This stiffness hurt Kitty, and she could not resist the desire to smooth over her mother's coldness.

She turned her head, and with a smile said: "Good-bye till this evening.

" At that moment Stepan Arkadyevitch, his hat cocked on one side, with beaming face and eyes, strode into the garden like a conquering hero.

But as he approached his mother-in-law, he responded in a mournful and crestfallen tone to her inquiries about Dolly's health.