When the baby was put on the carpet and its little dress tucked up behind, it was wonderfully charming. Looking round like some little wild animal at the grown-up big people with her bright black eyes, she smiled, unmistakably pleased at their admiring her, and, holding her legs sideways, she pressed vigorously on her arms, and rapidly drew her whole back up after, and then made another step forward with her little arms.
But the whole atmosphere of the nursery, and especially the English nurse, Darya Alexandrovna did not like at all. It was only on the supposition that no good nurse would have entered so irregular a household as Anna's that Darya Alexandrovna could explain to herself how Anna with her insight into people could take such an unprepossessing, indecorous woman as nurse to her child. Besides, from a few words that were dropped, Darya Alexandrovna saw at once that Anna, the two nurses, and the child, had no existence in common, and that the mother's visit was something exceptional. Anna wanted to get the baby her plaything, and could not find it.
Most amazing of all was the fact that on being asked how many teeth the baby had, Anna answered wrong, and knew nothing about the two last teeth.
`I sometimes feel sorry I'm, as it were, superfluous here,' said Anna, going out of the nursery, and holding up her skirt so as to escape the plaything standing near the doorway. `It was very different with my first child.'
`I expected it to be the other way,' said Darya Alexandrovna shyly.
`Oh, no! By the way, do you know I saw Seriozha?' said Anna, screwing up her eyes, as though looking at something far away. `But we'll talk about that later. You wouldn't believe it, I'm like a hungry beggar woman when a full dinner is set before her, and she does not know what to begin on first. The full dinner is you, and the talks I have before me with you, which I could never have with anyone else; and I don't know which subject to begin upon first. Mais je ne vous ferai grâce de rien .
I must have everything out with you. Oh, I ought to give you a sketch of the company you will meet with us,' she began. `I'll begin with the ladies.
Princess Varvara - you know her, and I know your opinion and Stiva's about her. Stiva says the whole aim of her existence is to prove her superiority over Auntie Katerina Pavlovna: that's all true; but she's a good-natured woman, and I am so grateful to her. In Peterburg there was a moment when un chaperon was absolutely essential for me. Then she turned up. But, really, she is good-natured. She did a great deal to alleviate my position. I see you don't understand all the difficulty of my position... there in Peterburg,'
she added. `Here I'm perfectly at ease and happy. Well, of that later on, though. Then Sviiazhsky - he's the marshal of the district, and he's a very good sort of a man, but he wants to get something out of Alexei. You understand, with his property, now that we are settled in the country, Alexei can exercise great influence. Then there's Tushkevich - you have seen him, you know - Betsy's admirer. Now he's been thrown over, and he's come to see us. As Alexei says, he's one of those people who are very pleasant if one accepts them for what they try to appear to be, et puis, il est comme il faut, as Princess Varvara says. Then Veslovsky... you know him. A very charming boy,' she said, and a sly smile curved her lips. `What's this wild story about him and the Levins? Veslovsky told Alexei about it, and we don't believe it. Il est tres gentil et naïf ,' she said again with the same smile. `Men need occupation, and Alexei needs a circle, so I value all these people. We have to have the house lively and gay, so that Alexei may not long for any novelty. Then you'll see the steward - a German, a very good fellow, and he understands his work. Alexei has a very high opinion of him. Then the doctor, a young man, not quite a Nihilist perhaps, but, you know, he eats with his knife... But a very good doctor.
Then the architect... Une petite cour .'
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TOLSTOY: Anna Karenina Part 6, Chapter 20[Previous Chapter] [Table of Contents] Chapter 20 `Here's Dolly for you, Princess, you were so anxious to see her,' said Anna, coming out with Darya Alexandrovna on the stone terrace where Princess Varvara was sitting in the shade at an embroidery frame, working at a cover for Count Alexei Kirillovich's easy chair. `She says she doesn't want anything before dinner, but please order some lunch for her, and I'll go look for Alexei and bring them all in.'
Princess Varvara gave Dolly a cordial and rather patronizing reception, and began at once explaining to her that she was living with Anna because she had always cared more for her than her sister, that aunt that had brought Anna up; and that now, when everyone had abandoned Anna, she thought it her duty to help her in this most difficult period of transition.
`Her husband will give her a divorce, and then I shall go back to my solitude; but now I can be of use, and I am doing my duty, however difficult it may be for me - not like some other people. And how sweet it is of you, how right of you to have come! They live like the best of married couples; it's for God to judge them, not for us. And didn't Biriuzovsky and Madame Avenieva... and Nikandrov himself, and Vassiliev with Madame Mamonova, and Liza Neptunova... Did no one say anything about them? And it has ended by their being received by everyone. And then, c'est un intérieur si joli, si comme il faut. Tout-à-fait àl'anglaise . On se reunit le matin au breakfast, et puis on se separe.
Everyone does as he pleases till dinnertime. Dinner at seven o'clock. Stiva did very rightly to send you. He needs their support. You know that through his mother and brother he can do everything. And then they do so much good.
He didn't tell you about his hospital? Ce sera admirable - everything from Paris.'