Part Six: Chapter 31

by Leo Tolstoy

　　The newly elected marshal and many of the successful party dinedthat day with Vronsky.

　　Vronsky had come to the elections partly because he was bored inthe country and wanted to show Anna his right to independence,and also to repay Sviazhsky by his support at the election forall the trouble he had taken for Vronsky at the district councilelection, but chiefly in order strictly to perform all thoseduties of a nobleman and landowner which he had taken uponhimself. But he had not in the least expected that the electionwould so interest him, so keenly excite him, and that he would beso good at this kind of thing. He was quite a new man in thecircle of the nobility of the province, but his success wasunmistakable, and he was not wrong in supposing that he hadalready obtained a certain influence. This influence was due tohis wealth and reputation, the capital house in the town lent himby his old friend Shirkov, who had a post in the department offinances and was director of a nourishing bank in Kashin; theexcellent cook Vronsky had brought from the country, and hisfriendship with the governor, who was a schoolfellow ofVronsky's--a schoolfellow he had patronized and protected indeed.But what contributed more than all to his success was his direct,equable manner with everyone, which very quickly made themajority of the noblemen reverse the current opinion of hissupposed haughtiness. He was himself conscious that, except thatwhimsical gentleman married to Kitty Shtcherbatskaya, who had apropos de bottes poured out a stream of irrelevant absurditieswith such spiteful fury, every nobleman with whom he had madeacquaintance had become his adherent. He saw clearly, and otherpeople recognized it, too, that he had done a great deal tosecure the success of Nevyedovsky. And now at his own table,celebrating Nevyedovsky's election, he was experiencing anagreeable sense of triumph over the success of his candidate.The election itself had so fascinated him that, if he couldsucceed in getting married during the next three years, he beganto think of standing himself--much as after winning a race riddenby a jockey, he had longed to ride a race himself.

　　Today he was celebrating the success of his jockey. Vronsky satat the head of the table, on his right hand sat the younggovernor, a general of high rank. To all the rest he was thechief man in the province, who had solemnly opened the electionswith his speech, and aroused a feeling of respect and even of awein many people, as Vronsky saw; to Vronsky he was little KatkaMaslov--that had been his nickname in the Pages' Corps--whom hefelt to be shy and tried to mettre a son aise. On the left handsat Nevyedovsky with his youthful, stubborn, and malignant face.With him Vronsky was simple and deferential.

　　Sviazhsky took his failure very light-heartedly. It was indeedno failure in his eyes, as he said himself, turning, glass inhand, to Nevyedovsky; they could not have found a betterrepresentative of the new movement, which the nobility ought tofollow. And so every honest person, as he said, was on the sideof today's success and was rejoicing over it.

　　Stepan Arkadyevitch was glad, too, that he was having a goodtime, and that everyone was pleased. The episode of theelections served as a good occasion for a capital dinner.Sviazhsky comically imitated the tearful discourse of themarshal, and observed, addressing Nevyedovsky, that hisexcellency would have to select another more complicated methodof auditing the accounts than tears. Another nobleman jocoselydescribed how footmen in stockings had been ordered for themarshal's ball, and how now they would have to be sent backunless the new marshal would give a ball with footmen instockings.

　　Continually during dinner they said of Nevyedovsky: "ourmarshal," and "your excellency."

　　This was said with the same pleasure with which a bride is called"Madame" and her husband's name. Nevyedovsky affected to be notmerely indifferent but scornful of this appellation, but it wasobvious that he was highly delighted, and had to keep a curb onhimself not to betray the triumph which was unsuitable to theirnew liberal tone.

　　After dinner several telegrams were sent to people interested inthe result of the election. And Stepan Arkadyevitch, who was inhigh good humor, sent Darya Alexandrovna a telegram: "Nevyedovskyelected by twenty votes. Congratulations. Tell people." Hedictated it aloud, saying: "We must let them share ourrejoicing." Darya Alexandrovna, getting the message, simplysighed over the rouble wasted on it, and understood that it wasan after-dinner affair. She knew Stiva had a weakness afterdining for faire jouer le telegraphe.

　　Everything, together with the excellent dinner and the wine, notfrom Russian merchants, but imported direct from abroad, wasextremely dignified, simple, and enjoyable. The party--sometwenty--had been selected by Sviazhsky from among the more activenew liberals, all of the same way of thinking, who were at thesame time clever and well bred. They drank, also half in jest,to the health of the new marshal of the province, of thegovernor, of the bank director, and of "our amiable host."

　　Vronsky was satisfied. He had never expected to find so pleasanta tone in the provinces.

　　Towards the end of dinner it was still more lively. The governorasked Vronsky to come to a concert for the benefit of theServians which his wife, who was anxious to make hisacquaintance, had been getting up.

　　"There'll be a ball, and you'll see the belle of the province.Worth seeing, really."

　　"Not in my line," Vronsky answered. He liked that Englishphrase. But he smiled, and promised to come.

　　Before they rose from the table, when all of them were smoking,Vronsky's valet went up to him with a letter on a tray.

　　"From Vozdvizhenskoe by special messenger," he said with asignificant expression.

　　"Astonishing! how like he is to the deputy prosecutorSventitsky," said one of the guests in French of the valet, whileVronsky, frowning, read the letter.

　　The letter was from Anna. Before he read the letter, he knew itscontents. Expecting the elections to be over in five days, hehad promised to be back on Friday. Today was Saturday, and heknew that the letter contained reproaches for not being back atthe time fixed. The letter he had sent the previous evening hadprobably not reached her yet.

　　The letter was what he had expected, but the form of it wasunexpected, and particularly disagreeable to him. "Annie is veryill, the doctor says it may be inflammation. I am losing myhead all alone. Princess Varvara is no help, but a hindrance. Iexpected you the day before yesterday, and yesterday, and now Iam sending to find out where you are and what you are doing. Iwanted to come myself, but thought better of it, knowing youwould dislike it. Send some answer, that I may know what todo."

　　The child ill, yet she had thought of coming herself. Theirdaughter ill, and this hostile tone.

　　The innocent festivities over the election, and this gloomy,burdensome love to which he had to return struck Vronsky by theircontrast. But he had to go, and by the first train that night heset off home.