‘When electricity was first discovered,’ Levin hurriedly interrupted, ‘only the phenomena were observed, their cause and its effects were unknown. Centuries passed before anyone thought of applying it. But the Spiritualists on the contrary began by the tables writing for them and the spirits coming to them, and they only afterwards began to say that it was an unknown force.’
Vronsky listened attentively to Levin as he always listened, evidently interested in what he was saying.
‘Yes, but the Spiritualists say, “We do not yet know what force it is, but it exists and these are the conditions under which it acts. Let the scientists discover what the force is.” No, I do not see why it should not be a new force, if it …’
‘For this reason,’ Levin again interrupted him, ‘that with electricity, you need only rub a piece of resin against wool, and you will always produce a certain phenomenon, but this other does not always act, so it is not a natural force.’
Probably feeling that the conversation was becoming too serious for a drawing-room, Vronsky did not reply, but in order to change the subject he smiled gaily and turned toward the ladies.
‘Let us try now, Countess,’ he began, but Levin wanted to finish saying what he thought.
‘I think,’ he continued, ‘that this attempt of the Spiritualists to explain their wonders by some kind of new force is most unsuccessful. They speak definitely of a spiritual force, and yet want to subject it to a material test.’
Everybody waited for him to finish and he was conscious of it.
‘I think you would make a splendid medium,’ said the Countess Nordston; ‘there is something ecstatic about you.’
Levin opened his mouth to reply, but blushed and said nothing.
‘Let us try table-turning now, Princess Kitty, please do,’ said Vronsky. ‘May we, Princess?’ he said to her mother and he rose and looked round for a suitable table.
Kitty rose to fetch a table, and as she passed Levin their eyes met. She pitied him with her whole soul, especially because she herself had caused him to suffer.
‘If you can forgive me, please do,’ pleaded her look. ‘I am so happy.’
‘I hate everybody, including you and myself,’ answered his eyes; and he took up his hat. But he was not fated to go yet. Just as the others began settling round the table and Levin was about to go, the old Prince came in, and having greeted the ladies he turned to Levin.
‘Ah!’ said he heartily. ‘Been here long? I did not even know that you had arrived; very glad to see you.’
He embraced Levin, and speaking to him did not catch sight of Vronsky who rose and stood quietly waiting until the Prince should notice him.
Kitty was conscious that, after what had taken place, her father’s cordiality oppressed Levin. She also noticed how coldly her father at last responded to Vronsky’s bow, and with what good-natured perplexity Vronsky looked at him, trying, but failing, to understand how it was possible not to be friendly disposed toward him, and she blushed.
‘Prince, release Mr. Levin for us as we want to try an experiment,’ said the Countess Nordston.
‘What experiment? Table-turning? Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, but in my opinion playing at hunt the ring is more amusing,’ said the old Prince, looking at Vronsky and guessing that he had started the thing. ‘After all there is some sense in “Hunting the ring.” ’
Vronsky’s unflinching eye glanced in astonishment at the old Prince, and slightly smiling he at once began talking to the Countess Nordston about the ball that was to take place the next week.
‘I hope you will be there,’ he said to Kitty.
As soon as the old Prince had turned away from him Levin went out unobserved, and his last impression was Kitty’s happy smiling face as she answered Vronsky’s question about the ball.
Chapter 15
AFTER the guests had gone Kitty told her mother of her conversation with Levin, and in spite of all her pity for him she was pleased by the thought that she had had a proposal. She did not doubt that she had acted rightly, yet for a long time she lay in bed unable to sleep. One image pursued her relentlessly. It was Levin’s face with his kind eyes looking mournfully from under his knit brows as he stood listening to her father and glancing at her and at Vronsky, and she felt so sorry for him that tears rose to her eyes. But she immediately remembered for whom she had exchanged him. She vividly pictured to herself that strong manly face, that well-bred calm and the kindness toward everybody he always showed: she remembered the love the man she loved bore her, and again became joyful and with a happy smile put her head on her pillow. ‘It is a pity, a pity, but I am not to blame,’ she said to herself, but an inner voice said something different. Whether she repented of having drawn Levin on or of having rejected him she did not know, but her happiness was troubled by doubts.
‘Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy,’ she repeated to herself till she fell asleep.
Meanwhile below in the Prince’s little study her parents were having one of their frequent scenes about their favourite daughter.
‘What? I’ll tell you what!’ shouted the Prince, flourishing his arms and immediately again wrapping his squirrel-lined dressing-gown around him. ‘You have no pride, no dignity, you disgrace and ruin your daughter by this vile idiotic matchmaking.’
‘For goodness’ sake, Prince, what in heaven’s own name have I done?’ said the Princess almost in tears.
After her talk with her daughter she had come in, happy and contented, to say good-night to the Prince as usual, and though she did not intend to speak to him about Levin’s proposal and Kitty’s refusal she hinted to him that she thought the matter with Vronsky was quite settled and would probably be definitely decided as soon as his mother arrived. And when she said that, the Prince suddenly flared up and began to shout rudely: ‘What have you done? Why this: first of all you entice a suitor. All Moscow will talk about it and with reason. If you give a party invite everybody and not only selected suitors. Invite all the young puppies,’ so the Prince called the Moscow young men, ‘have a pianist and let them dance; but don’t have the sort of thing we had tonight — these suitors and this pairing off. It makes me sick to see it, simply sick, and you have had your way and have turned the child’s head. Levin is a thousand times the better man. This one is a little Petersburg fop. They are machine-made by the dozen, all to one pattern, and all mere rubbish. But even if he were a Prince of the blood my daughter does not need him.’
‘But what have I done?’
‘Just this …’ exclaimed the Prince angrily.
‘I know this much,’ the Princess interrupted him, ‘that if I were to listen to what you say we should never see our daughter married, and we had better go and live in the country.’
‘So we had!’
‘Wait a bit! Do I draw them on? No, certainly not, but a young man and an excellent young man falls in love with Kitty, and she too seems …’
‘Seems indeed! And suppose she really falls in love with him while he intends to marry about as much as I do… . Oh, I wish my eyes had never seen it … “Ah spiritualism! Ah how nice! Ah the ball!” ’ And the Prince imagining himself to be impersonating his wife curtsied at each word. ‘And then if we really ruin Kitty’s happiness, if she really gets it into her head …’
‘But why do you suppose such a thing?’
‘I don’t suppose, I know! We have eyes for those things, and women haven’t. I can recognize a man who has serious