movement snatching
from Vronsky the photographs of her son, and glancing significantly at
him with flashing eyes. “Were the races good this year? Instead of
them I saw the races in the Corso in Rome. But you don’t care for life
abroad,” she said with a cordial smile. “I know you and all your tastes,
though I have seen so little of you.”
“I’m awfully sorry for that, for my tastes are mostly bad,” said Yashvin,
gnawing at his left mustache.
Having talked a little while, and noticing that Vronsky glanced at
the clock, Yashvin asked her whether she would be staying much longer
in Petersburg, and unbending his huge figure reached after his cap.
“Not long, I think,” she said hesitatingly, glancing at Vronsky.
“So then we shan’t meet again?”
“Come and dine with me,” said Anna resolutely, angry it seemed
with herself for her embarrassment, but flushing as she always did
when she defined her position before a fresh person. “The dinner here
is not good, but at least you will see him. There is no one of his old
friends in the regiment Alexey cares for as he does for you.”
“Delighted,” said Yashvin with a smile, from which Vronsky could
see that he liked Anna very much.
Yashvin said good-bye and went away; Vronsky stayed behind.
“Are you going too?” she said to him.
“I’m late already,” he answered. “Run along! I’ll catch you up in a
moment,” he called to Yashvin.
She took him by the hand, and without taking her eyes off him,
gazed at him while she ransacked her mind for the words to say that
would keep him.
“Wait a minute, there’s something I want to say to you,” and taking
his broad hand she pressed it on her neck. “Oh, was it right my asking
him to dinner?”
“You did quite right,” he said with a serene smile that showed his
even teeth, and he kissed her hand.
“Alexey, you have not changed to me?” she said, pressing his hand
in both of hers. “Alexey, I am miserable here. When are we going
away?”
“Soon, soon. You wouldn’t believe how disagreeable our way of
living here is to me too,” he said, and he drew away his hand.
“Well, go, go!” she said in a tone of offense, and she walked quickly
away from him.