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"The great thing's to keep quiet before a race," said he; "don't

get out of temper or upset about anything."

"All right," answered Vronsky, smiling; and jumping into his

carriage, he told the man to drive to Peterhof.

Before he had driven many paces away, the dark clouds that had

been threatening rain all day broke, and there was a heavy

downpour of rain.

"What a pity!" thought Vronsky, putting up the roof of the

carriage. "It was muddy before, now it will be a perfect swamp."

As he sat in solitude in the closed carriage, he took out his

mother's letter and his brother's note, and read them through.