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 CHAPTER XVIII

Vronsky's inner life was wholly absorbed by his passion, his outward life unchangeably and inevitably ran along on the former ordinary rails of his social and regimental ties and interests. His regiment filled an important part in his life, in the first place because he loved his regiment, and, still more, because he was extremely popular in it. In his regiment he was not only admired, but he was also respected. They were proud of him, proud that a man enormously rich, with a fine education and with qualities, with a path open before him to every kind of success and ambition and glorification, scorned all that, and placed the interests of his regiment and his comrades above all the interests of life. Vronksy recognized the feeling which he inspired, and, besides the fact that he loved that life, he felt called on, in a certain degree, to sustain his character.

Of course he spoke to no one of his passion. Never did an imprudent word escape him, even when he joined his comrades in the liveliest of drinking-bouts,—however, he was never so intoxicated as to lose control over himself,—and he kept his mouth shut in the presence of those gossiping meddlers who made the least allusion to the affairs of his heart. Nevertheless, his passion was a matter of notoriety throughout the city; all had more or less well-founded suspicions of his relationship to Madame Karenin, and most of the young men envied him on account of the very thing that was the greatest drawback to his love,—Karenin's high station, which made the matter more conspicuous.

The majority of young women, jealous of Anna, whom they were weary of hearing always called the just, were not sorry to have their predictions verified, and were waiting only for the sanction of public opinion, to overwhelm her with the whole weight of their scorn; they had already prepared for use the mud which should be thrown at her when the time should come. Most people of experience, and those of high rank, were dis-