Anna Karenina - Part 7

"Ah, so that's it, that's it!" said Princess Myakaya gleefully,

"they're going to ask Landau what he's to say."

"Ask Landau? What for? Who or what's Landau?"

"What! you don't know Jules Landau, _le fameux Jules Landau,

le clairvoyant_? He's crazy too, but on him your sister's fate

depends. See what comes of living in the provinces--you know

nothing about anything. Landau, do you see, was a _commis_ in

a shop in Paris, and he went to a doctor's; and in the doctor's

waiting room he fell asleep, and in his sleep he began giving

advice to all the patients. And wonderful advice it was! Then

the wife of Yury Meledinsky--you know, the invalid?--heard of

this Landau, and had him to see her husband. And he cured her

husband, though I can't say that I see he did him much good, for

he's just as feeble a creature as ever he was, but they believed

in him, and took him along with them and brought him to Russia.

Here there's been a general rush to him, and he's begun doctoring

everyone. He cured Countess Bezzubova, and she took such a fancy

to him that she adopted him."

"Adopted him?"

"Yes, as her son. He's not Landau any more now, but Count

Bezzubov. That's neither here nor there, though; but Lidia--I'm

very fond of her, but she has a screw loose somewhere--has lost

her heart to this Landau now, and nothing is settled now in her

house or Alexey Alexandrovitch's without him, and so your

sister's fate is now in the hands of Landau, _alias_ Count

Bezzubov."