O sancta simplicitas

On the sixth day the halls are full of noblemen come from the Crimea, Petersburg and abroad, grouped by party, breaking off their talk when a stranger nears and whispering in the corridors. The old wear buttoned-up uniforms grown too narrow and short-waisted; the young wear loose long-waisted ones with white waistcoats or the laurel-embroidered collars of the Ministry of Justice — though the division by age does not match the division by party. Levin, in the smoking room, cannot understand why his own side is urging Hlyustov to go and invite Snetkov to stand again when they mean to defeat him. Oblonsky, wiping his mouth with a scented handkerchief, calls him O sancta simplicitas and explains: if all eight districts nominate Snetkov he wins outright, and if two refuse he may withdraw and the old party choose someone else; only Sviyazhsky's district must abstain, so that Snetkov stands, polls well, and misleads the Opposition. Then a shout goes up — Flerov is not admitted — and everyone hurries to the Large Hall.

Tolstoy dresses the two parties before he explains them, and the uniforms do the work: bodies grown out of their old cut, and new cloth wide across the shoulders. Oblonsky's tactic — nominate the man you intend to beat — is the first thing in the elections Levin half understands, and understanding it is no use to him. The Flerov shout arrives as pure noise.