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 and made no reply, but his face kept growing darker and darker.

"She is so sensitive, poor little thing, so sensitive! and you don't understand how she suffers at the slightest allusion to the cause of her suffering. Akh! how mistaken we are in people!" said the princess.

And by the change in the inflection of her voice, Dolly and the prince perceived that she had reference to Vronsky.

"I don't understand why there are not any laws to punish such vile, such ignoble men."

"Akh! do hear her," said the prince with a frown, getting up from his chair and evidently anxious to make his escape, but halting on the threshold:—

"There are laws, matushka; and if you force me to this, I will tell you who is to blame in all this trouble. You, you alone! There are laws against such young fops, and there always will be; and if things had not been as they ought never to have been, old man that I am, I should have put that dandy on the fence. Yes, and now to cure her, you bring in these quacks."

The prince would have had still more to say, but as soon as the princess heard his tone she immediately became humble and repentant, as always happened when important questions came up.

"Alexandre! Alexandre!" she murmured, going up to him, and weeping.

The prince held his peace when he saw her tears. He went to meet her:—

"Well, let it go, let it go. I know that it is hard for you also. What is to be done? There is no great harm. God is merciful. .... Thank you!" said he, not knowing what he said, and replying to the princess's damp kiss which he felt on his hand. Then the prince left the room.

As soon as Kitty, weeping, had left the room, Dolly, with her maternal domestic instinct, perceived that this was an affair which required a woman's management, and she was preparing to follow her. She took her hat and morally tucking up her sleeves, prepared to act.