The Twin Mystery — Anna Karenina

The next day Nikolay receives sacrament and extreme unction. His eyes fixed on the holy image show passionate prayer that awes and pains Levin, who knows this faith is a desperate, temporary hope, not the brother's old unbelief honestly earned. Levin still prays: if Thou exist, make this man recover. After unction Nikolay seems better for an hour, smiles, thanks Kitty, asks for cutlet. Levin and Kitty share happy, fearful excitement until cough returns and every hope vanishes.

Nikolay gasps that he went through the farce for Katya's sake, breathes iodine with the same desperate look, then says he is setting off. Levin sends Kitty out. Cold feet, long vigil, envy of the dying man's growing clarity, false rallies and agony, collective deceit of doctors and remedies everyone knows are vain. On the tenth day Kitty is ill; after dinner she still tends him. He dies after the prayer for the dying, with one last not quite soon before the women lay out the corpse.

Death revives Levin's old horror before the insoluble enigma. Yet Kitty's presence keeps him from despair; love under menace grows stronger. One mystery scarcely passes before another arises: the doctor confirms she is with child. Life and death stand side by side without Levin solving either.