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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 be-
cause 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.”
Chapter 14.
As he neared Petersburg, Alexey Alexandrovitch not only adhered
entirely to his decision, but was even composing in his head the letter
he would write to his wife. Going into the porter’s room, Alexey
Alexandrovitch glanced at the letters and papers brought from his
office, and directed that they should be brought to him in his study.
“The horses can be taken out and I will see no one,” he said in
answer to the porter, with a certain pleasure, indicative of his agreeable
frame of mind, emphasizing the words, “see no one.”
In his study Alexey Alexandrovitch walked up and down twice,
and stopped at an immense writing-table, on which six candles had
already been lighted by the valet who had preceded him. He cracked
his knuckles and sat down, sorting out his writing appurtenances. Put-
ting his elbows on the table, he bent his head on one side, thought a
minute, and began to write, without pausing for a second. He wrote
without using any form of address to her, and wrote in French, making
use of the plural “vous,” which has not the same note of coldness as the
corresponding Russian form.
“At our last conversation, I notified you of my intention to commu-
nicate to you my decision in regard to the subject of that conversation.
Having carefully considered everything, I am writing now with the
object of fulfilling that promise. My decision is as follows. Whatever