Page:Anna Karenina.djvu/552

 "Is it decided," he interrupted, "that you take me just as I am? you do not take back your word!"

"No, oh, no!"

Their conversation was interrupted by Mademoiselle Linon, who, trying to look properly serious, came to congratulate her favorite pupil. She had not left the drawing-room before the servants came to offer their congratulations. Next came the relatives and friends; and this was the beginning of that absurdly happy period, from which Levin did not emerge till the day after his marriage.

Although he felt constrained and ill at ease all the time, yet the force of his happiness kept increasing. He felt all the time that much which he knew nothing about would be required of him, and he did everything that he was told to do, and all this served to increase his joy. He imagined that his engagement would not be in the least like others; that the ordinary conditions of an engagement would destroy his especial happiness. But it came about that he did exactly as everybody else did in such cases, and his happiness for this very reason kept increasing and grew more and more peculiar and did not change, and was in no respect like that of other men.

"Now," said Mademoiselle Linon, "we shall have all the candy we wish for;" and Levin ran to buy candy.

"Well, very glad!" said Sviazhsky. "I advise you to get your bouquets at Fomin's."

"Do you?" said Levin; and he went to Fomin's.

His brother told him he would have to borrow money, because there would be many expenses for presents and other things.

"For presents? Really?" and he started off on the run to buy jewelry at Fulda's.

At the confectioner's, at Fomin's, at Fulda's, he found that every one expected him, and every one seemed glad and rejoiced in his happiness, as did every one with whom he had to do those days. It was an extraordinary thing that not only did they all love him, but, strange as it may seem, even those who before had