— "she has a gift of second sight, and sees through people, but that is nothing! she knows what is going to happen, especially when there is a question of marriage. Thus, she predicted that Brenteln would marry Shakhovskaya; no one would believe it, and yet it came to pass. Well, my wife is on your side."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that she likes you; she says that Kitty will be your wife."
As he heard these words, Levin's face suddenly lighted up with a smile which was near to tears of emotion.
"She said that!" he cried. "I always said that your wife was charming. But enough, enough of this sort of talk," he added, and rose from the table.
"Good! but sit a little while longer."
But Levin could not sit down. He strode two or three times up and down the little square room, winking his eyes to hide the tears, and then he sat down again at the table.
"Understand me," he said; "this is not love. I have been in love, but this is not the same thing. This is more than a sentiment; it is an inward power that controls me. You see, I went away because I had made up my mind that such happiness could not exist, that such good fortune could not be on earth. But after a struggle with myself, I find that I cannot live without this. This question must be decided...."
"But why did you go away?"
"Akh! wait! Akh! so many things to think about! so much to ask! Listen, you cannot imagine what your words have done for me! I am so happy that I have already grown detestable! I am forgetting everything; and yet this very day I heard that my brother Nikolaï — you know — he is here, and I had entirely forgotten him. It seems to me that he, too, ought to be happy. But this is like a fit of madness. But one thing seems terrible to me .... You are married; you ought to know this feeling. It is terrible that we who are already getting old .... with a past behind us....not of love but of wickedness. ...suddenly
