'Ah! I believe we have met before,' said Karenin extending his hand with indifference. 'You travelled there with the mother and came back with the son,' he said, uttering every word distinctly as though it were something valuable he was giving away. 'I suppose you are returning from furlough?' he remarked; and without waiting for an answer said to his wife in his playful manner: 'Well, were many tears shed in Moscow over the parting?'
— Ah, ci conosciamo, mi pare — disse con indifferenza Aleksej Aleksandrovic, dandogli la mano. — All’andata hai viaggiato con la madre, al ritorno col figlio — disse, pronunciando con precisione, come se elargisse un rublo ad ogni parola. — Probabilmente, tornate da una licenza? — disse e, senza aspettar risposta, si voltò alla moglie in tono scherzoso. — Dunque, molte lacrime sono state versate a Mosca al momento della separazione?