“Yes, if you don’t love me.”

“You’re out of your mind!” she cried, turning crimson with vexation.  But his face was so piteous, that she restrained her vexation, and flinging some clothes off an arm-chair, she sat down beside him.  “What are you thinking? tell me all.”

“I am thinking you can’t love me.  What can you love me for?”

“My God! what can I do?...” she said, and burst into tears.

“Oh! what have I done?” he cried, and kneeling before her, he fell to kissing her hands.

When the princess came into the room five minutes later, she found them completely reconciled.  Kitty had not simply assured him that she loved him, but had gone so far—­in answer to his question, what she loved him for—­as to explain what for.  She told him that she loved him because she understood him completely, because she knew what he would like, and because everything he liked was good.  And this seemed to him perfectly clear.  When the princess came to them, they were sitting side by side on the chest, sorting the dresses and disputing over Kitty’s wanting to give Dunyasha the brown dress she had been wearing when Levin proposed to her, while he insisted that that dress must never be given away, but Dunyasha must have the blue one.

“How is it you don’t see?  She’s a brunette, and it won’t suit her....  I’ve worked it all out.”

Hearing why he had come, the princess was half humorously, half seriously angry with him, and sent him home to dress and not to hinder Kitty’s hair-dressing, as Charles the hair-dresser was just coming.

“As it is, she’s been eating nothing lately and is losing her looks, and then you must come and upset her with your nonsense,” she said to him.  “Get along with you, my dear!”

Levin, guilty and shamefaced, but pacified, went back to his hotel.  His brother, Darya Alexandrovna, and Stepan Arkadyevitch, all in full dress, were waiting for him to bless him with the holy picture.  There was no time to lose.  Darya Alexandrovna had to drive home again to fetch her curled and pomaded son, who was to carry the holy pictures after the bride.  Then a carriage had to be sent for the best man, and another that would take Sergey Ivanovitch away would have to be sent back....  Altogether there were a great many most complicated matters to be considered and arranged.  One thing was unmistakable, that there must be no delay, as it was already half-past six.

Nothing special happened at the ceremony of benediction with the holy picture.  Stepan Arkadyevitch stood in a comically solemn pose beside his wife, took the holy picture, and telling Levin to bow down to the ground, he blessed him with his kindly, ironical smile, and kissed him three times; Darya Alexandrovna did the same, and immediately was in a hurry to get off, and again plunged into the intricate question of the destinations of the various carriages.

“Come, I’ll tell you how we’ll manage:  you drive in our carriage to fetch him, and Sergey Ivanovitch, if he’ll be so good, will drive there and then send his carriage.”