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Yet, elevated as Madame Stahl's character was, touching as was

her story, and exalted and moving as was her speech, Kitty could

not help detecting in her some traits which perplexed her. She

noticed that when questioning her about her family, Madame Stahl

had smiled contemptuously, which was not in accord with Christian

meekness. She noticed, too, that when she had found a Catholic

priest with her, Madame Stahl had studiously kept her face in the

shadow of the lamp-shade and had smiled in a peculiar way.

Trivial as these two observations were, they perplexed her, and

she had her doubts as to Madame Stahl. But on the other hand

Varenka, alone in the world, without friends or relations, with a

melancholy disappointment in the past, desiring nothing,

regretting nothing, was just that perfection of which Kitty dared

hardly dream. In Varenka she realized that one has but to forget

oneself and love others, and one will be calm, happy, and noble.

And that was what Kitty longed to be.