come from a good dinner. You understand! Now they are sorry from the bottom of their hearts, and beg you to forgive them their fault.' The titular counselor softened still more: 'I agree with you, count, and I am ready to pardon them; but you perceive that my wife, my wife, a virtuous woman, has been exposed to insult, to persecution, to the impudence of good-for-nothing young scound.... ' And the impudent, good-for-nothing young fellows being present, I had to exert myself to calm them down; again I put my diplomacy to work, and every time I seem on the point of success my titular counselor gets wrathy again, and his face gets red, and his sausages begin to wag up and down, and I find myself drowned in the waves of diplomatic subtleties."
"Akh! we must tell you all about this," said Betsy to a lady who at this moment came into her box. "It has amused me much!"
"Well, good luck go with you," she added, giving Vronsky one of her fingers, as she held her fan; and then, shrugging her shoulders so as to keep the waist of her gown from coming up, so that she might be as naked as possible when she should go to the front of the box, and sit down in the full blaze of gas and in the eyes of all.
Vronsky went to the French Theater, where he really had to meet his regimental commander, who never failed to be present at a single representation. He wished to speak with him in regard to his business as peacemaker which had occupied and amused him for three days. Petritsky, whom he liked, was involved in this affair, and the other one was a charming, a glorious fellow, young Prince Kerdrof, who had lately joined their regiment. But the principal point was that the affair concerned the interests of his regiment.
Both the young men belonged to Vronsky's company. Venden, the titular counselor, had come to the regimental commander with a complaint that the officers had insulted his wife. His young wife—Venden said he had been married only half a year—had been to church with her mother, and, feeling indisposed, owing to her
