"The only question is on what terms you agree to give her a

divorce. She does not want anything, does not dare ask you for

anything, she leaves it all to your generosity."

"My God, my God! what for?" thought Alexey Alexandrovitch,

remembering the details of divorce proceedings in which the

husband took the blame on himself, and with just the same gesture

with which Vronsky had done the same, he hid his face for shame

in his hands.

"You are distressed, I understand that. But if you think it

over..."

"Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the

other also; and if any man take away thy coat, let him have thy

cloak also," thought Alexey Alexandrovitch.

"Yes, yes!" he cried in a shrill voice. "I will take the

disgrace on myself, I will give up even my son, but...but

wouldn't it be better to let it alone? Still you may do as you

like..."

And turning away so that his brother-in-law could not see him, he

sat down on a chair at the window. There was bitterness, there

was shame in his heart, but with bitterness and shame he felt joy

and emotion at the height of his own meekness.

Stepan Arkadyevitch was touched. He was silent for a space.

"Alexey Alexandrovitch, believe me, she appreciates your

generosity," he said. "But it seems it was the will of God," he

added, and as he said it felt how foolish a remark it was, and

with difficulty repressed a smile at his own foolishness.

Alexey Alexandrovitch would have made some reply, but tears

stopped him.

"This is an unhappy fatality, and one must accept it as such. I

accept the calamity as an accomplished fact, and am doing my best

to help both her and you," said Stepan Arkadyevitch.

When he went out of his brother-in-law's room he was touched, but

that did not prevent him from being glad he had successfully

brought the matter to a conclusion, for he felt certain Alexey

Alexandrovitch would not go back on his words. To this

satisfaction was added the fact that an idea had just struck him

for a riddle turning on his successful achievement, that when the

affair was over he would ask his wife and most intimate friends.

He put this riddle into two or three different ways. "But I'll

work it out better than that," he said to himself with a smile.




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