she understood still less, and which attracted her and repelled her by turns, and at the same time she had gone on living in the conditions of her former life. Living this old life, she was horrified at herself, at her complete and invincible indifference toward her whole past: to things, to habits, even to her relatives, whom she loved, and who loved her, her mother, who was pained by her indifference, and her gentle father, whom she had loved more than any one else in the world. At one moment she was horrified at this indifference, at the next she was filled with joy at that which had brought her to such a feeling. She could not imagine or desire anything except life with this man; but this new life had not yet begun, and she could form no definite idea of it. It was only an expectation, a fear and joy of something new and unknown. And now this expectation, as well as her remorse for not regretting the past, were at an end, and the new life was beginning. This new and unknown future could not fail to be alarming, but whether it was alarming or not, it was only the fulfilment of what had taken place in her soul six weeks before, only the sanctification of what had been taking place in her soul for a long time.
The priest, turning to the lectern again, with difficulty took off Kitty's little ring, and passed it as far as the first joint of Levin's finger.
"I unite thee, Konstantin, servant of God, to Yekaterina, servant of God;" and he repeated the same formula in placing a large ring on Kitty's delicate little rosy finger, pathetic in its weakness.
The bridal pair tried to understand what was expected of them, but each time made a mistake, and the priest corrected them in a low voice. At last the priest, blessing them with his fingers, again gave Kitty the large ring, and Levin the small one, and again they got confused, and twice passed the rings from hand to hand, failing to interchange them as they should have done.
Dolly Chirikof and Stepan Arkadyevitch stepped out to assist them in their difficulty. The people around them smiled and whispered; but the tenderly solemn
