Anna Karenina Part 7, Chapter 24 Summary
by Leo Tolstoy

Anna Karenina greets Vronsky. He is glad she is in a good mood because he is feeling particularly good tonight as well. He sees the boxes and is glad she wants to go back to the country. His condescending tone is infuriating to her, and Anna Karenina feels the “lust of strife” rising up in her again; however, she conquers it. She explains that she can wait for the divorce in the country as easily as in the city, and she is no longer going to let the divorce influence her life. Vronsky is uneasy at her excited face but agrees. He tells her about the dinner and the woman from Sweden who came to give then a swimming demonstration; immediately Anna Karenina is jealous again. She shakes her head as though trying to get rid of an unpleasant idea and says she wants to leave for the country the day after tomorrow.

Vronsky agrees until he remembers that he has an appointment with his mother that day; he cannot gather the deeds or the money by tomorrow so he must keep the appointment. Suddenly Anna Karenina is adamant that they will leave Monday or never. Vronsky is amazed at the transformation. To him this is nonsense, but she claims that is because he does not care anything for her or want to understand her life. The one thing here that she cares for is the girl, and he claimed it is unnatural for her to love the English girl more than her own daughter.

For a moment she sees clearly exactly what she is doing and is horrified at how she has fallen from her resolution. Even though she knows this will lead to her own ruin, she cannot keep herself from doing it. Vronsky repeats what he did say, but Anna Karenina accuses him of lying and says if he does not love her anymore it would be better and more honest of him to say so directly.

Vronsky exclaims that this is becoming unbearable; he asks why she persists in trying his patience, for it does have limits. The undisguised hatred on his face, and...