"Of course," she interrupted Dolly, who would have answered, "of
course I won't try to keep him by force. I don't keep him
indeed. The races are just coming, his horses are running, he
will go. I'm very glad. But think of me, fancy my position....
But what's the use of talking about it?" She smiled. "Well,
what did he talk about with you?"
"He spoke of what I want to speak about of myself, and it's easy
for me to be his advocate; of whether there is not a possibility
...whether you could not..." (Darya Alexandrovna hesitated)
"correct, improve your position.... You know how I look at
it.... But all the same, if possible, you should get
married...."
"Divorce, you mean?" said Anna. "Do you know, the only woman who
came to see me in Petersburg was Betsy Tverskaya? You know her,
of course? _Au fond, c'est la femme la plus depraveé qui existe._
She had an intrigue with Tushkevitch, deceiving her husband in
the basest way. And she told me that she did not care to know me
so long as my position was irregular. Don't imagine I would
compare...I know you, darling. But I could not help
remembering.... Well, so what did he say to you?" she repeated.
"He said that he was unhappy on your account and his own.
Perhaps you will say that it's egoism, but what a legitimate and
noble egoism. He wants first of all to legitimize his daughter,
and to be your husband, to have a legal right to you."
"What wife, what slave can be so utterly a slave as I, in my
position?" she put in gloomily.
"The chief thing he desires...he desires that you should not
suffer."
"That's impossible. Well?"
"Well, and the most legitimate desire--he wishes that your
children should have a name."
"What children?" Anna said, not looking at Dolly, and half
closing her eyes.
"Annie and those to come..."
"He need not trouble on that score; I shall have no more
children."
"How can you tell that you won't?"
"I shall not, because I don't wish it." And, in spite of all her
emotion, Anna smiled, as she caught the naïve expression of
curiosity, wonder, and horror on Dolly's face.
"The doctor told me after my illness..."
"Impossible!" said Dolly, opening her eyes wide.
For her this was one of those discoveries the consequences and
deductions from which are so immense that all that one feels for
the first instant is that it is impossible to take it all in, and
that one will have to reflect a great, great deal upon it.