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.
Nadie, no siendo Esteban Arkadievich, se habría permitido sonreír ante tanta desesperación, porque la sonrisa habría parecido completamente extemporánea; pero en su modo de hacerlo había tanta benevolencia y una dulzura tal, casi femenina, que no ofendía, sino que calmaba y proporcionaba un dulce consuelo.