alexey alexandrovitch came back from the meeting of the ministers at four o'clock, but as often happened, he had not time no come in to her. he went into his study to see the people waiting for him with petitions, and to sign some papers brought him by his chief secretary. at dinner time (there were always a few people dining with the karenins) there arrived an old lady, a cousin of alexey alexandrovitch, the chief secretary of the department and his wife, and a young man who had been recommended to alexey alexandrovitch for the service. anna went into the drawing room to receive these guests. precisely at five o'clock, before the bronze peter the first clock had struck the fifth stroke, alexey alexandrovitch came in, wearing a white tie and evening coat with two stars, as he had to go out directly after dinner. every minute of alexey alexandrovitch's life was portioned out and occupied. and to make time to get through all that lay before him every day, he adhered to the strictest punctuality. "unhasting and unresting," was his motto. he came into the dining hall, greeted everyone, and hurriedly sat down, smiling to his wife.
"yes, my solitude is over. you wouldn't believe how uncomfortable" (he laid stress on the word uncomfortable) "it is to dine alone."
at dinner he talked a little to his wife about moscow matters, and, with a sarcastic smile, asked her after stepan arkadyevitch; but the conversation was for the most part general, dealing with petersburg official and public news. after dinner he spent half an hour with his guests, and again, with a smile, pressed his wife's hand, withdrew, and drove off to the council. anna did not go out that evening either to the princess betsy tverskaya, who, hearing of her return, had invited her, nor to the theater, where she had a box for that evening. she did not go out principally because the dress she had reckoned upon was not ready. altogether, anna, on turning, after the departure of her guests, to the consideration of her attire, was very much annoyed. she was generally a mistress of the art of dressing well without great expense, and before leaving moscow she had given her dressmaker three dresses to transform. the dresses had to be altered so that they could not be recognized, and they ought to have been ready three days before. it appeared that two dresses had not been done at all, while the other one had not been altered as anna had intended. the dressmaker came to explain, declaring that it would be better as she had done it, and anna was so furious that she felt ashamed when she thought of it afterwards. to regain her serenity completely she went into the nursery, and spent the whole evening with her son, put him to bed herself, signed him with the cross, and tucked him up. she was glad she had not gone out anywhere, and had spent the evening so well. she felt so light-hearted and serene, she saw so clearly that all that had seemed to her so important on her railway journey was only one of the common trivial incidents of fashionable life, and that she had no reason to feel ashamed before anyone else or before herself. anna sat down at the hearth with an english novel and waited for her husband. exactly at half-past nine she heard his ring, and he came into the room.
"here you are at last!" she observed, holding out her hand to him.
he kissed her hand and sat down beside her.
"altogether then, i see your visit was a success," he said to her.
"oh, yes," she said, and she began telling him about everything from the beginning: her journey with countess vronskaya, her arrival, the accident at the station. then she described the pity she had felt, first for her brother, and afterwards for dolly.
"i imagine one cannot exonerate such a man from blame, though he is your brother," said alexey alexandrovitch severely.
anna smiled. she knew that he said that simply to show that family considerations could not prevent him from expressing his genuine opinion. she knew that characteristic in her husband, and liked it.
"i am glad it has all ended so satisfactorily, and that you are back again," he went on. "come, what do they say about the new act i have got passed in the council?"
anna had heard nothing of this act, and she felt conscience-stricken at having been able so readily to forget what was to him of such importance.
"here, on the other hand, it has made a great sensation," he said, with a complacent smile.
she saw that alexey alexandrovitch wanted to tell her something pleasant to him about it, and she brought him by questions to telling it. with the same complacent smile he told her of the ovations he had received in consequence of the act the had passed.
"i was very, very glad. it shows that at last a reasonable and steady view of the matter is becoming prevalent among us."
having drunk his second cup of tea with cream, and bread, alexey alexandrovitch got up, and was going towards his study.
"and you've not been anywhere this evening? you've been dull, i expect?" he said.
"oh, no!" she answered, getting up after him and accompanying him across the room to his study. "what are you reading now?" she asked.
"just now i'm reading duc de likke, poesie des enfers," he answered. "a very remarkable book."
anna smiled, as people smile at the weaknesses of those they love, and, putting her hand under his, she escorted him to the door of the study. she knew his habit, that had grown into a necessity, of reading in the evening. she knew, too, that in spite of his official duties, which swallowed up almost the whole of his time, he considered it his duty to keep up with everything of note that appeared in the intellectual world. she knew, too, that he was really interested in books dealing with politics, philosophy, and theology, that art was utterly foreign to his nature; but, in spite of this, or rather, in consequence of it, alexey alexandrovitch never passed over anything in the world of art, but made it his duty to read everything. she knew that in politics, in philosophy, in theology, alexey alexandrovitch often had doubts, and made investigations; but on questions of art and poetry, and, above all, of music, of which he was totally devoid of understanding, he had the most distinct and decided opinions. he was fond of talking about shakespeare, raphael, beethoven, of the significance of new schools of poetry and music, all of which were classified by him with very conspicuous consistency.
"well, god be with you," she said at the door of the study, where a shaded candle and a decanter of water were already put by his armchair. "and i'll write to moscow."
he pressed her hand, and again kissed it.
"all the same he's a good man; truthful, good-hearted, and remarkable in his own line," anna said to herself going back to her room, as though she were defending him to someone who had attacked him and said that one could not love him. "but why is it his ears stick out so strangely? or has he had his hair cut?"
precisely at twelve o'clock, when anna was still sitting at her writing table, finishing a letter to dolly, she heard the sound of measured steps in slippers, and alexey alexandrovitch, freshly washed and combed, with a book under his arm, came in to her.
"it's time, it's time," said he, with a meaning smile, and he went into their bedroom.
"and what right had he to look at him like that?" thought anna, recalling vronsky's glance at alexey alexandrovitch.
undressing, she went into the bedroom; but her face had none of the eagerness which, during her stay in moscow, had fairly flashed from her eyes and her smile; on the contrary, now the fire seemed quenched in her, hidden somewhere far away.
