Anna sat in the dimly lit train compartment with her maid Annouchka, feeling relieved that her visit was over and looking forward to returning home to her son Serge and her husband Alexis Alexandrovitch the next day. To occupy her restless energy, she busied herself arranging her travel items, pulling out a pillow and wrapping her feet in a warm blanket. Several other women shared the compartment, including a sick lady and a talkative older woman complaining about the heating, but Anna found their conversation uninteresting. Instead, she retrieved her small travel lantern, hung it on her chair, and took out an English novel and a paper knife to pass the time while the snow beat against the windows outside.
At first, reading was difficult because of the constant motion and noise of the train, but eventually she settled into the book and understood the story. However, focusing on the lives of fictional characters soon became intolerable as she felt a strong desire to live her own life and experience adventures like the heroine. She imagined walking softly in a sickroom, delivering a speech in Parliament, or riding a horse with daring boldness. As she sat quietly twisting her paper knife, she thought about the happy memories of her time in Moscow and her interactions with Wronsky, yet an inexplicable feeling of shame began to grow within her. She wondered why she should feel ashamed or afraid of these memories, questioning whether there could be anything between herself and the officer beyond ordinary acquaintanceship.
Her nerves grew increasingly tense as she struggled to read or make sense of her surroundings, feeling as though sounds and images were taking on an exaggerated importance in the semi-darkness. She questioned whether the train was moving forward or backward, whether Annouchka was truly beside her, and whether objects hanging on hooks were coats or animals. Fighting off a growing sense of panic and disorientation, she stood up, removed her heavy wrap and fur collar, and felt momentarily better when a peasant conductor entered to check the thermometer. The rush of wind and snow accompanied his entrance, blurring her senses as she heard strange noises and saw flashes of red light. When the train finally stopped at a station and the conductor announced the name, Anna decided to step outside for fresh air, fighting her way through the howling winter wind and snow on the platform to breathe deeply and regain her composure.