Levin meets his rival...
As if having a marriage proposal rejected isn't bad enough, Levin must now stay at the party with Kitty. They are soon joined by Vronksy, and a horrible lady named Countess Nordstrom, who is something of a nemesis to Levin. She delights in mocking Levin into argument. Levin is all top happy to oblige. They have reached a point, the narrator tells us, where "they cannot treat each other seriously, or even be offended with one another."
After sniping with the Countess for a bit, Levin has an opportunity to leave, but stays to get a good look at Vronksy, who treats Levin with courtesy and respect. Levin isn't having any of it, and when the topic of table-turning comes up, he makes the point of denouncing all those around him as idiots: "My opinion is that this table-turning proves that our so-called educated class is on the same level as the peasants."
He's wallowing in self-hatred, Levin is. Interestingly, the Prince still appears to be on Levin's side. He gives the cold shoulder to a confused Vronsky.
NOTES:
--I'm calling it: Levin and the Countess Nordstrom will be married by the end of this book. They seem made for each other.
--Table-turning is sort of an old-timey Ouija board.
--I do hope Nordstrom sticks around. She's a good character for Tolstoy to flex his dry comic writing.
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