Page:Anna Karenina.djvu/109

 youth and beauty, and Kitty was not slow in realizing a sense of being, not only under her influence, but of being in love with her, and immediately fell in love with her, as young girls often fall in love with married women older than themselves. Anna was not like a society woman, or the mother of an eight-year-old son; but, by her vivacity of movement, by the freshness and animation of her face, expressed in her smile and in her eyes, she would have been taken rather for a young girl of twenty, had it not been for a serious and sometimes almost melancholy look, which struck and attracted Kitty.

Kitty felt that she was perfectly natural and sincere, but that there was something about her that suggested a whole world of complicated and poetic interests far beyond her comprehension.

After dinner, when Dolly had gone to her room, Anna went eagerly to her brother, who was smoking a cigar.

"Stiva," said she, giving him a joyous wink, making the sign of the cross, and glancing toward the door, "go, and God help you."

He understood her, and, throwing away his cigar, disappeared behind the door.

As soon as he had gone, Anna sat down upon a divan, surrounded by the children.

Either because they saw that their mamma loved this aunt, or because they themselves felt a special attraction toward her, the two eldest, and therefore the younger, as often happens with children, had taken possession of her even before dinner, and could not leave her alone. And now they were having something like a game, in which each tried to get next to her, to hold her little hand, to kiss her, to play with her rings, or even to cling to the flounces of her gown.

"There! there! let us sit as we were before," said Anna, sitting down in her place.

And Grisha, proud and delighted, thrust his head under his aunt's arm, and nestled up close to her.

"And when is the ball?" she asked of Kitty.