Page:Anna Karenina.djvu/93

 Vronsky, besides experiencing the pleasure that everybody felt in seeing Stepan Arkadyevitch, had felt especially drawn to him, because, in a certain way, it brought him closer to Kitty.

"Well, now, what do you say to giving the diva a supper Sunday?" said he, with a smile, taking him by the arm.

"Certainly; I will pay my share. Oh, tell me, did you meet my friend Levin last evening?" asked Stepan Arkadyevitch.

"Yes, but he went away very early."

"He is a glorious young fellow," said Oblonsky, "is n't he?"

"I don't know why it is," replied Vronsky, "but all the Muscovites, present company excepted," he added jestingly, "have something sharp about them. They all seem to be high-strung, fiery tempered, as if they all wanted to make you understand .... "

"That is true enough; there is .... " replied Stepan Arkadyevitch, smiling pleasantly.

"Is the train on time?" asked Vronsky of an employee.

"It will be here directly," replied the employee.

The increasing bustle in the station, the coming and going of porters, the appearance of policemen and officials, the arrival of expectant friends, all indicated the approach of the train. Through the frosty steam, workmen could be seen passing in their soft blouses and felt boots amid the network of rails. The whistle of the coming engine was heard, and the approach of something heavy.

"No," continued Stepan Arkadyevitch, who was anxious to inform Vronsky of Levin's intentions in regard to Kitty. "No, you are really unjust to my friend Levin. He is a very nervous man, and sometimes he can be disagreeable; but, on the other hand, he can be very charming. He is such an upright, genuine nature, true gold! Last evening there were special reasons," continued Stepan Arkadyevitch, with a significant smile, and entirely forgetting his genuine sympathy, which the even-