Dolly keeps her promise to pay Anna a visit. Driving along, she ponders on the problems of married life. She sighs, considering her whole existence is spent either being pregnant or nursing babies, caring always for children and sometimes losing one despite the cares and worries. She wonders why is everyone so against Anna? Anna has someone who loves her, whereas she (Dolly) has a husband who loves others. Thinking of her life if it included a love affair, all sorts of passionate, impossible romances appear to her fancy. "Anna did quite right." Dolly concludes, "at least she is happy and is making another person happy. I certainly have no reproaches for her."
As her carriage approaches the manor house on Vronsky's estate, Dolly meets Anna on horseback with Veslovsky, Sviazhsky, the Princess Varvara (Anna's aunt), and Vronsky. Anna's face lights up as she recognizes Dolly, and Vronsky warmly greets her. Dolly finds everything about Anna brightened by her love; she is now more beautiful than ever.
Admiring the estate, Dolly is impressed by many new buildings. Those are the servants' cottages, Anna explains. She points out the stud farm, the stables, the new park, and "Alexey's newest passion," a brand new, partly constructed hospital Vronsky built for his peasants. Anna brings Dolly into the well appointed nursery, furnished with modern and expensive English goods. Impressed by the healthy dark-haired little Ani, Dolly remarks how well she crawls, how pretty she looks.
We always have visitors, Anna says. Men need recreation and Alexey needs an audience. "I must make it lively here or Alexey will look for something fresh.That is why I like all this company," explains Anna, partly to apologize for her free-loading aunt, Princess Varvara Oblonsky. When Dolly calls on the old lady, the Princess says she is here to stand by her niece now that everyone else has thrown Anna over. "They live like the best of married couples," says the aunt, "it is for God to judge them, not for us."
