ard the name of Madame Karenina, and
noticed how the colonel hastened to address Vronsky loudly by
name, with a meaning glance at his companions.

"Ah, Vronsky! When are you coming to the regiment? We can't let
you off without a supper. You're one of the old set," said the
colonel of his regiment.

"I can't stop, awfully sorry, another time," said Vronsky, and
he ran upstairs towards his brother's box.

The old countess, Vronsky's mother, with her steel-gray curls,
was in his brother's box. Varya with the young Princess Sorokina
met him in the corridor.

Leaving the Princess Sorokina with her mother, Varya held out her
hand to her brother-in-law, and began immediately to speak of
what interested him. She was more excited than he had ever seen
her.

"I think it's mean and hateful, and Madame Kartasova had no
right to do it. Madame Karenina..." she began.

"But what is it? I don't know."

"What? you've not heard?"

"You know I should be the last person to hear of it."

"There isn't a more spiteful creature than that Madame
Kartasova!"

"But what did she do?"

"My husband told me.... She has insulted Madame Karenina. Her
husband began talking to her across the box, and Madame Kartasova
made a scene. She said something aloud, he says, something
insulting, and went away."

"Count, your maman is asking for you," said the young Princess
Sorokina, peeping out of the door of the box.

"I've been expecting you all the while," said his mother, smiling
sarcastically. "You were nowhere to be seen."

Her son saw that she could not suppress a smile of delight.

"Good evening, maman. I have come to you," he said coldly.

"Why aren't you going to _faire la cour a Madame Karenina_?" she
went on, when Princess Sorokina had moved away. "_Elle fait
sensation. On oublie la Patti pour elle_."

"Maman, I have asked you not to say anything to me of that," he
answered, scowling.

"I'm only saying what everyone's saying."

Vronsky made no reply, and saying a few words to Princess
Sorokina, he went away. At the door he met his brother.

"Ah, Alexey!" said his brother. "How disgusting! Idiot of a
woman, nothing else.... I wanted to go straight to her. Let's
go together."

Vronsky did not hear him. With rapid steps he went downstairs;
he felt that he must do something, but he did not know what.
Anger with her for having put herself and him in such a false
position, together with pity for her sufferi