Intheearlydays，afterhisreturnfromMoscow，wheneverLevinshudderedandgrewred，rememberingthedisgraceofhisrejection，hewouldsaytohimself:`ThiswasjusthowIusedtoshudderandblush，thinkingeverythingutterlylost，whenIwasflunkedinphysicsanddidnotgetpromoted；andthisisalsohowIthoughtmyselfutterlyruinedafterIhadmismanagedthataffairofmysister’swithwhichIhadbeenentrusted。Andyet，nowthattheyearshavepassed，Irecallitandwonderthatitcoulddistressmesomuch。Itwillbethesamethingwiththistroubleaswell。Timewillgoby，andIshallnotmindthiseither。’
Butthreemonthshadpassedandhehadnotleftoffmindingaboutit；anditwasaspainfulforhimtothinkofitnowasithadbeenduringthosefirstdays。Hecouldnotbeatpeacebecause，afterdreamingsolongoffamilylife，andfeelinghimselfsoripeforit，hewasstillnotmarried，andwasfartherthaneverfrommarriage。Hewaspainfullyconscioushimself，aswereallabouthim，thatathisyearsitisnotgoodthatmanshouldbealone。HerememberedhowbeforestartingforMoscowhehadoncesaidtohiscowherdNicolai，asimpleheartedpeasant，towhomhelikedtotalk:`Well，Nicolai！Imeantogetmarried，’andhowNicolaihadpromptlyanswered，asofamatteronwhichtherecouldbenopossibledoubt:`Andhightimetoo，KonstantinDmitrich。’Butmarriagehadnowbecomefartheroffthanever。Theplacewastaken，andwheneverhetriedtoimagineanyofthegirlsheknewinthatplace，hefeltthatitwasutterlyimpossible。Moreover，therecollectionoftherejectionandtheparthehadplayedintheaffairtorturedhimwithshame。Howeveroftenhetoldhimselfthathewasinnowisetoblameinit，thatrecollection，likeothersimilarlyhumiliatingrecollections，madehimwinceandblush。Therehadbeeninhispast，asineveryman’s，actions，recognizedbyhimasbad，forwhichhisconscienceoughttohavetormentedhim；buttherecollectionoftheseevilactionswasfarfromcausinghimasmuchsufferingasthesetrivialbuthumiliatingrecollections。Thesewoundsneverhealed。Andwiththeserecollectionswasnowrangedhisrejectionandthesorryplightinwhichhemusthaveappearedtoothersthatevening。Yettimeandlaborweredoingtheirwork。Bitterrecollectionsweremoreandmorebeingcoveredupbytheincidents-inconspicuousones，butimportant-ofhiscountrylife。EveryweekhethoughtlessoftenofKitty。Hewasimpatientlylookingforwardtothenewsthatshewasmarried，orjustgoingtobemarried，hopingthatsuchnewswould，likehavingatoothout，completelycurehim。
Meanwhilespringcameon，beautifulandkindly，withoutthedelaysandtreacheriesincidenttospring-oneofthoserarespringsinwhichplants，beastsandmanrejoicealike。ThislovelyspringrousedLevinstillmore，andstrengthenedhiminhisresolutionofrenouncingallhispastandbuildinguphislonelylifefirmlyandindependently。Thoughmanyoftheplanswithwhichhehadreturnedtothecountryhadnotbeencarriedout，hismostimportantresolution-thatofpurityoflife-hadneverthelessbeenkeptbyhim。Hewasfreefromthatshamewhichhadusuallyharassedhimafterafall；andhecouldlookeveryonestraightintheface。InFebruaryhehadreceivedaletterfromMaryaNikolaevnatellinghimthathisbrotherNikolai’shealthwasgettingworse，butthathewouldnottakeadvice，andinconsequenceofthisletterLevinwenttoMoscowtohisbrother’s，andsucceededinpersuadinghimtoseeadoctorandtogotoawateringplaceabroad。Hesucceededsowellinpersuadinghisbrother，andinlendinghimmoneyforthejourneywithoutirritatinghim，thathewassatisfiedwithhimselfonthatscore。Inadditiontohisfarming，whichcalledforspecialattentioninspring，inadditiontoreadingLevinhadbegunthatwinteraworkonagriculture，theplanofwhichturnedontakingintoaccountthecharacterofthelaboreronthelandasoneoftheunalterabledataofthequestion，liketheclimateandthesoil，andconsequentlydeducingalltheprinciplesofscientificculture，notsimplyfromthedataofsoilandclimate，butfromthedataofsoil，climateandacertainunalterablecharacterofthelaborer。Thus，inspiteofhissolitude，orinconsequenceofhissolitude，lifewasexceedinglyfull，savethat，onrareoccasions，hesufferedfromanunsatisfieddesiretocommunicatehisstrayideastosomeonebesidesAgathyaMikhailovna。Withherindeedhenotinfrequentlyfellintodiscussionsuponphysics，thetheoryofagriculture，and，especially，philosophy:philosophywasAgathyaMikhailovna’sfavoritesubject。
Springwasslowinunfolding。ForthelastfewweeksofLentithadbeensteadilyfineandfrostyweather。Inthedaytimetherewasathawinthesun，butatnighttherewereasmanyassevendegreesoffrost。Thesnowwassopackedandfrozenthatloadscouldbecarriedalonganywhere，regardlessofroads。Eastercameinsnow。Thenallofasudden，onEasterMonday，awarmwindsprangup，stormcloudsswoopeddown，andforthreedaysandthreenightsthewarm，tempestuousrainfellintorrents。OnThursdaythewinddropped，andathickgrayfogbroodedovertheland，asthoughscreeningthemysteriesofthetransformationsthatwerebeingwroughtinnature。Behindthefogtherewastheflowingofwater，thecrackingandfloatingofice，theswiftrushofturbid，foamingtorrents；andonthefollowingMonday，intheevening，thefogparted，thestormcloudssplitupintolittlecurlingcrestsofcloud，theskycleared，andtherealspringhadcome。Inthemorningthesunarosebrilliantandquicklyworeawaythethinlayeroficethatcoveredthewater，andallthewarmairwasquiveringwiththesteamthatroseupfromthequickenedearth。Theoldgrasslookedgreener，andtheyounggrassthrustupitstinyblades；thebudsoftheguelder-roseandofthecurrant，andthestickybirchbudswereswollenwithsap，andanexploringbeewashummingaboutthegoldenblossomsthatstuddedthewillow。Larkstrilledunseenabovethevelvetygreenfieldsandtheice-coveredstubbleland；pewitswailedoverthelowlandsandmarshes，floodedbythepools；cranesandwildgeeseflewhighacrosstheskyutteringtheirspringcalls。Thecattle，baldinpatcheswherethenewhairhadnotgrownyet，lowedinthepastures；bowleggedlambsfriskedroundtheirbleatingdams，whoweresheddingtheirfleece；nimble-footedchildrenranalongthedryingpaths，coveredwiththeprintsofbarefeet；therewasamerrychatterofpeasantwomenovertheirlinenatthepond，andtheringofaxesintheyard，wherethepeasantswererepairingplowsandharrows。Therealspringhadcome。
Levinputonhisbigboots，and，forthefirsttime，aclothovercoatinsteadofhisfurcloak，andwentouttolookafterhisfarm，steppingoverstreamsofwaterthatflashedinthesunshineanddazzledhiseyes，andsteppingoneminuteoniceandthenextintostickymud。