No one else in his place, having to deal with such despair, would have permitted himself to smile, for a smile would have appeared callous. But in his smile there was so much kindness and almost feminine tenderness that it was not offensive, but soothing and pacifying.
Nessuno al posto di Stepan Arkad’ic dinanzi a una simile disperazione, si sarebbe permesso di sorridere (il sorriso sarebbe parso volgare), ma nel sorriso di lui v’era tanta bontà e quasi una tenerezza femminile, che invece di offendere, raddolciva e calmava.