Anna Karenina (Dole)/Part Four/Chapter 6

by Leo Tolstoy

 

CHAPTER VI

Alekseï Aleksandrovitch had won a brilliant victory at the session of the Commission of August 29, but the consequences of his victory were injurious to him. The new committee appointed to study the situation of the foreign population had been constituted and had gone to its field of action with a promptness and energy surprising to Alekseï Aleksandrovitch; at the end of three months it presented its report.

The condition of this population had been studied from a political, administrative, economical, ethnographical, material, and religious point of view. Each question was followed by an admirably concise reply, leaving no room to doubt that these answers were the work, not of a human mind, always liable to mistake, but of an experienced bureaucracy. These answers were based on official data, such as the reports of governors and archbishops, based again on the reports of heads of districts and ecclesiastical superintendents, in their turn based on the reports from communal administrations and country priests. And therefore their correctness could not be doubted. Questions such as these, "Why are the harvests poor?" and, "Why do the inhabitants of certain localities persist in their beliefs?" and the like—questions which without the help of the official machine could never be solved, and to which ages would not have found a reply—were clearly solved, in conformity with the opinions of Alekseï Aleksandrovitch.

But Stremof, feeling that he had been touched to the quick at the last session, had employed for the reception of the committee's report a stratagem unexpected by Alekseï Aleksandrovitch. Taking with him several other members, he suddenly went over to Karenin's side, and, not satisfied with warmly supporting the measures proposed by Alekseï Aleksandrovitch, he proposed others, of the same nature. These measures, which were of such a radical nature as to be entirely opposed to Alekseï Aleksandrovitch's intention, were adopted and then Stremof's tactics were revealed. Caried to extremes, these measures seemed so ridiculous that the government officials, and public opinion, and ladies of influence, and the daily papers, all attacked them and expressed the greatest indignation both at the measures themselves and at their avowed promoter, Alekseï Aleksandrovitch.

Stremof slipped out of sight, pretending that he only blindly followed Karenin's plan, and that he himself was amazed and dumfounded at what had happened. This greatly weakened Alekseï Aleksandrovitch. But notwithstanding his enfeebled health, notwithstanding his family annoyances, he did not give up. The committee was split into two factions: some of them, with Stremof at their head, explained their mistake by the fact that they had placed full confidence in the Revisionary Committee which, under the lead of Alekseï Aleksandrovitch, had brought in its report, and they declared the report of this committee of inspection was rubbish and so much wasted paper. Alekseï Aleksandrovitch, with a party of men who saw the peril of such a revolutionary reference to documents, continued to support the data worked out by the Revisionary Committee.

As a result of this, the highest circles and even society was thrown into confusion, and although this was a question of the greatest interest to every one, no one could make out whether the foreign populations were in reality suffering and dying out or flourishing.

Karenin's position in consequence of this and partly in consequence of the contempt which people felt for him by reason of his wife's unfaithfulness became very precarious. In this state of affairs he made an important resolution: to the great astonishment of the commission, he announced that he demanded the right to go and study these questions himself on the spot; and, permission having been granted him, Alekseï Aleksandrovitch set out for the distant provinces.

His departure made a great sensation, especially from the fact that, at his very departure, he officially refused the traveling expenses required for twelve post-horses, to take him to the places of inspection.

"I think that was very noble of him," said Betsy to the Princess Miagkaya. "Why should they pay for post-horses, when every one knows that you can go everywhere nowadays by rail?"

But the Princess Miagkaya did not agree with her, and she was greatly wrought up by the Princess Tverskaya's remark.

"This is very well for you to say," she replied, "when you have I don't know how many millions, but I like it very much when my husband goes off on a tour of inspection in the summer. It is very healthy and agreeable for him to go driving about, but I have made it a rule to keep that money for my own horse-hire and izvoshchiks!"

On his way to the distant provinces, Alekseï Aleksandrovitch stopped at Moscow three days.

The next day after his arrival, he was coming from a call on the governor-general. At the crossing of the Gazetnoï Street, where carriages of every description are always thronging, he heard his name called in such a gay, sonorous voice, that he could not help stopping. There stood Stepan Arkadyevitch on the sidewalk, in a short, stylish paletot, with a stylish hat set on one side, with a radiant smile which showed his white teeth between his red lips, gay, youthful-looking, brilliant. He kept calling to him and beckoning to him to stop. He was holding by one hand to the window of a carriage which had drawn up to the sidewalk, and in the carriage was a woman in a velvet hat, with two little ones; she also beckoned to him and smiled.

It was Dolly and her children.

Aleksei Aleksandrovitch had not counted on seeing in Moscow any one whom he knew, and least of all his wife's brother. He took off his hat and would have proceeded, but Stepan Arkadyevitch motioned to the coachman to stop, and ran through the snow to the carriage.

"How long have you been here? What a sin not to let us know you were coming! I was at Dusseaux's last evening, and I saw the name of Karenin on the list of arrivals, but it never occurred to me that it was you, else I should have looked you up," said he, passing his head through the door. "How glad I am to see you," he went on to say, striking his feet together to shake off the snow. "What a sin not to let us know."

"I had n't time. I am very busy," replied Alekseï Aleksandrovitch, curtly.

"Come and speak to my wife; she wants to see you very much."

Alekseif Aleksandrovitch threw off the plaid which covered his chilly limbs, and, leaving his carriage, made a way through the snow to Darya Aleksandrovna.

"Why, what has happened, Alekseï Aleksandrovitch, that you avoid us in this way?" said she, smiling.

"I was very busy. I am delighted to see you," replied Karenin, in a tone which clearly proved that he was annoyed. "How is your health?"

"How is my dear Anna?"

Alekseï Aleksandrovitch muttered a few words, and was about to leave her, but Stepan Arkadyevitch detained him.

"Do you know what we are going to do to-morrow? Dolly, invite him to dine. Have Koznuishef and Pestsof, so as to regale him with the representative intellects of Moscow."

"Oh, please come! " said Dolly; "we will name any hour that is convenient—five or six, as you please. But how is my dear Anna? It is so long ...."

"She is well," muttered Alekseï Aleksandrovitch again, frowning. "Very happy to have met you."

And he went back to his carriage.

"Will you come?" cried Dolly again.

Alekseï Aleksandrovitch said something in reply which Dolly could not hear in the rumble of carriages.

"I am coming to see you to-morrow!" cried Stepan Arkadyevitch.

Alekseï Aleksandrovitch shut himself up in his carriage, and crouched down in one corner so as not to see and not to be seen.

"What a strange fellow!" said Stepan Arkadyevitch to his wife; and looking at his watch he made an affectionate sign of farewell to his wife and children, and started off down the sidewalk at a brisk pace.

"Stiva, Stiva!" cried Dolly, blushing. He came back.

"I must have some money for the children's cloaks. Give me some."

"No matter about that. Tell them that I will settle the bill."

And he disappeared, gayly nodding to some acquaintance as he went.