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Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, Part 6. Chapter 19.

Part 6. Chapter 19.

Left alone, Darya Alexandrovna, with a good housewife's eye, scanned her room. All she had seen in entering the house and walking through it, and all she saw now in her room, gave her an impression of wealth and sumptuousness and of that modern European luxury of which she had only read in English novels, but had never seen in Russia and in the country. Everything was new from the new French hangings on the walls to the carpet which covered the whole floor. The bed had a spring mattress, and a special sort of bolster and silk pillowcases on the little pillows. The marble washstand, the dressing table, the little sofa, the tables, the bronze clock on the chimney piece, the window curtains, and the portières were all new and expensive.

The smart maid, who came in to offer her services, with her hair done up high, and a gown more fashionable than Dolly's, was as new and expensive as the whole room. Darya Alexandrovna liked her neatness, her deferential and obliging manners, but she felt ill at ease with her. She felt ashamed of her seeing the patched dressing jacket that had unluckily been packed by mistake for her. She was ashamed of the very patches and darned places of which she had been so proud at home. At home it had been so clear that for six dressing jackets there would be needed twenty-four yards of nainsook at sixteen pence the yard, which was a matter of thirty shillings besides the cutting-out and making, and these thirty shillings had been saved. But before the maid she felt, if not exactly ashamed, at least uncomfortable.

Darya Alexandrovna had a great sense of relief when Annushka, whom she had known for years, walked in. The smart maid was sent for to go to her mistress, and Annushka remained with Darya Alexandrovna.

Annushka was obviously much pleased at that lady's arrival, and began to chatter away without a pause. Dolly observed that she was longing to express her opinion in regard to her mistress's position, especially as to the love and devotion of the count to Anna Arkadyevna, but Dolly carefully interrupted her whenever she began to speak about this. "I grew up with Anna Arkadyevna; my lady's dearer to me than anything. Well, it's not for us to judge. And, to be sure, there seems so much love…" "Kindly pour out the water for me to wash now, please," Darya Alexandrovna cut her short. "Certainly. We've two women kept specially for washing small things, but most of the linen's done by machinery. The count goes into everything himself. Ah, what a husband!…" Dolly was glad when Anna came in, and by her entrance put a stop to Annushka's gossip. Anna had put on a very simple batiste gown. Dolly scrutinized that simple gown attentively. She knew what it meant, and the price at which such simplicity was obtained.

"An old friend," said Anna of Annushka. Anna was not embarrassed now. She was perfectly composed and at ease. Dolly saw that she had now completely recovered from the impression her arrival had made on her, and had assumed that superficial, careless tone which, as it were, closed the door on that compartment in which her deeper feelings and ideas were kept.

"Well, Anna, and how is your little girl?" asked Dolly.

"Annie?" (This was what she called her little daughter Anna.) "Very well. She has got on wonderfully. Would you like to see her? Come, I'll show her to you. We had a terrible bother," she began telling her, "over nurses. We had an Italian wet-nurse. A good creature, but so stupid! We wanted to get rid of her, but the baby is so used to her that we've gone on keeping her still." "But how have you managed?…" Dolly was beginning a question as to what name the little girl would have; but noticing a sudden frown on Anna's face, she changed the drift of her question. "How did you manage? have you weaned her yet?" But Anna had understood.

"You didn't mean to ask that? You meant to ask about her surname. Yes? That worries Alexey. She has no name—that is, she's a Karenina," said Anna, dropping her eyelids till nothing could be seen but the eyelashes meeting. "But we'll talk about all that later," her face suddenly brightening. "Come, I'll show you her. Elle est tres gentille . She crawls now." In the nursery the luxury which had impressed Dolly in the whole house struck her still more. There were little go-carts ordered from England, and appliances for learning to walk, and a sofa after the fashion of a billiard table, purposely constructed for crawling, and swings and baths, all of special pattern, and modern. They were all English, solid, and of good make, and obviously very expensive. The room was large, and very light and lofty.

When they went in, the baby, with nothing on but her little smock, was sitting in a little elbow chair at the table, having her dinner of broth, which she was spilling all over her little chest. The baby was being fed, and the Russian nursery maid was evidently sharing her meal. Neither the wet-nurse nor the head nurse were there; they were in the next room, from which came the sound of their conversation in the queer French which was their only means of communication.

Hearing Anna's voice, a smart, tall, English nurse with a disagreeable face and a dissolute expression walked in at the door, hurriedly shaking her fair curls, and immediately began to defend herself though Anna had not found fault with her. At every word Anna said, the English nurse said hurriedly several times, "Yes, my lady." The rosy baby with her black eyebrows and hair, her sturdy red little body with tight goose-flesh skin, delighted Darya Alexandrovna in spite of the cross expression with which she stared at the stranger. She positively envied the baby's healthy appearance. She was delighted, too, at the baby's crawling. Not one of her own children had crawled like that. 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, disreputable-looking 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 common existence, 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 so superfluous here," said Anna, going out of the nursery and holding up her skirt so as to escape the plaything standing in 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 Seryozha?" 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 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 grace 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 went on. "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 Petersburg there was a moment when a 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 Petersburg," she added. "Here I'm perfectly at ease and happy. Well, of that later on, though. Then Sviazhsky—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 Alexey. You understand, with his property, now that we are settled in the country, Alexey can exercise great influence. Then there's Tushkevitch—you have seen him, you know—Betsy's admirer. Now he's been thrown over and he's come to see us. As Alexey 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 nice boy," she said, and a sly smile curved her lips. "What's this wild story about him and the Levins? Veslovsky told Alexey about it, and we don't believe it. Il est très gentil et naïf ," she said again with the same smile. "Men need occupation, and Alexey needs a circle, so I value all these people. We have to have the house lively and gay, so that Alexey may not long for any novelty. Then you'll see the steward—a German, a very good fellow, and he understands his work. Alexey has a very high opinion of him. Then the doctor, a young man, not quite a Nihilist perhaps, but you know, eats with his knife…but a very good doctor. Then the architect…. Une petite cour! "


Part 6. Chapter 19.

Left alone, Darya Alexandrovna, with a good housewife's eye, scanned her room. Restée seule, Darya Alexandrovna, avec un bon œil de femme au foyer, a scanné sa chambre. All she had seen in entering the house and walking through it, and all she saw now in her room, gave her an impression of wealth and sumptuousness and of that modern European luxury of which she had only read in English novels, but had never seen in Russia and in the country. Everything was new from the new French hangings on the walls to the carpet which covered the whole floor. Tout était neuf, des nouvelles tentures françaises sur les murs au tapis qui couvrait tout le sol. The bed had a spring mattress, and a special sort of bolster and silk pillowcases on the little pillows. Le lit avait un matelas à ressorts et une sorte spéciale de traversin et de taies d'oreiller en soie sur les petits oreillers. The marble washstand, the dressing table, the little sofa, the tables, the bronze clock on the chimney piece, the window curtains, and the portières were all new and expensive. Le lavabo en marbre, la coiffeuse, le petit canapé, les tables, la pendule en bronze sur la cheminée, les rideaux de fenêtre et les portières étaient tous neufs et chers. De marmeren wastafel, de kaptafel, de kleine bank, de tafels, de bronzen klok op de schoorsteen, de gordijnen en de portières waren allemaal nieuw en duur.

The smart maid, who came in to offer her services, with her hair done up high, and a gown more fashionable than Dolly's, was as new and expensive as the whole room. Darya Alexandrovna liked her neatness, her deferential and obliging manners, but she felt ill at ease with her. Darya Alexandrovna aimait sa propreté, ses manières respectueuses et serviables, mais elle se sentait mal à l'aise avec elle. Darjai Aleksandrovnai patiko jos tvarkingumas, pagarbus ir įpareigojantis elgesys, tačiau ji jautėsi blogai su ja. She felt ashamed of her seeing the patched dressing jacket that had unluckily been packed by mistake for her. Elle eut honte de voir la veste de chambre rapiécée qui avait malheureusement été emballée par erreur pour elle. She was ashamed of the very patches and darned places of which she had been so proud at home. Elle avait honte des taches et des endroits maudits dont elle avait été si fière chez elle. At home it had been so clear that for six dressing jackets there would be needed twenty-four yards of nainsook at sixteen pence the yard, which was a matter of thirty shillings besides the cutting-out and making, and these thirty shillings had been saved. À la maison, il avait été si clair que pour six vestes, il faudrait vingt-quatre mètres de coin à seize pence la cour, ce qui était une question de trente shillings en plus de la découpe et de la confection, et ces trente shillings avaient été économisés. . But before the maid she felt, if not exactly ashamed, at least uncomfortable.

Darya Alexandrovna had a great sense of relief when Annushka, whom she had known for years, walked in. The smart maid was sent for to go to her mistress, and Annushka remained with Darya Alexandrovna.

Annushka was obviously much pleased at that lady's arrival, and began to chatter away without a pause. Dolly observed that she was longing to express her opinion in regard to her mistress's position, especially as to the love and devotion of the count to Anna Arkadyevna, but Dolly carefully interrupted her whenever she began to speak about this. "I grew up with Anna Arkadyevna; my lady's dearer to me than anything. Well, it's not for us to judge. And, to be sure, there seems so much love…" "Kindly pour out the water for me to wash now, please," Darya Alexandrovna cut her short. "Certainly. We've two women kept specially for washing small things, but most of the linen's done by machinery. Nous avons deux femmes spécialement réservées au lavage de petites choses, mais la plupart du linge est fait à la machine. Mes dvi moterys laikėme specialiai skalbti smulkiems daiktams, tačiau didžiąją dalį skalbinių skalbia technika. The count goes into everything himself. Le décompte va tout lui-même. Ah, what a husband!…" Dolly was glad when Anna came in, and by her entrance put a stop to Annushka's gossip. Anna had put on a very simple batiste gown. Anna had een heel eenvoudig batistkleed aangetrokken. Dolly scrutinized that simple gown attentively. Dolly įdėmiai patikrino tą paprastą suknelę. She knew what it meant, and the price at which such simplicity was obtained.

"An old friend," said Anna of Annushka. Anna was not embarrassed now. She was perfectly composed and at ease. Dolly saw that she had now completely recovered from the impression her arrival had made on her, and had assumed that superficial, careless tone which, as it were, closed the door on that compartment in which her deeper feelings and ideas were kept. Dolly vit qu'elle était maintenant complètement remise de l'impression que son arrivée lui avait faite et qu'elle avait pris ce ton superficiel et insouciant qui, pour ainsi dire, fermait la porte de ce compartiment dans lequel ses sentiments et ses idées les plus profonds étaient conservés.

"Well, Anna, and how is your little girl?" asked Dolly.

"Annie?" (This was what she called her little daughter Anna.) "Very well. She has got on wonderfully. Would you like to see her? Come, I'll show her to you. We had a terrible bother," she began telling her, "over nurses. Nous avons eu un problème terrible, »elle a commencé à lui dire,« sur les infirmières. Mes siaubingai vargome, - ji pradėjo jai sakyti, - dėl slaugytojų. We had an Italian wet-nurse. Turėjome italų slaugytoją. A good creature, but so stupid! We wanted to get rid of her, but the baby is so used to her that we've gone on keeping her still." "But how have you managed?…" Dolly was beginning a question as to what name the little girl would have; but noticing a sudden frown on Anna's face, she changed the drift of her question. "Mais comment as-tu réussi? ..." Dolly commençait une question sur le nom de la petite fille; mais remarquant un froncement de sourcils soudain sur le visage d'Anna, elle changea la dérive de sa question. "How did you manage? "Comment avez-vous réussi? have you weaned her yet?" l'avez-vous encore sevrée? " But Anna had understood.

"You didn't mean to ask that? «Vous ne vouliez pas demander ça? You meant to ask about her surname. Yes? That worries Alexey. She has no name—that is, she's a Karenina," said Anna, dropping her eyelids till nothing could be seen but the eyelashes meeting. "But we'll talk about all that later," her face suddenly brightening. "Mais nous en reparlerons plus tard," son visage s'éclaircit soudainement. "Come, I'll show you her. Elle est tres gentille . She crawls now." In the nursery the luxury which had impressed Dolly in the whole house struck her still more. Darželyje dar labiau ją nustebino prabanga, sužavėjusi Dolly visuose namuose. There were little go-carts ordered from England, and appliances for learning to walk, and a sofa after the fashion of a billiard table, purposely constructed for crawling, and swings and baths, all of special pattern, and modern. Il y avait de petits go-karts commandés à l'Angleterre, et des appareils pour apprendre à marcher, et un canapé à la manière d'une table de billard, construit à dessein pour ramper, et des balançoires et des bains, tous de motifs spéciaux et modernes. They were all English, solid, and of good make, and obviously very expensive. The room was large, and very light and lofty.

When they went in, the baby, with nothing on but her little smock, was sitting in a little elbow chair at the table, having her dinner of broth, which she was spilling all over her little chest. Quand ils entrèrent, le bébé, sans rien d'autre que sa petite blouse, était assis sur un petit fauteuil à coude à table, en train de dîner avec du bouillon qu'elle renversait sur sa petite poitrine. The baby was being fed, and the Russian nursery maid was evidently sharing her meal. Le bébé était nourri et la nourrice russe partageait manifestement son repas. Kūdikis buvo maitinamas, o Rusijos darželio tarnaitė akivaizdžiai dalijosi savo maistu. Neither the wet-nurse nor the head nurse were there; they were in the next room, from which came the sound of their conversation in the queer French which was their only means of communication. Ni la nourrice ni l'infirmière en chef n'étaient là; ils étaient dans la pièce voisine, d'où sortait le bruit de leur conversation dans le français bizarre qui était leur seul moyen de communication.

Hearing Anna's voice, a smart, tall, English nurse with a disagreeable face and a dissolute expression walked in at the door, hurriedly shaking her fair curls, and immediately began to defend herself though Anna had not found fault with her. Išgirdusi Anos balsą, prie durų įžengė protinga, aukšta, angliška slaugytoja, turinti nepatenkintą veidą ir ištvermingą išraišką, skubiai purtydama šviesias garbanas ir iškart pradėjusi gintis, nors Anna nerado jos kaltės. At every word Anna said, the English nurse said hurriedly several times, "Yes, my lady." The rosy baby with her black eyebrows and hair, her sturdy red little body with tight goose-flesh skin, delighted Darya Alexandrovna in spite of the cross expression with which she stared at the stranger. Le bébé rose avec ses sourcils et ses cheveux noirs, son petit corps rouge robuste à la peau de chair de poule serrée, ravissait Darya Alexandrovna malgré l'expression croisée avec laquelle elle fixait l'étranger. She positively envied the baby's healthy appearance. She was delighted, too, at the baby's crawling. Not one of her own children had crawled like that. When the baby was put on the carpet and its little dress tucked up behind, it was wonderfully charming. Quand le bébé a été mis sur le tapis et sa petite robe repliée derrière, c'était merveilleusement charmant. 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. Regardant autour comme un petit animal sauvage les grandes personnes adultes avec ses yeux noirs brillants, elle a souri, sans aucun doute ravie de leur admiration, et tenant ses jambes sur le côté, elle a appuyé vigoureusement sur ses bras, et a rapidement attiré tout son dos. après, puis a fait un autre pas en avant avec ses petits bras.

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, disreputable-looking woman as nurse to her child. Ce n'est que dans la supposition qu'aucune bonne infirmière ne serait entrée dans une maison aussi irrégulière que celle d'Anna que Darya Alexandrovna pourrait s'expliquer comment Anna, avec sa perspicacité sur les gens, pouvait prendre une femme aussi peu prévenante et peu recommandable comme infirmière pour son enfant. Tik darant prielaidą, kad nė viena gera slaugytoja nebūtų patekusi į tokį netaisyklingą namų ūkį kaip Anos, Darja Aleksandrovna galėtų sau paaiškinti, kaip Anna, turėdama įžvalgą apie žmones, galėtų paimti tokią nepakartojamą, nepriekaištingos išvaizdos moterį kaip slaugytoją savo vaikui. Besides, from a few words that were dropped, Darya Alexandrovna saw at once that Anna, the two nurses, and the child had no common existence, and that the mother's visit was something exceptional. Be to, iš kelių atmestų žodžių Darja Aleksandrovna iškart pamatė, kad Ana, dvi slaugytojos ir vaikas neturi bendro egzistavimo, o motinos vizitas buvo kažkas išskirtinio. Anna wanted to get the baby her plaything, and could not find it. Anna voulait donner au bébé son jouet et ne pouvait pas le trouver.

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 so superfluous here," said Anna, going out of the nursery and holding up her skirt so as to escape the plaything standing in the doorway. "It was very different with my first child." "I expected it to be the other way," said Darya Alexandrovna shyly. "Je m'attendais à ce que ce soit l'inverse", a dit timidement Darya Alexandrovna. "Oh, no! By the way, do you know I saw Seryozha?" 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. Vous ne le croiriez pas, je suis comme une mendiante affamée quand un dîner complet est mis devant elle, et elle ne sait pas par quoi commencer en premier. The 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. Le dîner c'est vous, et les entretiens que j'ai devant moi avec vous, que je ne pourrais jamais avoir avec personne d'autre; et je ne sais pas sur quel sujet commencer en premier. Mais je ne vous ferai grace de rien . I must have everything out with you." Je dois tout avoir avec toi. " "Oh, I ought to give you a sketch of the company you will meet with us," she went on. "Oh, je devrais vous donner un croquis de la société que vous allez nous rencontrer," continua-t-elle. "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. Stiva dit que tout le but de son existence est de prouver sa supériorité sur tante Katerina Pavlovna: tout est vrai; mais c'est une femme de bonne humeur, et je lui en suis très reconnaissante. In Petersburg there was a moment when a chaperon was absolutely essential for me. In Petersburg was er een moment waarop een chaperonne absoluut essentieel voor mij was. 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 Petersburg," she added. "Here I'm perfectly at ease and happy. Well, of that later on, though. Eh bien, de cela plus tard, cependant. Na, bet vėliau. Then Sviazhsky—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 Alexey. Puis Sviazhsky - il est le maréchal du district, et c'est une très bonne sorte d'homme, mais il veut obtenir quelque chose d'Alexey. You understand, with his property, now that we are settled in the country, Alexey can exercise great influence. Jūs suprantate, kad jo nuosavybė dabar, kai mes įsikūrėme šalyje, Aleksejus gali daryti didelę įtaką. Then there's Tushkevitch—you have seen him, you know—Betsy's admirer. Now he's been thrown over and he's come to see us. Maintenant, il a été renversé et il est venu nous voir. As Alexey 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 nice boy," she said, and a sly smile curved her lips. Un très gentil garçon, »dit-elle, et un sourire narquois courbait ses lèvres. "What's this wild story about him and the Levins? «Quelle est cette histoire sauvage sur lui et les Levins? „Kas yra šiokiška istorija apie jį ir Levinus? Veslovsky told Alexey about it, and we don't believe it. Il est très gentil et naïf ," she said again with the same smile. "Men need occupation, and Alexey needs a circle, so I value all these people. We have to have the house lively and gay, so that Alexey may not long for any novelty. Mes turime turėti namą gyvą ir homoseksualų, kad Aleksejus netrokštų jokių naujovių. Then you'll see the steward—a German, a very good fellow, and he understands his work. Alexey has a very high opinion of him. Then the doctor, a young man, not quite a Nihilist perhaps, but you know, eats with his knife…but a very good doctor. Puis le médecin, un jeune homme, pas tout à fait nihiliste peut-être, mais vous savez, mange avec son couteau… mais un très bon médecin. Tada gydytojas, jaunas vyras, galbūt ne visai nihilistas, bet žinote, valgo peiliu ... bet labai geras gydytojas. Then the architect…. Une petite cour! " Une petite cour! "