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"Well, au revoir, then! You'll come back for some tea; that's

delightful!" she said, and went out, gay and radiant. But as soon

as she no longer saw him, she was aware of the spot on her hand

that his lips had touched, and she shuddered with repulsion.

Chapter 28

When Alexey Alexandrovitch reached the race-course, Anna was

already sitting in the pavilion beside Betsy, in that pavilion

where all the highest society had gathered. She caught sight of

her husband in the distance. Two men, her husband and her lover,

were the two centers of her existence, and unaided by her

external senses she was aware of their nearness. She was aware of

her husband approaching a long way off, and she could not help

following him in the surging crowd in the midst of which he was

moving. She watched his progress towards the pavilion, saw him

now responding condescendingly to an ingratiating bow, now

exchanging friendly, nonchalant greetings with his equals, now

assiduously trying to catch the eye of some great one of this

world, and taking off his big round hat that squeezed the tips of

his ears. All these ways of his she knew, and all were hateful to

her.