How often during those eight years of happy clarisonic store life with his wife had Alexei Alexandrovich looked at other men's faithless wives and other deceived husbands and asked himself: `How can people descend to that? How is it they don't put an end to such a hideous situation?' But now, when the misfortune had come upon himself, he was so far from thinking of putting an end to the situation that he would not recognize it at all - would not recognize it just because it was too awful, too unnatural.
Since his return from abroad Alexei Alexandrovich had been twice at their country villa. Once he dined there, another time he spent the evening there with a party of friends, but he had not once stayed the night there, as it had been his habit to do in previous years.
The day of the races had been a very busy day for Alexei Alexandrovich; but when sketching out the day in the morning he made up his mind to go immediately after his early dinner, to their summer villa to see his wife and from there to the races, which all the Court were to witness, and at which he was bound to be present. He was going to see his wife, because he had determined to see her once a week to keep up appearances. And besides, on that day, as it was the fifteenth, he had to give his wife some money for her expenses, according to their usual arrangement.
With his habitual control over his thoughts, though he thought all this about his wife, he did not let his thoughts stray further in regard to her.