Then worse and worse rumors began to reach him; at last, a tragic-comic story was reported with acclamations in all the papers.

His wife played an unenviable part in it.

It was the finishing stroke; Varvara Pavlovna had become a "notoriety." Lavretsky ceased to follow her movements; but he could not quickly gain mastery over himself.

Sometimes he was overcome by such a longing for his wife that he would have given up everything, he thought, even, perhaps...

could have forgiven her, only to hear her caressing voice again, to feel again her hand in his.