Anna Karenina (Dole)/Part Six/Chapter 20
CHAPTER XX
"Well, princess, here we have Dolly, whom you wished so much to see," said Anna, as she and Darya Aleksandrovna came out on the great stone terrace where the Princess Varvara was sitting in the shade, with her embroidery frame in front of her, making a chair cover for Count Alekseï Kirillovitch. "She says that she does not want anything before dinner, but supposing you order luncheon brought in, while I go and find the gentlemen."
The Princess Varvara gave Dolly a gracious and somewhat condescending reception, and immediately began to explain that she had come to live with Anna because she loved her more than her sister, Katerina Pavlovna,—that was the aunt that had superintended Anna's education,—and because, now when all were abandoning Anna, she considered it her duty to help her at this trying period of transition.
"Her husband is going to grant her a divorce, and then I shall go back to my solitude; but, however painful it may be, I shall stay here for the present, and not imitate the example of others. And how kind you are; how good of you to make this visit! They live exactly like the very best married people. Let God judge them; it is not for us. It was just so with Biriuzovsky and Madame Avenyef, and then Vasiliyef and Madame Mamonov, and Liza Neptunova. You see no one says anything about them, and in the end they will be received. And then c'est un intérieur si joli, si comme il faut. Tout-à-fait à l'anglaise. On se réunit le matin au breakfeast et puis on se sépare.[1] Every one does just as he pleases till dinner-time. They dine at seven. Stiva did very wisely to send you; he would better keep on good terms with them. You know the count has great influence through his mother and his brother. And then they do so much good. Has he told you about his hospital? Ça sera admirable! Everything from Paris."
This conversation was interrupted by Anna, who returned to the terrace, followed by the gentlemen, whom she had found in the billiard-room.
Considerable time still remained before dinner, the weather was beautiful, and so various propositions were made for their amusement during the two hours before them.
There was every facility for diversion there at Vozdvizhenskoye and many of them were very different from what they had at Pokrovskoye.
"Une partie de lawn tennis," proposed Veslovsky, with his gay, contagious smile. "I'll take one side with you again, Anna Arkadyevna."
"No, it is hot; suppose we go into the park, and take Darya Aleksandrovna out in the boat to show her the landscape," said Vronsky.
"I am agreeable to anything," said Sviazhsky.
"I think Dolly would like to do that better than anything else," said Anna. "So then the boat-ride it is."
That having been decided, Veslovsky and Tushkievitch went to the landing, agreeing to get the boat ready, and the two couples took the path to the park; Anna walked with Sviazhsky, and Dolly with Vronsky.
Dolly was somewhat confused and embarrassed by this absolutely novel environment in which she found herself. Abstractly, theoretically, she not only justified, but even approved, of Anna's conduct. Like the majority of irreproachably virtuous women, wearying often of the monotony of a virtuous life, Dolly from a distance excused illicit love, and even envied it a little. Moreover, she loved Anna with all her heart.
But in reality, finding her among these strangers, with their fashionable ways, which were quite novel to her, she was thoroughly ill at ease. Especially odious to her was it to see the Princess Varvara forgiving everything, because she could thereby share in her niece's luxury.
Abstractly and on general principles Dolly excused Anna's conduct, but the sight of the man for whom she had taken this step was unpleasant to her. Moreover, Vronsky was not congenial to her at any time; she thought him very haughty, and could see no reason except his wealth to justify his haughtiness. But in spite of all her will-power, there in his own establishment he more than ever impressed her with a sense of his importance and she could not feel at ease with him; she felt just as she had felt when the maid took the nightgown from her valise. Just as before the maid she had felt, not exactly ashamed, but awkward, on account of the patches, so now with Vronsky she felt all the time, not exactly ashamed, but uncomfortable.
Dolly felt confused and cast about in her mind for something to talk about.
Although she felt sure that he with his pride might be displeased if she praised his house and park, nevertheless, finding no other topic of conversation, she remarked that she liked his house very much.
"Yes, it is a very handsome building, and in good old style," replied the count.
"I liked the court in front of the steps; was it always so?"
"Oh, no!" said he, and his face shone with satisfaction. "If you had only seen it in the spring!"
And at first coldly, but warming as he went on, he pointed out to Dolly the many improvements he had made in the house and park. It was evident that Vronsky, having consecrated much labor to the improvement and beautification of his establishment, really felt the need of appreciation from some new person, and that he was not a little gratified at Darya Aleksandrovna's praise.
"If you would like to look into the hospital and are not tired, we might go that way. It is not far. Come, let us go! Shall we, Anna?"
"Yes—shall we not?" she said, turning to Sviazhsky; "mais il ne faut pas laisser le pauvre Veslovsky et Tushkiévitch se morfondre là dans le bateau![2] We must send word to them. Yes, this is a monument which he will leave here," said she to Dolly, with the same shrewd knowing smile on her face as when she first spoke of the hospital.
"Oh, capital work!" said Sviazhsky; and then, not to seem assenting from mere politeness, he added:—
"I am surprised, count, that you, who are doing so much for the peasants' sanitary advantage, are so indifferent to schools."
"C'est devenu tellentent commun, les écoles" replied Vronsky. "You must know I do this to amuse myself. This is the way to the hospital," said he, addressing Darya Aleksandrovna, pointing to a side-path which led from the avenue. The ladies put up their sunshades and walked along the side-path.
After making a few turns and passing through a wicket-gate, Darya Aleksandrovna saw before her on rising ground a large red building of complicated architecture not completely finished. The iron roof, not as yet painted, ghttered in the sun. Near the hospital itself there was another building going up, in the midst of the woods, and workmen in aprons stood on scaffoldings laying the bricks, taking mortar from buckets and smoothing it with trowels.
"How rapidly the work is going on," remarked Sviazhsky. "The last time I was here the roof was not in position."
"It will be ready by autumn, for the inside is already nearly finished," said Anna.
"And what is this other new building?"
"A house for the doctor, and a pharmacy," replied Vronsky; and, seeing the architect, in a short overcoat, approaching, he excused himself to the ladies, and went to meet him.
Going round the mortar-pit, from which the workmen were getting lime, he joined the architect and began to talk angrily with him.
"The pediment will be much too low," he replied to Anna, who asked him what the discussion was about.
"I said that the foundation ought to be raised," said Anna.
"Yes ! Of course, it would have been better, Anna Arkadyevna," said the architect; "yes, it was a mistake."
"Yes, indeed! I am very much interested in this," said Anna, in reply to Sviazhsky, who expressed his surprise that the architect spoke to her as he did. "The new building must correspond with the hospital. But this was thought of afterward, and begun without any plan."
Having concluded his talk with the architect, Vronsky joined the ladies and conducted them into the hospital. Though on the outside they were already placing the cornices and were painting the lower part of the building, on the upper floors almost everything was done. They went up by a broad cast-iron staircase to the second story, and entered the first great room. The walls were stuccoed for marble, the great glass windows were already in place; only the parquetry floor was as yet to be finished, and the carpenters, engaged in planing the squares, left off their work, and, removing the tapes which bound their hair, greeted the visitors.
"This is the reception-room," said Vronsky. "In this there will be not much besides the desk, a table, and a cupboard."
"Here, come this way. Don't go near the window," said Anna, touching the paint to see if it was dry. "Alekseï, the paint is beginning to dry."
From the reception-room they went into the corridor. Here Vronsky explained the new system of ventilation; then he showed them the marble bathrooms and the beds with extra spring mattresses. Then he showed them one after the other the wards, the laundry, then the heating apparatus, then the noiseless barrows for wheeling articles along the corridors, and many other contrivances, Dolly was simply amazed at the sight of so many novelties, and, wishing to understand it thoroughly, she asked a great many questions, which Vronsky answered with the greatest alacrity.
"Yes, I think this hospital will be the only one of the kind in Russia," remarked Sviazhsky.
"Shall you not have a lying-in department?" asked Dolly. "That is so necessary in this country. I have often thought ...."
In spite of his politeness, Vronsky interrupted her.
"This is not an obstetrical institution, but a hospital, and is meant for all except infectious diseases," said he. "And now look at this," and he showed Darya Aleksandrovna a newly imported chair designed for convalescents. "Will you look at it, please?" He sat down in the chair and began to move it along. "He can't walk.... or he is still weak, or he has a lame leg, but still he must have the air, and so he goes out and enjoys himself!"
Darya Aleksandrovna was interested in everything; everything pleased her very much, but, more than all, Vronsky himself pleased her with his natural naïve enthusiasm.
"Yes, he is certainly a good, lovable man," she thought, not listening to what he said, but looking at him and trying to penetrate his expression, and then momentarily looking at Anna. He pleased her so much with his animation that she understood how it was that Anna came to love him.