Anna Karenina, Page 226

  Chapter 6

  Sergey Ivanovitch had not telegraphed to his brother to send to meethim, as he did not know when he should be able to leave Moscow. Levinwas not at home when Katavasov and Sergey Ivanovitch in a fly hired atthe station drove up to the steps of the Pokrovskoe house, as black asMoors from the dust of the road. Kitty, sitting on the balcony with herfather and sister, recognized her brother-in-law, and ran down to meethim.

  "What a shame not to have let us know," she said, giving her hand toSergey Ivanovitch, and putting her forehead up for him to kiss.

  "We drove here capitally, and have not put you out," answered SergeyIvanovitch. "I'm so dirty. I'm afraid to touch you. I've been so busy, Ididn't know when I should be able to tear myself away. And so you'restill as ever enjoying your peaceful, quiet happiness," he said,smiling, "out of the reach of the current in your peaceful backwater.Here's our friend Fyodor Vassilievitch who has succeeded in getting hereat last."

  "But I'm not a negro, I shall look like a human being when I wash," saidKatavasov in his jesting fashion, and he shook hands and smiled, histeeth flashing white in his black face.

  "Kostya will be delighted. He has gone to his settlement. It's time heshould be home."

  "Busy as ever with his farming. It really is a peaceful backwater," saidKatavasov; "while we in town think of nothing but the Servian war. Well,how does our friend look at it? He's sure not to think like otherpeople."

  "Oh, I don't know, like everybody else," Kitty answered, a littleembarrassed, looking round at Sergey Ivanovitch. "I'll send to fetchhim. Papa's staying with us. He's only just come home from abroad."

  And making arrangements to send for Levin and for the guests to wash,one in his room and the other in what had been Dolly's, and givingorders for their luncheon, Kitty ran out onto the balcony, enjoying thefreedom, and rapidity of movement, of which she had been deprived duringthe months of her pregnancy.

  "It's Sergey Ivanovitch and Katavasov, a professor," she said.

  "Oh, that's a bore in this heat," said the prince.

  "No, papa, he's very nice, and Kostya's very fond of him," Kitty said,with a deprecating smile, noticing the irony on her father's face.

  "Oh, I didn't say anything."

  "You go to them, darling," said Kitty to her sister, "and entertainthem. They saw Stiva at the station; he was quite well. And I must runto Mitya. As ill-luck would have it, I haven't fed him since tea. He'sawake now, and sure to be screaming." And feeling a rush of milk, shehurried to the nursery.

  This was not a mere guess; her connection with the child was still soclose, that she could gauge by the flow of her milk his need of food,and knew for certain he was hungry.

  She knew he was crying before she reached the nursery. And he was indeedcrying. She heard him and hastened. But the faster she went, the louderhe screamed. It was a fine healthy scream, hungry and impatient.

  "Has he been screaming long, nurse, very long?" said Kitty hurriedly,seating herself on a chair, and preparing to give the baby the breast."But give me him quickly. Oh, nurse, how tiresome you are! There, tiethe cap afterwards, do!"

  The baby's greedy scream was passing into sobs.

  "But you can't manage so, ma'am," said Agafea Mihalovna, who was almostalways to be found in the nursery. "He must be put straight. A-oo!a-oo!" she chanted over him, paying no attention to the mother.

  The nurse brought the baby to his mother. Agafea Mihalovna followed himwith a face dissolving with tenderness.

  "He knows me, he knows me. In God's faith, Katerina Alexandrovna, ma'am,he knew me!" Agafea Mihalovna cried above the baby's screams.

  But Kitty did not hear her words. Her impatience kept growing, like thebaby's.

  Their impatience hindered things for a while. The baby could not gethold of the breast right, and was furious.

  At last, after despairing, breathless screaming, and vain sucking,things went right, and mother and child felt simultaneously soothed, andboth subsided into calm.

  "But poor darling, he's all in perspiration!" said Kitty in a whisper,touching the baby.

  "What makes you think he knows you?" she added, with a sidelong glanceat the baby's eyes, that peered roguishly, as she fancied, from underhis cap, at his rhythmically puffing cheeks, and the little red-palmedhand he was waving.

  "Impossible! If he knew anyone, he would have known me," said Kitty, inresponse to Agafea Mihalovna's statement, and she smiled.

  She smiled because, though she said he could not know her, in her heartshe was sure that he knew not merely Agafea Mihalovna, but that he knewand understood everything, and knew and understood a great deal too thatno one else knew, and that she, his mother, had learned and come tounderstand only through him. To Agafea Mihalovna, to the nurse, to hisgrandfather, to his father even, Mitya was a living being, requiringonly material care, but for his mother he had long been a mortal being,with whom there had been a whole series of spiritual relations already.

  "When he wakes up, please God, you shall see for yourself. Then when Ido like this, he simply beams on me, the darling! Simply beams like asunny day!" said Agafea Mihalovna.

  "Well, well; then we shall see," whispered Kitty. "But now go away, he'sgoing to sleep."