صفحة 190 من 2288

"Very well," she said all at once. "But I will tell you it from

the beginning. You know how I was married. With the education

mamma gave us I was more than innocent, I was stupid. I knew

nothing. I know they say men tell their wives of their former

lives, but Stiva"-she corrected herself-"Stepan Arkadyevitch told

me nothing. You'll hardly believe it, but till now I imagined

that I was the only woman he had known. So I lived eight years.

You must understand that I was so far from suspecting infidelity,

I regarded it as impossible, and then-try to imagine it-with such

ideas, to find out suddenly all the horror, all the

loathsomeness.... You must try and understand me. To be fully

convinced of one's happiness, and all at once...." continued

Dolly, holding back her sobs, "to get a letter ... his letter to

his mistress, my governess. No, it's too awful!" She hastily

pulled out her handkerchief and hid her face in it.