Page 610 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

was aware at the same time of a rush of that emotional
disturbance always produced in him by tears. Conscious of
it, and conscious that any expression of his feelings at that
minute would be out of keeping with the position, he

tried to suppress every manifestation of life in himself, and
so neither stirred nor looked at her. This was what had
caused that strange expression of deathlike rigidity in his
face which had so impressed Anna.
When they reached the house he helped her to get out
of the carriage, and making an effort to master himself,
took leave of her with his usual urbanity, and uttered that
phrase that bound him to nothing; he said that tomorrow
he would let her know his decision.
His wife’s words, confirming his worst suspicions, had
sent a cruel pang to the heart of Alexey Alexandrovitch.
That pang was intensified by the strange feeling of physical
pity for her set up by her tears. But when he was all alone
in the carriage Alexey Alexandrovitch, to his surprise and
delight, felt complete relief both from this pity and from
the doubts and agonies of jealousy.
He experienced the sensations of a man who has had a
tooth out after suffering long from toothache. After a
fearful agony and a sense of something huge, bigger than
the head itself, being torn out of his jaw, the sufferer,

609 of 1759