Page 995 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

ceremony went on, and deprived her of all power of
attention.
They prayed: ‘Endow them with continence and
fruitfulness, and vouchsafe that their hearts may rejoice

looking upon their sons and daughters.’ They alluded to
God’s creation of a wife from Adam’s rib ‘and for this
cause a man shall leave father and mother, and cleave unto
his wife, and they two shall be one flesh,’ and that ‘this is a
great mystery"; they prayed that God would make them
fruitful and bless them, like Isaac and Rebecca, Joseph,
Moses and Zipporah, and that they might look upon their
children’s children. ‘That’s all splendid,’ thought Kitty,
catching the words, ‘all that’s just as it should be,’ and a
smile of happiness, unconsciously reflected in everyone
who looked at her, beamed on her radiant face.
‘Put it on quite,’ voices were heard urging when the
priest had put on the wedding crowns and Shtcherbatsky,
his hand shaking in its three-button glove, held the crown
high above her head.
‘Put it on!’ she whispered, smiling.
Levin looked round at her, and was struck by the joyful
radiance on her face, and unconsciously her feeling
infected him. He too, like her felt glad and happy.

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