Already in February he had received a letter from Mary Nikolavna to say that his brother Nicholas's health was getting worse, but that he would not submit to any treatment. In consequence of this news Levin went to Moscow, saw his brother, and managed to persuade him to consult a doctor and go to a watering-place abroad.
Inoltre, in febbraio, aveva ricevuta da Mar’ja Nikolaevna una lettera in cui si diceva che le condizioni di salute del fratello erano peggiorate, e che egli non voleva curarsi; in seguito a questa lettera, Levin era andato a Mosca e aveva fatto in tempo a persuadere il fratello a consigliarsi con un medico e ad andare all’estero per la cura delle acque.