Page 619 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

but falsity; though in passing through these difficult
moments he had not once thought of seeking guidance in
religion, yet now, when his conclusion corresponded, as it
seemed to him, with the requirements of religion, this

religious sanction to his decision gave him complete
satisfaction, and to some extent restored his peace of mind.
He was pleased to think that, even in such an important
crisis in life, no one would be able to say that he had not
acted in accordance with the principles of that religion
whose banner he had always held aloft amid the general
coolness and indifference. As he pondered over subsequent
developments, Alexey Alexandrovitch did not see, indeed,
why his relations with his wife should not remain
practically the same as before. No doubt, she could never
regain his esteem, but there was not, and there could not
be, any sort of reason that his existence should be
troubled, and that he should suffer because she was a bad
and faithless wife. ‘Yes, time will pass; time, which
arranges all things, and the old relations will be
reestablished,’ Alexey Alexandrovitch told himself; ‘so far
reestablished, that is, that I shall not be sensible of a break
in the continuity of my life. She is bound to be unhappy,
but I am not to blame, and so I cannot be unhappy.’

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