of his mind his rejection, and the miserable position in which he must have been placed in the eyes of others.
Time and labor, however, brought their balm; the painful impressions little by little began to fade in presence of the events of the country life, important in reality, in spite of their apparent insignificance. Each week his thoughts turned to Kitty with less frequency. He even began to await with impatience the news that she was married, or was going to be married, hoping that this event would bring healing in the same way as the pulling of a tooth may.
Meantime spring came, beautiful, friendly, without treachery or false promises,—a spring such as fills plants and animals, no less than men, with joy. This splendid season gave Levin new zeal, and confirmed his resolution to tear himself from the past so as to reorganize his solitary life on conditions of permanence and independence. Although many of the plans that he had formed on his return to the country had not been put into effect, yet the most essential one—that his life should be kept pure—had been realized. He experienced none of that sense of shame which ordinarily tormented him after a fall; and he could look fearlessly into men's eyes.
In February he had received a letter from Marya Nikolayevna, who informed him that his brother's health was failing, and that he would not use any remedies. In consequence of this letter he had immediately gone to Moscow, where he persuaded Nikolaï to consult a physician, and then to go abroad for the baths. He succeeded so well in persuading his brother and in lending him money for the journey, without exasperating him, that he felt quite satisfied with himself.
Besides his farm-labors, which especially occupied his attention that spring, and his ordinary reading, Levin was deeply engaged in writing a work on rural economy, which he had begun during the winter. His theory was that in farming the laborer's temperament is a factor as important as climate or the soil, and that consequently ail the deductions of agronomic science are drawn, not
