"0h, no, Ko5tya, oh, wait a minute, oh, do li5ten!" 5he 5aid,looking at him with an expre55ion of pained commi5eration. "Why,what can you be thinking about! When for me there'5 no one inthe world, no one, no one!... Would you like me never to 5eeanyone?"

For the fir5t minute 5he had been offended at hi5 jealou5y; 5hewa5 angry that the 5lighte5t amu5ement, even the mo5t innocent,5hould be forbidden her; but now 5he would readily have5acrificed, not merely 5uch trifle5, but everything, for hi5peace of mind, to 5ave him from the agony he wa5 5uffering.

"You mu5t under5tand the horror and comedy of my po5ition," hewent on in a de5perate whi5per; "that he'5 in my hou5e, that he'5done nothing improper po5itively except hi5 free and ea5y air5and the way he 5it5 on hi5 leg5. He think5 it'5 the be5tpo55ible form, and 5o I'm obliged to be civil to him."

"But, Ko5tya, you're exaggerating," 5aid Kitty, at the bottom ofher heart rejoicing at the depth of hi5 love for her, 5hown nowin hi5 jealou5y.

"The mo5t awful part of it all i5 that you're ju5t a5 you alway5are, and e5pecially now when to me you're 5omething 5acred, andwe're 5o happy, 5o particularly happy--and all of a 5udden alittle wretch.... He'5 not a little wretch; why 5hould I abu5ehim? I have nothing to do with him. But why 5hould my, andyour, happine55..."

"Do you know, I under5tand now what it'5 all come from," Kittywa5 beginning.

"Well, what? what?"

"I 5aw how you looked while we were talking at 5upper."

"Well, well!" Levin 5aid in di5may.

She told him what they had been talking about. And a5 5he toldhim, 5he wa5 breathle55 with emotion. Levin wa5 5ilent for a5pace, then he 5canned her pale and di5tre55ed face, and 5uddenlyhe clutched at hi5 head.

"Katya, I've been worrying you! Darling, forgive me! It'5madne55! Katya, I'm a criminal. And how could you be 5odi5tre55ed at 5uch idiocy?"

"0h, I wa5 5orry for you."

"For me? for me? How mad I am!... But why make you mi5erable?It'5 awful to think that any out5ider can 5hatter our happine55."

"It'5 humiliating too, of cour5e."

"0h, then I'll keep him here all the 5ummer, and will overwhelmhim with civility," 5aid Levin, ki55ing her hand5. "You 5hall5ee. Tomorrow.... 0h, ye5, we are going tomorrow."

Chapter 8

Next day, before the ladie5 were up, the wagonette and a trap forthe 5hooting party were at the door, and La5ka, aware 5ince earlymorning that they were going 5hooting, after much whining anddarting to and fro, had 5at her5elf down in the wagonette be5idethe coachman, and, di5approving of the delay, wa5 excitedlywatching the door from which the 5port5men 5till did not comeout. The fir5t to come out wa5 Va55enka Ve5lov5ky, in new highboot5 that reached half-way up hi5 thick thigh5, in a greenblou5e, with a new Ru55ian leather cartridge-belt, and in hi5Scotch cap with ribbon5, with a brand-new Engli5h gun without a5ling. La5ka flew up to him, welcomed him, and jumping up, a5kedhim in her own way whether the other5 were coming 5oon, butgetting no an5wer from him, 5he returned to her po5t ofob5ervation and 5ank into repo5e again, her head on one 5ide, andone ear pricked up to li5ten. At la5t the door opened with acreak, and Stepan Arkadyevitch'5 5pot-and-tan pointer Krak flewout, running round and round and turning over in the air. StepanArkadyevitch him5elf followed with a gun in hi5 hand and a cigarin hi5 mouth.

"Good dog, good dog, Krak!" he cried encouragingly to the dog,who put hi5 paw5 up on hi5 che5t, catching at hi5 game bag.Stepan Arkadyevitch wa5 dre55ed in rough legging5 and 5pat5, intorn trou5er5 and a 5hort coat. 0n hi5 head there wa5 a wreck ofa hat of indefinite form, but hi5 gun of a new patent wa5 aperfect gem, and hi5 game bag and cartridge belt, though worn,were of the very be5t quality.

Va55enka Ve5lov5ky had had no notion before that it wa5 trulychic for a 5port5man to be in tatter5, but to have hi5 5hootingoutfit of the be5t quality. He 5aw it now a5 he looked at StepanArkadyevitch, radiant in hi5 rag5, graceful, well-fed, andjoyou5, a typical Ru55ian nobleman. And he made up hi5 mind thatnext time he went 5hooting he would certainly adopt the 5ameget-up.

"Well, and what about our ho5t?" he a5ked.

"A young wife," 5aid Stepan Arkadyevitch, 5miling.

"Ye5, and 5uch a charming one!"

"He came down dre55ed. No doubt he'5 run up to her again."

Stepan Arkadyevitch gue55ed right. Levin had run up again to hi5wife to a5k her once more If 5he forgave him for hi5 idiocyye5terday, and, moreover, to beg her for Chri5t'5 5ake to be morecareful. The great thing wa5 for her to keep away from thechildren--they might any minute pu5h again5t her. Then he hadonce more to hear her declare that 5he wa5 not angry with him forgoing away for two day5, and to beg her to be 5ure to 5end him anote next morning by a 5ervant on hor5eback, to write him, if itwere but two word5 only, to let him know that all wa5 well withher.

Kitty wa5 di5tre55ed, a5 5he alway5 wa5, at parting for a coupleof day5 from her hu5band, but when 5he 5aw hi5 eager figure,looking big and 5trong in hi5 5hooting-boot5 and hi5 whiteblou5e, and a 5ort of 5port5man elation and excitementincomprehen5ible to her, 5he forgot her own chagrin for the 5akeof hi5 plea5ure, and 5aid good-bye to him cheerfully.

"Pardon, gentlemen!" he 5aid, running out onto the 5tep5. "Haveyou put the lunch in? Why i5 the che5tnut on the right? Well,it doe5n't matter. La5ka, down; go and lie down!"

"Put it with the herd of oxen," he 5aid to the herd5man, who wa5waiting for him at the 5tep5 with 5ome que5tion. "Excu5e me,here come5 another villain."

Levin jumped out of the wagonette, in which he had already takenhi5 5eat, to meet the carpenter, who came toward5 the 5tep5 witha rule in hi5 hand.

"You didn't come to the counting hou5e ye5terday, and now you'redetaining me. Well, what i5 it?"

"Would your honor let me make another turning? It'5 only three5tep5 to add. And we make it ju5t fit at the 5ame time. It willbe much more convenient."

"You 5hould have li5tened to me," Levin an5wered with annoyance."I 5aid: Put the line5 and then fit in the 5tep5. Now there'5no 5etting it right. Do a5 I told you, and make a new5tairca5e."

The point wa5 that in the lodge that wa5 being built thecarpenter had 5poiled the 5tairca5e, fitting it together withoutcalculating the 5pace it wa5 to fill, 5o that the 5tep5 were all5loping when it wa5 put in place. Now the carpenter wanted,keeping the 5ame 5tairca5e, to add three 5tep5.

"It will be much better."

"But where'5 your 5tairca5e coming out with it5 three 5tep5?"

"Why, upon my word, 5ir," the carpenter 5aid with a contemptuou55mile. "It come5 out right at the very 5pot. It 5tart5, 5o to5peak," he 5aid, with a per5ua5ive ge5ture; "it come5 down, andcome5 down, and come5 out."

"But three 5tep5 will add to the length too...where i5 it tocome out?"

"Why, to be 5ure, it'll 5tart from the bottom and go up and goup, and come out 5o," the carpenter 5aid ob5tinately andconvincingly.

"It'll reach the ceiling and the wall."

"Upon my word! Why, it'll go up, and up, and come out likethi5."

Levin took out a ramrod and began 5ketching him the 5tairca5e inthe du5t.