ffensive to a husband?"

"You mean, how shall I say.... Stay, stay in the corner!" she
said to Masha, who, detecting a faint smile in her mother's face,
had been turning round. "The opinion of the world would be that
he is behaving as young men do behave. _Il fait la cour a une
jeune et jolie femme_, and a husband who's a man of the world
should only be flattered by it."

"Yes, yes," said Levin gloomily; "but you noticed it?"

"Not only I, but Stiva noticed it. Just after breakfast he said
to me in so many words, _Je crois que Veslovsky fait un petit brin
de cour a Kitty_."

"Well, that's all right then; now I'm satisfied. I'll send him
away," said Levin.

"What do you mean! Are you crazy?" Dolly cried in horror;
"nonsense, Kostya, only think!" she said, laughing. "You can go
now to Fanny," she said to Masha. "No, if you wish it, I'll
speak to Stiva. He'll take him away. He can say you're
expecting visitors. Altogether he doesn't fit into the house."

"No, no, I'll do it myself."

"But you'll quarrel with him?"

"Not a bit. I shall so enjoy it," Levin said, his eyes flashing
with real enjoyment. "Come, forgive her, Dolly, she won't do it
again," he said of the little sinner, who had not gone to Fanny,
but was standing irresolutely before her mother, waiting and
looking up from under her brows to catch her mother's eye.

The mother glanced at her. The child broke into sobs, hid her
face on her mother's lap, and Dolly laid her thin, tender hand on
her head.

"And what is there in common between us and him?" thought Levin,
and he went off to look for Veslovsky.

As he passed through the passage he gave orders for the carriage
to be got ready to drive to the station.

"The spring was broken yesterday," said the footman.

"Well, the covered trap, then, and make haste. Where's the
visitor?"

"The gentleman's gone to his room."

Levin came upon Veslovsky at the moment when the latter, having
unpacked his things from his trunk, and laid out some new songs,
was putting on his gaiters to go out riding.

Whether there was something exceptional in Levin's face, or that
Vassenka was himself conscious that _ce petit brin de cour_ he was
making was out of place in this family, but he was somewhat (as
much as a young man in society can be) disconcerted at Levin's
entrance.

"You ride in gaiters?"

"Yes, it's much cleaner," said Vassenka, putting his fat leg on a
chair, fastening the bottom hook