Page 443 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

but all the same though he never admitted it to himself,
and had no proofs, not even suspicious evidence, in the
bottom of his heart he knew beyond all doubt that he was
a deceived husband, and he was profoundly miserable

about it.
How often during those eight years of happy life with
his wife Alexey Alexandrovitch had looked at other men’s
faithless wives and other deceived husbands and asked
himself: ‘How can people descend to that? how is it they
don’t put an end to such a hideous position?’ But now,
when the misfortune had come upon himself, he was so
far from thinking of putting an end to the position that he
would not recognize it at all, would not recognize it just
because it was too awful, too unnatural.
Since his return from abroad Alexey Alexandrovitch
had twice been at their country villa. Once he dined
there, another time he spent the evening there with a
party of friends, but he had not once stayed the night
there, as it had been his habit to do in previous years.
The day of the races had been a very busy day for
Alexey Alexandrovitch; but when mentally sketching out
the day in the morning, he made up his mind to go to
their country house to see his wife immediately after
dinner, and from there to the races, which all the Court

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