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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 because 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.