`Well， what a shame not to have let us know！ Been here long？ I was at Dussot's yesterday and saw ``Karenin' on the visitors' list， but it never entered my head that it was you，' said Stepan Arkadyevich， sticking his head in at the window of the carriage， `or I should have looked you up. I am glad to see you！' he said， knocking one foot against the other to shake the snow off. `What a shame you did not let us know！' he repeated.
`I had no time； I am very busy，' Alexei Alexandrovich responded dryly.
`Come to my wife - she does so want to see you.'
Alexei Alexandrovich unfolded the rug in which his frozen feet were wrapped， and getting out of his carriage made his way over the snow to Darya Alexandrovna.
`Why， Alexei Alexandrovich， what are you cutting us like this for？' said Dolly smiling.
`I was very busy. Delighted to see you！' he said in a tone clearly indicating that he was annoyed by it. `How are you？'
`Tell me， how is my darling Anna？'
Alexei Alexandrovich mumbled something and would have gone on.
But Stepan Arkadyevich stopped him.
`I tell you what we'll do tomorrow. Dolly， ask him to dinner.
We'll ask Koznishev and Pestsov， so as to entertain him with our Moscow intellectuals.'
`Yes， please， do come，' said Dolly； `we will expect you at five - or six o'clock， if you like. How is my darling Anna？ How long...'
`She is quite well，' Alexei Alexandrovich mumbled， frowning. `Delighted！'
and he moved away toward his carriage.
`You will come？' Dolly called after him.
Alexei Alexandrovich said something which Dolly could not catch in the noise of the moving carriages.
`I shall come round tomorrow！' Stepan Arkadyevich shouted to him.
Alexei Alexandrovich got into his carriage， and buried himself in it so as neither to see nor to be seen.
`Queer fish！' said Stepan Arkadyevich to his wife， and， glancing at his watch， he made a motion of his hand before his face， indicating a caress to his wife and children， and walked jauntily along the pavement.
`Stiva！ Stiva！' Dolly called， reddening.
He turned round.
`I must get coats， you know， for Grisha and Tania. Give me the money.'
`Never mind； you tell them I'll pay the bill！' and he vanished， nodding genially to an acquaintance who drove by.
[Next Chapter] [Table of Contents]TOLSTOY： Anna Karenina Part 4， Chapter 07[Previous Chapter] [Table of Contents] Chapter 7 The next day was Sunday. Stepan Arkadyevich went to the Grand Theater to a rehearsal of the ballet， and gave Masha Chibisova， a pretty dancing girl who had been engaged through his protection， the coral necklace he had promised her the evening before， and， behind the scenes， in the dim daylight of the theater， managed to kiss her pretty little face， radiant over the present. Besides the gift of the necklace he wanted to arrange a meeting with her after the ballet. After explaining that he could not come at the beginning of the ballet， he promised he would come for the last act and take her to supper. From the theater Stepan Arkadyevich drove to Okhotny Riad， selected himself the fish and asparagus for dinner， and by twelve o'clock was at Dussot's， where he had to see three people， luckily all staying at the same hotel： Levin， who had recently come back from abroad and was staying there； the new head of his board who had just been promoted to that position， and had come on a tour of revision to Moscow； and his brother-in-law， Karenin， whom he must see， so as to be sure of bringing him to dinner.
Stepan Arkadyevich liked dining， but still better he liked to give a dinner， small， but very choice， both as regards the food and drink and as regards the selection of guests. He particularly liked the program of that day's dinner. There would be fresh perch， asparagus， and la pièce de résistance - first-rate， but quite plain， roast beef， and wines to suit： so much for the eating and drinking. Kitty and Levin would be of the party， and， so that this might not be obtrusively evident， there would be a girl cousin too， and young Shcherbatsky， and - la piece de resistance among the guests - Sergei Koznishev and Alexei Alexandrovich. Sergei Ivanovich was a Moscow man， and a philosopher； Alexei Alexandrovich a Peterburg man， and a practical politician. He was asking， too， the well-known eccentric enthusiast， Pestsov， a liberal， a great talker， a musician， a historian， and the most delightfully youthful person of fifty， who would be a sauce or garnish for Koznishev and Karenin. He would provoke them and set them off against one another.
The second installment for the forest had been received from the merchant and was not yet exhausted； Dolly had been very amiable and good-humored of late， and the idea of the dinner pleased Stepan Arkadyevich from every point of view. He was in the most lighthearted mood. There were two circumstances a little unpleasant， but these two circumstances were drowned in the sea of good-humored gaiety which flooded the soul of Stepan Arkadyevich. These two circumstances were： first， that on meeting Alexei Alexandrovich the day before in the street Stiva had noticed that the latter was cold and reserved with him， and putting together the expression of Alexei Alexandrovich's face， and the fact that he had not come to see them， or let them know of his arrival， with the rumors he had heard about Anna and Vronsky， Stepan Arkadyevich guessed that something was wrong between the husband and wife.
