Book 2 Chapter 17 Countess Katerina Ivanovnas Dinner Party

Countess Katerina Ivanovna's dinner hour was half-past seven, and
the dinner was served in a new manner that Nekhludoff had not yet
seen anywhere. After they had placed the dishes on the table the
waiters left the room and the diners helped themselves. The men
would not let the ladies take the trouble of moving, and, as
befitted the stronger sex, they manfully took on themselves the
burden of putting the food on the ladies' plates and of filling
their glasses. When one course was finished, the Countess pressed
the button of an electric bell fitted to the table and the
waiters stepped in noiselessly and quickly carried away the
dishes, changed the plates, and brought in the next course. The
dinner was very refined, the wines very costly. A French chef was
working in the large, light kitchens, with two white-clad
assistants. There were six persons at dinner, the Count and
Countess, their son (a surly officer in the Guards who sat with
his elbows on the table), Nekhludoff, a French lady reader, and
the Count's chief steward, who had come up from the country.
Here, too, the conversation was about the duel, and opinions were
given as to how the Emperor regarded the case. It was known that
the Emperor was very much grieved for the mother's sake, and all
were grieved for her, and as it was also known that the Emperor
did not mean to be very severe to the murderer, who defended the
honour of his uniform, all were also lenient to the officer who
had defended the honour of his uniform. Only the Countess
Katerina Ivanovna, with her free thoughtlessness, expressed her
disapproval.