“It’s I,” said a firm, pleasant, woman’s voice, and the stern, pockmarked face of Matrona Philimonovna, the nurse, was thrust in at the doorway.

“Well, what is it, Matrona?” queried Stepan Arkadyevitch, going up to her at the door.

Although Stepan Arkadyevitch was completely in the wrong as regards his wife, and was conscious of this himself, almost every one in the house (even the nurse, Darya Alexandrovna’s chief ally) was on his side.

“Well, what now?” he asked disconsolately.

“Go to her, sir; own your fault again.  Maybe God will aid you.  She is suffering so, it’s sad to hee her; and besides, everything in the house is topsy-turvy.  You must have pity, sir, on the children.  Beg her forgiveness, sir.  There’s no help for it!  One must take the consequences...”

“But she won’t see me.”

“You do your part.  God is merciful; pray to God, sir, pray to God.”

“Come, that’ll do, you can go,” said Stepan Arkadyevitch, blushing suddenly.  “Well now, do dress me.”  He turned to Matvey and threw off his dressing-gown decisively.

Matvey was already holding up the shirt like a horse’s collar, and, blowing off some invisible speck, he slipped it with obvious pleasure over the well-groomed body of his master.

Chapter 3

When he was dressed, Stepan Arkadyevitch sprinkled some scent on himself, pulled down his shirt-cuffs, distributed into his pockets his cigarettes, pocketbook, matches, and watch with its double chain and seals, and shaking out his handkerchief, feeling himself clean, fragrant, healthy, and physically at ease, in spite of his unhappiness, he walked with a slight swing on each leg into the dining-room, where coffee was already waiting for him, and beside the coffee, letters and papers from the office.

He read the letters.  One was very unpleasant, from a merchant who was buying a forest on his wife’s property.  To sell this forest was absolutely essential; but at present, until he was reconciled with his wife, the subject could not be discussed.  The most unpleasant thing of all was that his pecuniary interests should in this way enter into the question of his reconciliation with his wife.  And the idea that he might be led on by his interests, that he might seek a reconciliation with his wife on account of the sale of the forest—­that idea hurt him.

When he had finished his letters, Stepan Arkadyevitch moved the office-papers close to him, rapidly looked through two pieces of business, made a few notes with a big pencil, and pushing away the papers, turned to his coffee.  As he sipped his coffee, he opened a still damp morning paper, and began reading it.

Stepan Arkadyevitch took in and read a liberal paper, not an extreme one, but one advocating the views held by the majority.  And in spite of the fact that science, art, and politics had no special interest for him, he firmly held those views on all these subjects which were held by the majority and by his paper, and he only changed them when the majority changed them—­or, more strictly speaking, he did not change them, but they imperceptibly changed of themselves within him.