Anna Karenina - LimpidSoft

PART EIGHT CHAPTER 7
And a recent instance of his goodness rose vividly to her mind. A fortnight ago
a penitent letter had come from Stepan Arkadyevitch to Dolly. He besought her to
save his honor, to sell her estate to pay his debts. Dolly was in despair, she detested
her husband, despised him, pitied him, resolved on a separation, resolved to refuse,
but ended by agreeing to sell part of her property. After that, with an irrepressible
smile of tenderness, Kitty recalled her husband’s shamefaced embarrassment, his
repeated awkward efforts to approach the subject, and how at last, having thought
of the one means of helping Dolly without wounding her pride, he had suggested to
Kitty–what had not occurred to her before–that she should give up her share of the
property.
“He an unbeliever indeed! With his heart, his dread of offending anyone, even
a child! Everything for others, nothing for himself. Sergey Ivanovitch simply considers
it as Kostya’s duty to be his steward. And it’s the same with his sister. Now
Dolly and her children are under his guardianship; all these peasants who come to
him every day, as though he were bound to be at their service.”
“Yes, only be like your father, only like him,” she said, handing Mitya over to the
nurse, and putting her lips to his cheek.
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