'If you wish to know my opinion,' said Oblonsky with the same soothing, almondy-tender smile with which he had addressed Anna – a kindly smile so convincing that Karenin, conscious of his own weakness and yielding to it, was involuntarily ready to believe anything Oblonsky should say, – 'she would never say so, but there is one way out, one thing she might wish!
— Se tu vuoi la mia opinione — disse Stepan Arkad’ic con lo stesso tenero, dolce sorriso all’olio di mandorla, col quale aveva parlato ad Anna. Quel buon sorriso era così suadente che Aleksej Aleksandrovic senza volere, sentendo la propria debolezza e sottomettendovisi, era pronto a credere quello che avrebbe detto Stepan Arkad’ic. — Ella non lo dirà mai.