Page 986 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

picture it clearly to herself. There was only anticipation,
the dread and joy of the new and the unknown. And now
behold—anticipation and uncertainty and remorse at the
abandonment of the old life—all was ending, and the new

was beginning. This new life could not but have terrors
for her inexperience; but, terrible or not, the change had
been wrought six weeks before in her soul, and this was
merely the final sanction of what had long been completed
in her heart.
Turning again to the lectern, the priest with some
difficulty took Kitty’s little ring, and asking Levin for his
hand, put it on the first joint of his finger. ‘The servant of
God, Konstantin, plights his troth to the servant of God,
Ekaterina.’ And putting his big ring on Kitty’s touchingly
weak, pink little finger, the priest said the same thing.
And the bridal pair tried several times to understand
what they had to do, and each time made some mistake
and were corrected by the priest in a whisper. At last,
having duly performed the ceremony, having signed the
rings with the cross, the priest handed Kitty the big ring,
and Levin the little one. Again they were puzzled and
passed the rings from hand to hand, still without doing
what was expected.

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