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332 glances at her gown. The husband and wife were obnoxious to her. The husband asked her if she objected to smoking,—evidently not for the sake of smoking, but as an excuse for entering into conversation with her. Having obtained her permission, he remarked to his wife in French that he felt even more inclined to talk than to smoke. They exchanged stupid remarks, with the hope of attracting Anna's attention.

Anna clearly saw how they bored each other, how they hated each other. It was impossible not to hate such painful monstrosities.

The second gong sounded, and was followed by the rumble of baggage, noise, shouts, laughter. Anna saw so clearly that there was nothing to rejoice at, that this laughter roused her indignation, and she longed to stop her ears so as not to hear it.

At last the third signal was given, the locomotive whistled, there was a sound of escaping steam, the train started, and the gentleman crossed himself.

"It would be interesting to ask him what he meant by that," thought Anna, looking at him angrily. Then she looked past the woman's head, out of the car-window, at the people apparently moving backward even while they were standing and walking on the platform. The carriage in which Anna sat moved past the stone walls of the station, the switches, the other carriages. The wheels with a ringing sound moved more easily and smoothly over the rails; the rays of the setting sun slanted into the car-window, and a light breeze played through the slats of the blinds in the carriages, and Anna forgot her neighbors, breathed in the fresh air, and took up again the course of her thoughts.

"There! What was I thinking about? Oh, yes, I was just deciding that I could not imagine any situation in which my life could be anything but one long misery. We are all dedicated to unhappiness; we all know it, and only seek for ways to deceive ourselves. But when we see the truth, what is to be done?"

"Reason was given to man, that he might avoid what annoys him," remarked the woman, in French, appar-