But he noticed that to the rest of the party this appeared something striking and improper, and for that reason it seemed to him too to be improper.

He made up his mind that he must speak of it to his wife.

On reaching home Alexey Alexandrovitch went to his study, as he usually did, seated himself in his low chair, opened a book on the Papacy at the place where he had laid the paper-knife in it, and read till one o'clock, just as he usually did.