In Tolstoy's Words: Constantine Levin ... 'That is he,' said the doorkeeper, pointing to a strongly built, broad-shouldered man with a curly beard, who, without taking off his sheepskin cap, was running lightly and rapidly up the worn steps of the stone staircase.... Levin was about the same age as Oblonsky and their intimacy did not entirely rest on the drinking of champagne. Levin had been Oblonsky's comrade and boyhood friend. They were fond of each other, in spite of the differences in their characters and tastes, as friends who have come together in early youth frequently are.... Anna Karenina, Part I, Chapter 5