Not allowing himself even to think of what was about to happen and how it would end, judging by inquiries he had made as to the time such affairs usually lasted, Levin mentally prepared himself to endure and to keep his heart under restraint for something like five hours, which seemed to him within his power.
Senza concedersi neppure di pensare quello che sarebbe avvenuto, ma come sarebbe finito, giudicando dall’inchiesta che aveva svolto su quanto durava di solito la cosa, Levin, nella sua immaginazione, s’era preparato a pazientare e a tenere il cuore in mano per circa cinque ore, e questo gli sembrava possibile.