Part Two: Chapter 10

by Leo Tolstoy

　　From that time a new life began for Alexey Alexandrovitch and forhis wife. Nothing special happened. Anna went out into society,as she had always done, was particularly often at PrincessBetsy's, and met Vronsky everywhere. Alexey Alexandrovitch sawthis, but could do nothing. All his efforts to draw her intoopen discussion she confronted with a barrier which he could notpenetrate, made up of a sort of amused perplexity. Outwardlyeverything was the same, but their inner relations werecompletely changed. Alexey Alexandrovitch, a man of great powerin the world of politics, felt himself helpless in this. Like anox with head bent, submissively he awaited the blow which he feltwas lifted over him. Every time he began to think about it, hefelt that he must try once more, that by kindness, tenderness,and persuasion there was still hope of saving her, of bringingher back to herself, and every day he made ready to talk to her.But every time he began talking to her, he felt that the spiritof evil and deceit, which had taken possession of her, hadpossession of him too, and he talked to her in a tone quiteunlike that in which he had meant to talk. Involuntarily hetalked to her in his habitual tone of jeering at anyone whoshould say what he was saying. And in that tone it wasimpossible to say what needed to be said to her.