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Anna Karenina - Part 3

Page 72

As Serpuhovskoy came down the steps he saw Vronsky. A smile of

pleasure lighted up his face. He tossed his head upwards and

waved the glass in his hand, greeting Vronsky, and showing him by

the gesture that he could not come to him before the

quartermaster, who stood craning forward his lips ready to be

kissed.

"Here he is!" shouted the colonel. "Yashvin told me you were in

one of your gloomy tempers."

Serpuhovskoy kissed the moist, fresh lips of the gallant-looking

quartermaster, and wiping his mouth with his handkerchief, went

up to Vronsky.

"How glad I am!" he said, squeezing his hand and drawing him on

one side.

"You look after him," the colonel shouted to Yashvin, pointing to

Vronsky; and he went down below to the soldiers.

"Why weren't you at the races yesterday? I expected to see you

there," said Vronsky, scrutinizing Serpuhovskoy.

"I did go, but late. I beg your pardon," he added, and he

turned to the adjutant: "Please have this divided from me, each

man as much as it runs to." And he hurriedly took notes for

three hundred roubles from his pocketbook, blushing a little.

"Vronsky! Have anything to eat or drink?" asked Yashvin. "Hi,

something for the count to eat! Ah, here it is: have a glass!"

The fĂȘte at the colonel's lasted a long while. There was a great

deal of drinking. They tossed Serpuhovskoy in the air and caught

him again several times. Then they did the same to the colonel.

Then, to the accompaniment of the band, the colonel himself

danced with Petritsky. Then the colonel, who began to show signs

of feebleness, sat down on a bench in the courtyard and began

demonstrating to Yashvin the superiority of Russia over Poland,

especially in cavalry attack, and there was a lull in the revelry

for a moment. Serpuhovskoy went into the house to the bathroom

to wash his hands and found Vronsky there; Vronsky was drenching

his head with water. He had taken off his coat and put his

sunburnt, hairy neck under the tap, and was rubbing it and his

head with his hands. When he had finished, Vronsky sat down by

Serpuhovskoy. They both sat down in the bathroom on a lounge,

and a conversation began which was very interesting to both of

them.

"I've always been hearing about you through my wife," said

Serpuhovskoy. "I'm glad you've been seeing her pretty often."

"She's friendly with Varya, and they're the only women in

Petersburg I care about seeing," answered Vronsky, smiling. He

smiled because he foresaw the topic the conversation would turn

on, and he was glad of it.

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