Maximum-assistance view: every word above everyday vocabulary is explained at every appearance; each name is introduced at its first appearance in the chapter.

Chapter 4

Darya Alexandrovna (Dolly, Oblonsky's wife, by her first name and patronymic), in a dressing (putting on clothes; a wound covering) jacket (a short coat), and with her now scanty (barely enough; thin), once luxuriant (growing thick and rich) and beautiful hair fastened (fixed firmly on) up with hairpins (a bent pin for holding the hair) on the nape (the back of the neck) of her neck, with a sunken (fallen in; sunk), thin (of little thickness) face and large, startled (given a sudden shock) eyes, which looked prominent (standing out) from the thinness (being thin) of her face, was standing among a litter (a carrying bed; scattered rubbish) of all sorts of things scattered (to throw about; break apart) all over the room, before an open bureau (a writing desk; an office), from which she was taking something. Hearing her husband’s steps, she stopped, looking towards the door, and trying assiduously (with steady care) to give her features a severe and contemptuous (full of contempt) expression. She felt she was afraid of him, and afraid of the coming interview. She was just attempting to do what she had attempted to do ten times already in these last three days—to sort out the children’s things and her own, so as to take them to her mother’s—and again she could not bring herself to do this; but now again, as each time before, she kept saying to herself, “that things cannot go on like this, that she must take some step” to punish (to make suffer for a fault) him, put him to shame, avenge (to take revenge for) on him some little part at least of the suffering he had caused her. She still continued to tell herself that she should leave him, but she was conscious (aware) that this was impossible; it was impossible because she could not get out of the habit (a settled way of acting) of regarding him as her husband and loving him. Besides this, she realized that if even here in her own house she could hardly manage to look after her five children properly, they would be still worse off where she was going with them all. As it was, even in the course of these three days, the youngest was unwell (not well) from being given unwholesome (unhealthy) soup (boiled broth food), and the others had almost gone without their dinner the day before. She was conscious (aware) that it was impossible to go away; but, cheating (to deceive for gain) herself, she went on all the same sorting out her things and pretending (to make believe) she was going.

Seeing her husband, she dropped her hands into the drawer (a sliding box in a table) of the bureau (a writing desk; an office) as though looking for something, and only looked round at him when he had come quite up to her. But her face, to which she tried to give a severe and resolute (firmly determined) expression, betrayed (to give up to an enemy; to be false to) bewilderment (utter confusion) and suffering.

“Dolly (the eldest Shtcherbatsky sister, married to Oblonsky)!” he said in a subdued (brought low; quieted) and timid (shy and fearful) voice. He bent (to curve; to bow) his head towards his shoulder and tried to look pitiful (stirring pity) and humble (lowly and modest), but for all that he was radiant (shining with light) with freshness (new brightness) and health. In a rapid (fast) glance (a quick look) she scanned (to look over closely) his figure that beamed (a great timber; a ray of light; to smile brightly) with health and freshness (new brightness). “Yes, he is happy and content!” she thought; “while I.... And that disgusting (sickening) good nature, which everyone likes him for and praises (words of approval)—I hate that good nature of his,” she thought. Her mouth stiffened (grown stiff), the muscles (the body's moving flesh) of the cheek (the side of the face) contracted on the right side of her pale (light in color; whitish), nervous (easily shaken) face.

“What do you want?” she said in a rapid (fast), deep, unnatural (against nature) voice.

“Dolly!” he repeated (to say or do again), with a quiver (to tremble finely) in his voice. “Anna (the woman this story follows, wife of a Petersburg official) is coming today.”

“Well, what is that to me? I can’t see her!” she cried.

“But you must, really, Dolly....”

“Go away, go away, go away!” she shrieked (a piercing scream), not looking at him, as though this shriek (a piercing scream) were called up by physical pain.

Stepan Arkadyevitch (Oblonsky, Anna's brother, by his first name and patronymic) could be calm when he thought of his wife, he could hope that she would come round, as Matvey (Oblonsky's valet) expressed it, and could quietly (without noise) go on reading his paper and drinking his coffee; but when he saw her tortured (torment inflicted), suffering face, heard the tone (a sound's quality; a manner) of her voice, submissive (yielding without protest) to fate (the appointed lot) and full of despair (loss of all hope), there was a catch in his breath and a lump (a shapeless mass) in his throat (the neck's passage), and his eyes began to shine (to give light) with tears (a drop of weeping; to rip).

“My God! what have I done? Dolly! For God’s sake (for the good of)!... You know....” He could not go on; there was a sob (to weep in catching breaths) in his throat (the neck's passage).

She shut the bureau (a writing desk; an office) with a slam (to shut with force), and glanced (a quick look) at him.

“Dolly, what can I say?... One thing: forgive (to stop holding a wrong against someone).... Remember, cannot nine years of my life atone (to make good a wrong) for an instant (a moment; immediate)....”

She dropped her eyes and listened, expecting what he would say, as it were beseeching (to beg earnestly) him in some way or other to make her believe differently (in another way).

“—instant (a moment; immediate) of passion (burning feeling)?” he said, and would have gone on, but at that word, as at a pang (a sharp stab of pain) of physical pain, her lips (the mouth's edge) stiffened (grown stiff) again, and again the muscles (the body's moving flesh) of her right cheek (the side of the face) worked.

“Go away, go out of the room!” she shrieked (a piercing scream) still more shrilly (in a high piercing tone), “and don’t talk to me of your passion (burning feeling) and your loathsomeness (disgusting foulness).”

She tried to go out, but tottered (to walk unsteadily), and clung (held fast) to the back of a chair to support herself. His face relaxed (to loosen; rest), his lips (the mouth's edge) swelled (to grow bigger), his eyes were swimming (to move through water) with tears (a drop of weeping; to rip).

“Dolly!” he said, sobbing (to weep in catching breaths) now; “for mercy (kindness shown to one who might be punished)’s sake (for the good of), think of the children; they are not to blame! I am to blame, and punish (to make suffer for a fault) me, make me expiate (to make amends for) my fault. Anything I can do, I am ready to do anything! I am to blame, no words can express how much I am to blame! But, Dolly, forgive (to stop holding a wrong against someone) me!”

She sat down. He listened to her hard, heavy breathing (drawing air), and he was unutterably (beyond words) sorry for her. She tried several times to begin to speak, but could not. He waited.

“You remember the children, Stiva (a familiar form of Oblonsky's name), to play with them; but I remember them, and know that this means their ruin (destruction; broken remains),” she said—obviously one of the phrases (a group of words) she had more than once repeated (to say or do again) to herself in the course of the last few days.

She had called him “Stiva,” and he glanced (a quick look) at her with gratitude (thankfulness), and moved to take her hand, but she drew back from him with aversion (strong dislike).

“I think of the children, and for that reason I would do anything in the world to save them, but I don’t myself know how to save them. By taking them away from their father, or by leaving them with a vicious (cruelly spiteful) father—yes, a vicious (cruelly spiteful) father.... Tell me, after what ... has happened, can we live together? Is that possible? Tell me, eh, is it possible?” she repeated (to say or do again), raising her voice, “after my husband, the father of my children, enters into a love affair (a matter or piece of business) with his own children’s governess (a woman teacher in a household)?”

“But what could I do? what could I do?” he kept saying in a pitiful (stirring pity) voice, not knowing what he was saying, as his head sank (to go down) lower and lower.

“You are loathsome (disgusting) to me, repulsive (disgusting)!” she shrieked (a piercing scream), getting more and more heated (made hot; angry). “Your tears (a drop of weeping; to rip) mean nothing! You have never loved me; you have neither heart nor honorable (worthy of honor) feeling! You are hateful (deserving hate) to me, disgusting (sickening), a stranger (one unknown)—yes, a complete stranger (one unknown)!” With pain and wrath (fierce anger) she uttered (complete; to speak) the word so terrible to herself—stranger (one unknown).

He looked at her, and the fury (raging anger) expressed in her face alarmed (frightened) and amazed (astonished) him. He did not understand how his pity (sorrow for another's pain) for her exasperated (to anger greatly) her. She saw in him sympathy (fellow-feeling) for her, but not love. “No, she hates me. She will not forgive (to stop holding a wrong against someone) me,” he thought.

“It is awful (awful: full of awe — the old sense here)! awful (awful: full of awe — the old sense here)!” he said.

At that moment in the next room a child began to cry; probably it had fallen down. Darya Alexandrovna listened, and her face suddenly softened (to make soft).

She seemed to be pulling herself together for a few seconds, as though she did not know where she was, and what she was doing, and getting up rapidly (fast), she moved towards the door.

“Well, she loves my child,” he thought, noticing the change of her face at the child’s cry, “my child: how can she hate me?”

“Dolly, one word more,” he said, following her.

“If you come near me, I will call in the servants (one who serves), the children! They may all know you are a scoundrel (a shameless villain)! I am going away at once, and you may live here with your mistress (the lady of the house; a kept woman)!”

And she went out, slamming (to shut with force) the door.

Stepan Arkadyevitch sighed (a long sad breath), wiped (to rub clean) his face, and with a subdued (brought low; quieted) tread (to step; a step's sound) walked out of the room. “Matvey says she will come round; but how? I don’t see the least chance of it. Ah, oh, how horrible (causing horror) it is! And how vulgarly (in a common and cheap way) she shouted (a loud cry),” he said to himself, remembering her shriek (a piercing scream) and the words—“scoundrel (a shameless villain)” and “mistress (the lady of the house; a kept woman).” “And very likely the maids (a girl servant) were listening! Horribly (in a horrible way) vulgar (coarse and common)! horrible (causing horror)!” Stepan Arkadyevitch stood a few seconds alone, wiped (to rub clean) his face, squared his chest, and walked out of the room.

It was Friday, and in the dining-room (the dining room) the German watchmaker (a maker of watches) was winding up the clock (the time-keeping machine). Stepan Arkadyevitch remembered his joke about this punctual (on time), bald (without hair) watchmaker (a maker of watches), “that the German was wound up for a whole lifetime (the span of a life) himself, to wind up watches,” and he smiled. Stepan Arkadyevitch was fond (loving) of a joke: “And maybe she will come round! That’s a good expression, ‘come round,’” he thought. “I must repeat (to say or do again) that.”

“Matvey!” he shouted (a loud cry). “Arrange (to set in order) everything with Darya (a Russian woman's name; also Dolly's full name) in the sitting room for Anna Arkadyevna (Anna, by her first name and patronymic),” he said to Matvey when he came in.

“Yes, sir.”

Stepan Arkadyevitch put on his fur (an animal's soft coat) coat (an outer garment) and went out onto the steps.

“You won’t dine (to eat dinner) at home?” said Matvey, seeing him off.

“That’s as it happens. But here’s for the housekeeping (the running of a household),” he said, taking ten roubles (the money of Russia) from his pocketbook (a small carrying book). “That’ll be enough.”

“Enough or not enough, we must make it do,” said Matvey, slamming (to shut with force) the carriage (a wheeled passenger vehicle; bearing) door and stepping back onto the steps.

Darya Alexandrovna meanwhile (in the time between) having pacified (to calm; make peaceful) the child, and knowing from the sound of the carriage (a wheeled passenger vehicle; bearing) that he had gone off, went back again to her bedroom (a sleeping room). It was her solitary (alone) refuge (a place of shelter) from the household (the people living together in one house) cares which crowded upon her directly she went out from it. Even now, in the short time she had been in the nursery (the children's room), the English governess (a woman teacher in a household) and Matrona (a Russian woman's name) Philimonovna (a Russian patronymic, meaning daughter of Filimon) had succeeded (to follow; to prosper) in putting several questions to her, which did not admit of delay (to put off), and which only she could answer: “What were the children to put on for their walk? Should they have any milk? Should not a new cook be sent for?”

“Ah, let me alone, let me alone!” she said, and going back to her bedroom (a sleeping room) she sat down in the same place as she had sat when talking to her husband, clasping (to hold tight in the arms) tightly (with a tight hold) her thin (of little thickness) hands with the rings that slipped (to slide by accident; a small error) down on her bony (full of bones; thin) fingers, and fell to going over in her memory all the conversation. “He has gone! But has he broken it off with her?” she thought. “Can it be he sees her? Why didn (did — didn't: did not)’t I ask him! No, no, reconciliation (return to friendship) is impossible. Even if we remain in the same house, we are strangers (one unknown)—strangers (one unknown) forever!” She repeated (to say or do again) again with special significance (meaning; importance) the word so dreadful (filling with dread) to her. “And how I loved him! my God, how I loved him!... How I loved him! And now don’t I love him? Don’t I love him more than before? The most horrible (causing horror) thing is,” she began, but did not finish her thought, because Matrona Philimonovna put her head in at the door.

“Let us send for my brother,” she said; “he can get a dinner anyway, or we shall have the children getting nothing to eat till six again, like yesterday.”

“Very well, I will come directly and see about it. But did you send for some new milk?”

And Darya Alexandrovna plunged (to dive suddenly) into the duties of the day, and drowned (to die in water; to cover over with sound) her grief (deep sorrow) in them for a time.