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Anna Karenina - Part 7

Page 43

The footman agreed, and went upstairs, taking Levin into the

waiting room.

Levin could hear through the door the doctor coughing, moving

about, washing, and saying something. Three minutes passed; it

seemed to Levin that more than an hour had gone by. He could not

wait any longer.

"Pyotr Dmitrievitch, Pyotr Dmitrievitch!" he said in an imploring

voice at the open door. "For God's sake, forgive me! See me as

you are. It's been going on more than two hours already."

"In a minute; in a minute!" answered a voice, and to his

amazement Levin heard that the doctor was smiling as he spoke.

"For one instant."

"In a minute."

Two minutes more passed while the doctor was putting on his

boots, and two minutes more while the doctor put on his coat and

combed his hair.

"Pyotr Dmitrievitch!" Levin was beginning again in a plaintive

voice, just as the doctor came in dressed and ready. "These

people have no conscience," thought Levin. "Combing his hair,

while we're dying!"

"Good morning!" the doctor said to him, shaking hands, and, as it

were, teasing him with his composure. "There's no hurry. Well

now?"

Trying to be as accurate as possible, Levin began to tell him

every unnecessary detail of his wife's condition, interrupting

his account repeatedly with entreaties that the doctor would come

with him at once.

"Oh, you needn't be in any hurry. You don't understand, you

know. I'm certain I'm not wanted, still I've promised, and if

you like, I'll come. But there's no hurry. Please sit down;

won't you have some coffee?"

Levin stared at him with eyes that asked whether he was laughing

at him; but the doctor had no notion of making fun of him.

"I know, I know," the doctor said, smiling; "I'm a married man

myself; and at these moments we husbands are very much to be

pitied. I've a patient whose husband always takes refuge in the

stables on such occasions."

"But what do you think, Pyotr Dmitrievitch? Do you suppose it

may go all right?"

"Everything points to a favorable issue."

"So you'll come immediately?" said Levin, looking wrathfully at

the servant who was bringing in the coffee.

"In an hour's time."

"Oh, for mercy's sake!"

"Well, let me drink my coffee, anyway."

The doctor started upon his coffee. Both were silent.

"The Turks are really getting beaten, though. Did you read

yesterday's telegrams?" said the doctor, munching some roll.

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