Anna Karenina - Part 5

While he was governor of a province, Anna's aunt, a wealthy

provincial lady, had thrown him--middle-aged as he was, though

young for a governor--with her niece, and had succeeded in

putting him in such a position that he had either to declare

himself or to leave the town. Alexey Alexandrovitch was not long

in hesitation. There were at the time as many reasons for the

step as against it, and there was no overbalancing consideration

to outweigh his invariable rule of abstaining when in doubt. But

Anna's aunt had through a common acquaintance insinuated that he

had already compromised the girl, and that he was in honor bound

to make her an offer. He made the offer, and concentrated on his

betrothed and his wife all the feeling of which he was capable.

The attachment he felt to Anna precluded in his heart every need

of intimate relations with others. And now among all his

acquaintances he had not one friend. He had plenty of so-called

connections, but no friendships. Alexey Alexandrovitch had

plenty of people whom he could invite to dinner, to whose

sympathy he could appeal in any public affair he was concerned

about, whose interest he could reckon upon for anyone he wished

to help, with whom he could candidly discuss other people's

business and affairs of state. But his relations with these

people were confined to one clearly defined channel, and had a

certain routine from which it was impossible to depart. There

was one man, a comrade of his at the university, with whom he had

made friends later, and with whom he could have spoken of a

personal sorrow; but this friend had a post in the Department of

Education in a remote part of Russia. Of the people in

Petersburg the most intimate and most possible were his chief

secretary and his doctor.

Mihail Vassilievitch Sludin, the chief secretary, was a

straightforward, intelligent, good-hearted, and conscientious

man, and Alexey Alexandrovitch was aware of his personal

goodwill. But their five years of official work together seemed

to have put a barrier between them that cut off warmer relations.

After signing the papers brought him, Alexey Alexandrovitch had

sat for a long while in silence, glancing at Mihail

Vassilievitch, and several times he attempted to speak, but could

not. He had already prepared the phrase: "You have heard of my

trouble?" But he ended by saying, as usual: "So you'll get this

ready for me?" and with that dismissed him.

The other person was the doctor, who had also a kindly feeling

for him; but there had long existed a taciturn understanding

between them that both were weighed down by work, and always in a

hurry.