“Monsieur Landau!” the countess addressed him with a softness and caution that impressed Oblonsky.  And she introduced them.

Landau looked round hurriedly, came up, and smiling, laid his moist, lifeless hand in Stepan Arkadyevitch’s outstretched hand and immediately walked away and fell to gazing at the portraits again.  The countess and Alexey Alexandrovitch looked at each other significantly.

“I am very glad to see you, particularly today,” said Countess Lidia Ivanovna, pointing Stepan Arkadyevitch to a seat beside Karenin.

“I introduced you to him as Landau,” she said in a soft voice, glancing at the Frenchman and again immediately after at Alexey Alexandrovitch, “but he is really Count Bezzubov, as you’re probably aware.  Only he does not like the title.”

“Yes, I heard so,” answered Stepan Arkadyevitch; “they say he completely cured Countess Bezzubova.”

“She was here today, poor thing!” the countess said, turning to Alexey Alexandrovitch.  “This separation is awful for her.  It’s such a blow to her!”

“And he positively is going?” queried Alexey Alexandrovitch.

“Yes, he’s going to Paris.  He heard a voice yesterday,” said Countess Lidia Ivanovna, looking at Stepan Arkadyevitch.

“Ah, a voice!” repeated Oblonsky, feeling that he must be as circumspect as he possibly could in this society, where something peculiar was going on, or was to go on, to which he had not the key.

A moment’s silence followed, after which Countess Lidia Ivanovna, as though approaching the main topic of conversation, said with a fine smile to Oblonsky: 

“I’ve known you for a long while, and am very glad to make a closer acquaintance with you. Les amis de nos amis sont nos amis. But to be a true friend, one must enter into the spiritual state of one’s friend, and I fear that you are not doing so in the case of Alexey Alexandrovitch.  You understand what I mean?” she said, lifting her fine pensive eyes.

“In part, countess, I understand the position of Alexey Alexandrovitch...” said Oblonsky.  Having no clear idea what they were talking about, he wanted to confine himself to generalities.

“The change is not in his external position,” Countess Lidia Ivanovna said sternly, following with eyes of love the figure of Alexey Alexandrovitch as he got up and crossed over to Landau; “his heart is changed, a new heart has been vouchsafed him, and I fear you don’t fully apprehend the change that has taken place in him.”

“Oh, well, in general outlines I can conceive the change.  We have always been friendly, and now...” said Stepan Arkadyevitch, responding with a sympathetic glance to the expression of the countess, and mentally balancing the question with which of the two ministers she was most intimate, so as to know about which to ask her to speak for him.

“The change that has taken place in him cannot lessen his love for his neighbors; on the contrary, that change can only intensify love in his heart.  But I am afraid you do not understand me.  Won’t you have some tea?” she said, with her eyes indicating the footman, who was handing round tea on a tray.