p 　　On holiday in Yalta, Muscovite banker Dimitri Gurov contrives to meet a young woman who walks her dog She 三九 s Anna Sergeyovna, trapped in a loveless marriage to a lackey He 三九 s unhappy in an arranged marriage With neither spouse at hand, Dimitri and Anna begin an affair After a short time, she returns to Saratov, he to Moscow, believing it 三九 s good-by forever All winter he is miserable, enervated, distracted by tristesse In desperation, he contrives to go to Saratov, surprising her at a concert Fearing discovery in her home town, she promises to come to Moscow Will they cast aside reputation to live together, or will theirs be an affair of infrequent encounters in hotel rooms nbsp Written by jhailey hotmail com p