Page:Anna Karenina.djvu/943

 ordering the driver to stop, he ran along with it back to the house.

"Only two hours? not more?" asked Lizavyeta Petrovna. "You may speak to Piotr Dmitritch, but don't hurry him. Yes, please get some opium at the apothecary's."

"Do you think all will go on well?" asked he. "God help us!" he added, as he saw his horse starting from the door; he got into the sledge alongside of Kuzma, and ordered him to hurry to the doctor's.

CHAPTER XIV

doctor was not yet up; and a servant, who was busy cleaning the lamps, announced that his master had gone to bed late, and had given orders not to be waked, but would be up before long.

The lackey was polishing lamp-chimneys and seemed very much absorbed in this occupation. At first this absorption of the lackey in his lamp-chimneys, and his indifference to what was going on at home, made Levin indignant; but on reflection he realized that no one knew anything about it or was obliged to share in his feelings, and that consequently it was incumbent on him to be calm, reasonable, and firm, so as to break down that wall of indifference, and attain his end.

"I must not spoil matters by haste," said Levin to himself, feeling all the time a growing intensity of physical energy and concentration on what was before him.

Now that he knew that the doctor was not up, and had given orders not to be disturbed, Levin thought over several plans which presented themselves to him, and finally decided on the following: to send Kuzma with a note to another doctor, to go himself to the apothecary's for the laudanum, and, if on his return the doctor was not up, then either by bribery or by main force, if the man would not consent, to waken the doctor at any cost.