Pagina 355 de 2288

At first Anna sincerely believed that she was displeased with him

for daring to pursue her. Soon after her return from Moscow, on

arriving at a soiree where she had expected to meet him, and not

finding him there, she realized distinctly from the rush of

disappointment that she had been deceiving herself, and that this

pursuit was not merely not distasteful to her, but that it made

the whole interest of her life.

The celebrated singer was singing for the second time, and all

the fashionable world was in the theater. Vronsky, seeing his

cousin from his stall in the front row, did not wait till the

entr'acte, but went to her box.

"Why didn't you come to dinner?" she said to him. "I marvel at

the second sight of lovers," she added with a smile, so that no

one but he could hear; "she wasn't there. But come after the

opera."

Vronsky looked inquiringly at her. She nodded. He thanked her by

a smile, and sat down beside her.