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"Yes, if the heart does not speak...."

"No, the heart does speak; but just consider: you men have views

about a girl, you come to the house, you make friends, you

criticize, you wait to see if you have found what you love, and

then, when you are sure you love her, you make an offer...."

"Well, that's not quite it."

"Anyway you make an offer, when your love is ripe or when the

balance has completely turned between the two you are choosing

from. But a girl is not asked. She is expected to make her

choice, and yet she cannot choose, she can only answer 'yes' or

'no.'"

"Yes, to choose between me and Vronsky," thought Levin, and the

dead thing that had come to life within him died again, and only

weighed on his heart and set it aching.

"Darya Alexandrovna," he said, "that's how one chooses a new

dress or some purchase or other, not love. The choice has been

made, and so much the better.... And there can be no repeating

it."