‘I don’t know why you think I’m in a bad mood,’ said Nikolay in response to the question he knew was in his wife’s mind. ‘You’ve no idea how sad and lonely I am when you go like that. I always think …’ ‘Marie, shush. You’re being silly. Shame on you,’ he said merrily. ‘I think you don’t love me any more, I’m so ugly … all the time … but especially in this condi …’ ‘Oh, you’re so funny! We’re not loved because we look good – we look good because we’re loved. It is only the likes of Malvina who are loved for being beautiful. So the question is: do I love my wife? No, it’s not love, it’s … I
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