Pagina 7 van 2288

There happened to him at that instant what does happen to people

when they are unexpectedly caught in something very disgraceful.

He did not succeed in adapting his face to the position in which

he was placed towards his wife by the discovery of his fault.

Instead of being hurt, denying, defending himself, begging

forgiveness, instead of remaining indifferent even-anything would

have been better than what he did do-his face utterly

involuntarily (reflex spinal action, reflected Stepan

Arkadyevitch, who was fond of physiology)-utterly involuntarily

assumed its habitual, good-humored, and therefore idiotic smile.

This idiotic smile he could not forgive himself. Catching sight

of that smile, Dolly shuddered as though at physical pain, broke

out with her characteristic heat into a flood of cruel words, and

rushed out of the room. Since then she had refused to see her

husband.

"It's that idiotic smile that's to blame for it all," thought

Stepan Arkadyevitch.